Startups For the Rest of Us

Episode 809 | What I Learned Diving into A.I. for 100 Days (with Craig Hewitt)

Startups For the Rest of Us

Show Notes

What are the can't-miss AI tools for SaaS founders?

In this episode, Rob Walling sits down with Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, to dive deep into Craig’s “100 Days of AI” YouTube series. They discuss the lessons learned from exploring the latest AI tools for founders, why ChatGPT might not be the best option for SaaS entrepreneurs, and which AI platforms are actually moving the needle.

Rob and Craig also chat about the realities of AI agents, the challenges of building a second product after hitting a growth plateau, and Craig’s approach to evaluating new opportunities as he looks to expand beyond podcast hosting.

Episode Sponsor:

AI is transforming how people discover brands and Ahrefs is helping SaaS companies stay ahead.

They’ve just launched Brand Radar, a new tool that lets you track your visibility in AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. See how you stack up against competitors, monitor reputation, and build authority across search, social, and AI.

No more cobbling together tools. Ahrefs brings it all into one powerful SaaS marketing platform, backed by 15+ years of real-world web data and marketing-savvy AI.

Try it free at ahrefs.com/awt.

Topics we cover:

(03:28) – 100 Days of AI YouTube series, biggest surprises and key takeaways

(08:20) – Claude Code, ChatGPT, and Manus: Which AI tools work best for founders

(13:00) – Practical AI workflows in content production and automation

(18:35) – AI agent cuts customer support in half

(21:27) – Burnout and breakthroughs from publishing 100 videos in 100 days

(25:43) – Craig’s new AI projects and what’s next

(30:14) – Three new product ideas under evaluation

(33:09) – The pros, cons, and emotions behind launching a second product

Links from the Show:

MicroConf US 2026- April 12-14, 2026 · Portland US

TinySeed’s SaaS Institute

Claude Code (by Anthropic)

Manus

Creator Hooks

Cursor

HelpScout

DocsBot

LinkBerry.ai – Craig’s new tool for LinkedIn content creation

Castos

Craig Hewitt | YouTube

Craig Hewitt | LinkedIn

Craig Hewitt (@TheCraigHewitt) | X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

More from Startups For the Rest of Us

Oct 20, 2026

Which SaaS moats are left in 2026?

Oct 13, 2026

Where do the best SaaS ideas actually come from?

Oct 6, 2026

How do you get LLMs to actually recommend your SaaS?

Sep 29, 2026

Should you be worried that another founder will steal your idea if you ask them for advice?

Sep 22, 2026

How do you pivot your SaaS when things aren’t working?

See all episodes →