- Backfilled: 2026-09-04 from meeting notes (Michael ruled 2026-09-04 that the public log carries the whole company history)
Decision
Do not white-label an AI workflow automation agency. Build in house: a writer agent, an editor agent (the “editor brain” all writers funnel into), research and design agents, with Michael’s voice learned from Slack and content. Target: a $200/mo self-serve product with onboarding, landing page and payments ready before launch; announce in the newsletter as “we just sold our agency and here is the automated thing.”
Context
Michael was in “sell sell sell” mode on the agency but the relationship with a major VC client argued for keeping the agency running. The agents were also the route to spinning up three or four white-labeled agencies without a big team.
Consequences
- Agent org chart / hierarchy explored (2026-05-11); templatize the setup so each vertical gets an agent team.
- Later history: Casper/Eddie/Trent agents, the 2026-07-30 Hermes rebuild, and 2026-08-17 retirement of the proactive Casper path.