Welcome to the Gildre January 26' Founder Newsletter - Human First. AI Powered. Growth Unlocked.

January is here, bringing that fresh buzz, big goals, and the drive to really get the year moving. January’s focus is AI-Powered Growth Strategies, which is super important for any founder or operator who wants to succeed in today's fast-moving world. AI is what gives you that competitive edge, helping you make smarter choices and scale things up. It's a huge growth hack, plain and simple. So, check out the content we've pulled together on this and definitely come to the upcoming Gildre events—we'll show you exactly how to turn AI into actual results for your business.

1. The "Ghost-Writer" Strategy
(Not the "Ghost-Thinker")

The Problem: Founders waste hours writing social posts or emails that sound stiff. AI-only writing sounds like a robot.

The Human Strategy: Use AI to build the skeleton, but you provide the soul.

• How to apply it: Take a voice memo of yourself talking about a recent win or a hard lesson for 2 minutes. Upload it to a tool like Claude or ChatGPT.

• The Instruction: Tell it: "I just spoke this. Keep my rough, informal tone. Turn this into a LinkedIn post and 3 email headlines. Do not use words like 'leverage,' 'synergy,' or 'transformative.' Keep it under 100 words per post."

• Why it works: You’re not "generating" content; you’re translating your actual thoughts into different formats. It sounds like you because the source material is you.

2. The "Speed-to-Lead" Filter

The Problem: You get a lead on a Friday night. By Monday morning, they’ve already found someone else. You can't be online 24/7.

The Human Strategy: Use an AI Triage Agent to keep the seat warm, not to replace the conversation.

• How to apply it: Use Zapier Central or Botpress to watch your contact form.

• The Instruction: Set a rule: When a lead comes in, the AI researches the person’s company on LinkedIn and sends you a Slack message: "Hey, [Name] from [Company] just wrote in. They just raised a Series A. Here is a suggested response based on our case studies."

• Why it works: It puts the "ammunition" in your hands instantly. You still send the email, but you look like a genius who did 30 minutes of research in 30 seconds.

3. The "Deep-Dive" Competitor Shadowing

The Problem: You’re guessing what your competitors are doing or what your customers actually want.

The Human Strategy: Use AI to find the gaps in the market that people are complaining about.

• How to apply it: Go to a competitor’s review page (G2, Trustpilot, or even Reddit threads). Copy-paste 50 reviews into an LLM.

• The Instruction: "Analyze these reviews. What is the #1 emotional frustration people have? Don't give me 'price.' Find the 'vibe' they hate. Now, help me write a landing page headline that promises the exact opposite of that frustration."

• Why it works: This is a high-level strategy. You are using AI to find human resentment, which is the most powerful "why" for someone to switch to your startup.

Realistic Comparison: The "Human" Difference

1. The Strategy: "Predictive Retention"

The Real Story: The boutique had thousands of customers, but they were "batching and blasting"—sending the same email to everyone. This annoyed infrequent shoppers and missed the window for loyal ones.

How they applied it: They used Klaviyo AI to analyze their customer data. Instead of guessing, the AI flagged exactly which customers were "likely to purchase in the next 30 days" based on their past behavior.

• The Instruction: They built a segment called "Ready to Buy" and sent them a personalized "New Arrivals" email 2 days before the AI predicted they would shop.

• The Result: This wasn't just "more emails"; it was smarter ones. Within 90 days, 17% of their total revenue came specifically from these AI-predicted segments.

2. The Strategy: "Human-In-The-Loop" Content

The Real Story: The founder, Kim Kidd, knew her customers loved her personal "vibe," but she couldn't spend all day writing. If she let a robot write her emails, her customers (who value the "boutique" feel) would smell it a mile away.

How they applied it: They used AI to handle the data-heavy part of content, not the creative part.

• The Instruction: They used AI to identify which products a specific customer was likely to buy (e.g., highlighting luxury items only for "big spenders" with a predicted lifetime value over $500).

• The Human Part: Kim still chose the photos and the "voice" of the email. The AI just made sure that the "Boho Chic" fans saw Boho dresses, and the "Formal" fans saw blazers.

• The Result: By matching the right "human" content to the right AI-predicted audience, their campaign revenue grew 53% year-over-year.
  
  

  

3. The Strategy: "Competitive Gap" Research

The Real Story: Large retailers (like Amazon or Nordstrom) often feel cold and robotic. The Willow Tree Boutique used AI to find where these giants were failing.

How they applied it: While not explicitly detailed in every case study, this is the "secret sauce" for boutique growth. They used AI to monitor what was trending on social media and what customers complained about in big-box reviews (e.g., "poor fit" or "bad customer service").

• The Instruction: They doubled down on Live Selling (video streams where they show the clothes on real people). They used AI to track which items were mentioned most in the live chat and instantly shifted their stock to match that "human" demand.

• Why it worked: They used tech to be more human, providing the styling advice and "fit" details that big automated websites can't offer.

Why this matters for your Startup:

The Willow Tree Boutique didn't build their own AI. They used off-the-shelf tools (like Klaviyo) and applied them to one specific problem: Who should I talk to today so I don't waste my time?

The takeaway for you:

• Don't try to automate your personality.

• Do use AI to tell you who is slipping away and what they actually care about.

The Willow Tree Boutique.

They aren't a Silicon Valley giant; they are a women's clothing boutique that started as a small brick-and-mortar shop in Alabama. They’ve successfully used these AI strategies to grow their revenue by over 50% in just six months.

Here is exactly how they applied the strategies we discussed:

1. The Strategy: "Predictive Retention" The Real Story: The boutique had thousands of customers, but they were "batching and blasting"—sending the same email to everyone. This annoyed infrequent shoppers and missed the window for loyal ones.

How they applied it: They used Klaviyo AI to analyze their customer data. Instead of guessing, the AI flagged exactly which customers were "likely to purchase in the next 30 days" based on their past behavior.

The Instruction: They built a segment called "Ready to Buy" and sent them a personalized "New Arrivals" email 2 days before the AI predicted they would shop.

The Result: This wasn't just "more emails"; it was smarter ones. Within 90 days, 17% of their total revenue came specifically from these AI-predicted segments.

2. The Strategy: "Human-In-The-Loop" Content The Real Story: The founder, Kim Kidd, knew her customers loved her personal "vibe," but she couldn't spend all day writing. If she let a robot write her emails, her customers (who value the "boutique" feel) would smell it a mile away.

How they applied it: They used AI to handle the data-heavy part of content, not the creative part.

The Instruction: They used AI to identify which products a specific customer was likely to buy (e.g., highlighting luxury items only for "big spenders" with a predicted lifetime value over $500).

The Human Part: Kim still chose the photos and the "voice" of the email. The AI just made sure that the "Boho Chic" fans saw Boho dresses, and the "Formal" fans saw blazers.

The Result: By matching the right "human" content to the right AI-predicted audience, their campaign revenue grew 53% year-over-year.

3. The Strategy: "Competitive Gap" Research The Real Story: Large retailers (like Amazon or Nordstrom) often feel cold and robotic. The Willow Tree Boutique used AI to find where these giants were failing.

How they applied it: While not explicitly detailed in every case study, this is the "secret sauce" for boutique growth. They used AI to monitor what was trending on social media and what customers complained about in big-box reviews (e.g., "poor fit" or "bad customer service").

The Instruction: They doubled down on Live Selling (video streams where they show the clothes on real people). They used AI to track which items were mentioned most in the live chat and instantly shifted their stock to match that "human" demand.

Why it worked: They used tech to be more human, providing the styling advice and "fit" details that big automated websites can't offer.

Why this matters for your Startup: The Willow Tree Boutique didn't build their own AI. They used off-the-shelf tools (like Klaviyo) and applied them to one specific problem: Who should I talk to today so I don't waste my time?

The takeaway for you:

• Don't try to automate your personality.

• Do use AI to tell you who is slipping away and what they actually care about.

AI isn't here to take over; it's here to supercharge what people are already doing well. The smart startups use AI for quick wins—analyzing data, spotting trends—while keeping the human stuff like good judgment, your unique perspective, and building relationships front and center. The trick is: don't let AI handle the things that make you you, and don't outsource your brainpower. Instead, use AI to figure out who you should be talking to, when to reach out, and what they actually care about—then you jump in to handle the personal touch.

If you’re interested in learning more about Gildre Community, where founders are focusing on the many ways AI can take their startups to the next level, you can schedule a conversation with Managing Partner, Taiga Gamell, here.

Cheers,
Eliana