US entrepreneur Alex Willen operates 12 online retail brands without employees, using ChatGPT and Claude to help manage daily operations. Willen told CNBC on 7 November 2026 that he expects combined revenue of £1.86 million to £2.24 million this year.
The forecast covers sales before expenses, not profit. Willen credits artificial intelligence with reducing his need for staff and outside specialists, although the financial projections remain unverified.
How Willen Uses ChatGPT and Claude To Run His Businesses
Willen uses Anthropic's Claude for bookkeeping, customer service, advertising and inventory management. OpenAI's image tools also help him produce product visuals without relying on traditional photography and design services.
He told CNBC that without AI, he would probably need another full-time worker and contractors for photography, design, bookkeeping and advertising.
A conventional product photography session could cost between £1,490 and £3,730, according to Willen. Using AI allows him to avoid some of those expenses.
One example involves Lone Trail, a hunting and outdoor equipment brand he acquired. Its Shopify website initially generated approximately 1% of sales.
Willen used ChatGPT and Claude to rebuild the storefront and AI tools to help manage Meta advertising. During a recent 30-day period, Shopify accounted for approximately 30% of Lone Trail's revenue.
The increase reflects the website's share of sales, not a verified 30% increase in overall revenue. Amazon still generated roughly 80% of sales across Willen's brands, according to CNBC.
AI-Exposed Industries See More Solo Business Applications
Willen's experience comes as research points to growing interest in businesses without employees.
Economist Liya Palagashvili of George Mason University's Mercatus Center found that US business applications without early hiring indicators increased 26.8% in AI-exposed industries between the first quarters of 2024 and 2026.
Applications more likely to become employer businesses declined 6.4% in those industries. Non-employer-type applications in the construction and wholesale comparison group fell 0.4%.
The Mercatus study also found that solo self-employment increased 7.9% in AI-exposed industries between a 2022–23 baseline and 2025.
However, Palagashvili cautioned that the findings were preliminary and did not establish that AI caused the increase. Business applications also do not prove that companies began trading or remained without employees.
AI Adoption Does Not Always Mean Fewer Employees
A FreshBooks survey of 500 solo entrepreneurs and microbusiness owners found that 86% turned to AI before hiring outside help for unfamiliar tasks.
Meanwhile, Gusto research found that small businesses adopting AI had headcounts approximately 7% higher after a year than comparable firms aware of AI but not using it. The difference reached roughly 10% among businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
These findings suggest AI can support different business models, from solo operations to expanding teams, without establishing that the technology alone drives either outcome.
