Six months ago, on February 2nd, 2025, I did something I'd been thinking about for months - I published my first newsletter for aiformainstreet. The voices in my head, and maybe my village people (IYKYK), were working overtime to convince me that I'm a bad writer, unqualified to talk about the future of AI, and that no one would read or care about what I have to say. For months, they were winning.
The courage to start came the night of January 31st, 2025, though it still took me two days to hit publish. It wasn't that I was no longer scared or nervous about sharing my opinions to the world, I just decided to move forward despite the fear. I told myself that worst case, this would be a great way to learn much more about AI as I write about it.
The last six months of pouring into this blog has been incredible. I've spoken to many small business owners, written 21 newsletters, and heard from so many of you along the way. I've been amazed by the number of people who have reached out unprompted to say, "Cedric, what you're doing is wonderful, and I love reading your blog." It’s a reminder that fear really is just false illusions appearing real. So let me echo words you’ve likely heard before: if there’s something you’ve been thinking about doing - Go do it.
To all my Main Street champions reading this, thank you for all the support. Thanks to my wife and business partner for reviewing my writing every week. Thanks to Claude and Grok for generating all the images in my blog because God knows I don't have one graphic design bone in my body.
I'm excited to keep writing and sharing because I'm more convinced than ever that the divide between AI-powered and traditional businesses will soon become irreversible. AI-powered businesses are establishing efficiency advantages that will be impossible to catch up to. Main Street businesses are disproportionately at risk of being left behind. The hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, Tesla, etc) have spent over $320 billion in infrastructure to build out their AI capabilities. 64% of the $160+ billion in startup funding this year has gone to AI companies. Always follow the smart money. I don't think the world is fully ready for what's about to hit us with AI's rapid diffusion into every part of our lives, but we'll all have to grapple and eventually adjust to this reality.
At the turn of the millennium during the dot-com boom, many small Main Street businesses were left behind, especially in retail and wholesale. Internet giants capitalized on new technology to move commerce online while small businesses watched from the sidelines.
Not this time. We must empower every small business with the tools and knowledge to not only survive but thrive in the AI age. The best way to build and empower our underserved and overlooked communities is by empowering the small businesses that serve them. When small businesses create wealth, it stays local and drives prosperity within communities.
I look forward to continue contributing towards this ideal both through my aiformainstreet and other ventures I am involved in.
With love,
Cedric
click here to read my very first newsletter