Discover how Bob, a 52-year-old builder with no VC funding or dev title, launched an AI Business Without Coding (JeniCards) using ChatGPT, Claude, and just £300.
Discover how Bob, a 52-year-old builder with no VC funding or dev title, launched an AI greeting card business (JeniCards) using ChatGPT, Claude, and just £300.
The AI Side Hustle Nobody Saw Coming (But Everyone’s Loving)
What happens when a 52-year-old guy who’s not a tech bro, not VC-funded, and doesn’t even call himself a developer… decides to build something for fun?
You get something like JeniCards — a ridiculously personal AI-powered greeting card generator that’s part genius, part therapy, part stand-up comedy.
And it all started with chaos.
From Hobby to Hustle — Without the Hustle
Bob’s no stranger to the internet. Back in the day, he ran a forum for expats that grew to 1.5 million monthly visitors. That eventually sold.
But this? This was different.
A few years ago, he started playing with AI image tools like Stable Diffusion just to make cards for friends. The results? Pure finger-mutated madness. But the idea had potential.
He didn’t rush it. He didn’t force-build it before it was time.
Then came GPT-4 with image and text capabilities.
That’s when things clicked.
JeniCards: Built with Prompts, Not Code
Bob didn’t code the app from scratch.
Instead, he “vibe-coded” it — using Claude, Windsurf, and about £300 in API credits to launch in one month.
He literally built a Kanban board inside Claude:
– Gave the AI tasks
– Got updates
– Reviewed code
– Marked things complete
This isn’t just AI slapping a quote on a picture.
Each greeting card is crafted using a massive prompt chain that adjusts tone, occasion, phrasing, and even logic.
Turning “30? Happy Birthday” into “Happy 30th!”? That’s the AI doing smart rewriting behind the scenes.
No Landing Page. No Funnel. Just Vibes.
There’s no checkout flow. No upsell. No official launch.
Bob just started sending the cards to friends. read moreTop 5 Passive Income Ideas That Require No Experience (2025 Edition)
Some ghosted him.
Some laughed.
Others loved it.
Then one day, Lenny Rachitsky’s newsletter mentioned JeniCards—and 50 signups rolled in like magic.
Here’s the Crazy Part…
Bob doesn’t call himself a developer.
He didn’t try to raise money.
He didn’t stress over traffic.
He just had an idea… and he built it.
That’s the power of AI in 2025.
You don’t need a team.
You don’t need funding.
You just need a problem worth solving—and a bit of curiosity.
Final Thought
If you’ve been sitting on an idea, waiting for the perfect time, the perfect stack, or the perfect funding round…
Stop waiting.
Start building.
Even if it’s weird.
Even if it’s small.
Even if only 50 people care.
That’s how things start.
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