Ex-Microsoft marketer used free AI to launch her first solo venture

Summary: Kristin Ginn worked in marketing at Microsoft for nearly 10 years. When she wanted to start her own consulting business, she didn't hire a team. Instead, she used free AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to act as her "co-founder."

She asked the AI to pretend to be a company boss to test her ideas. The AI helped her design a logo, write a book, and even figure out how much money to charge. Because she used AI to speed things up, she went from having a simple idea to getting her first paying clients in just 60 days!

For more details, see Business Insider at businessinsider.com/generative-ai-free-business-tools-marketing-sales-strategy-2026-5 (opens in new tab)