Welcome back friend!
The Cat’s Out of the Bag
SFTB Note: We had promised an article written about AI Confidence, but this seemed more important for you to read.
I bought three extra Claude Max accounts ($600USD) for an AI model (Fable 5) I got to use for 72 hours.
It was a nice short story.
Then the US Government took it away. Neither Rob nor I live in the US, by the way.
It was honestly the best AI I've ever touched. Near-zero errors, massive context, & cheap enough that it was accessible for most. Three days. A security flag, some government pressure, and now it’s gone.
In 1920 the US made alcohol illegal. People didn't stop drinking. They built speakeasies (If you’re a SFTB loyalist, you’ll know about the speakeasy I mentioned while visiting Amazon Accelerate in the first ever newsletter). Bootleggers got rich. A bottle behind a locked door got more glamorous than it ever was on a shelf. The ban didn't kill the demand. It advertised it, then handed the whole market to whoever was willing to work in the dark.
Watch it happen now in real time as everyone who got a taste of it tries to get access to some version of it again (below ground). The cat’s out of the bag.
Now, it's only been a few days. It's not permanently banned. The policy might flip again by next weekend. I'm not calling the end of anything. But I know what I felt when the access died. Not "oh well." I felt the pull to go find it again. Banning something throws fuel on the fire.
…and if the US administration believes it can control this, all it will do is accelerate development elsewhere.
That's the part they can't switch off. You can take the model. You can't take the memory of what it could do. And a few million people just got a taste of what the “higher-ups” probably have access to permanently. Three days was the free sample. Now everyone knows it’s real.
The IVS
Big thanks to Rob Cosman for stepping in for this week’s IVS! You can find Rob at the beach, driving his golf cart, building LEGO and enjoying a nightcap as the sun sets (not at the same time).
You Need a Website. Build it Cheap Yourself.
When I receive an email from a new potential client I look at their email and try to open their website. Many have nothing or the worst Wix template ever. That used to make sense, sites were expensive and cash needed to go to other priorities.
That excuse is gone. AI tools like Claude Code will build the whole thing for you while you describe what you want in plain English. You don't need to know how to code. You don't need to know what SEO is. You just need to keep asking it questions.
Do these in order.
Step 1: Get inspired (10 minutes)
Look at what a clean, modern site actually looks like before you build. Browse aura.build and similar AI-built sites. Screenshot two or three you like. You're not copying them. You're going to hand them to Claude and say "build me something with this kind of feel."
Step 2: Pick a domain (let Claude help)
Don't stare at a blank box trying to invent the perfect name. Ask Claude for help: "Here's my brand and what I sell. Suggest 10 available domain name ideas, and tell me which ones are short, memorable, and easy to spell." Have it brainstorm with you until one clicks.
Step 3: Set up hosting and email (Hostinger)
You need somewhere for the site to live, plus a real email address ([email protected] beats [email protected] when buyers and suppliers see it). Yes this applies for not just PL brands but those of you trying to get wholesale or brand deals.
I use Hostinger for both. It's about as affordable as it gets and it handles hosting, your domain, and branded email in one place. Get a basic hosting then ask claude to connect to it.
Step 4: Tell Claude Code to build it
Open Claude Code and describe what you want. Something like: "Build me a simple landing page for my brand. I sell [your products]. I want a clean modern look like the screenshots I'm showing you. Include a short story about why I started, my best products with photos, a way to contact me, and all the legal pages I need (privacy policy, terms, anything else). I've never built a website before, so explain each step as you go."
It builds it. Don't like the colors? "Make it navy." Want reviews added? "Add a customer reviews section." Stuck or confused at any point? Type: "I don't understand what just happened. Explain it simply and tell me what to do next." Keep doing that until it's live.
Step 5: Get it online
Ask Claude: "How do I publish this to my Hostinger hosting on my domain?" It'll walk you through it. Ask it to explain anything that doesn't make sense. Connect the API’s.
Step 6: Connect it to Google for SEO juice
This is the step that earns you free traffic, and Claude can set it up for you. Google SEO stuff is kinda complicated, so use claude to do it. Ask: "Help me connect my site to Google Search Console and submit it so Google can find it." Then: "Add the basic SEO so I show up when people search my brand and products."
Step 7: Ask the magic question
When it's all done, ask Claude one more thing: "How do I make this page better?" What are we forgetting? Then do it again next week. That single question turns a basic landing page into a site that actually wins you customers over time.
That's the whole playbook
- Get inspired (aura.build)
- Have Claude research domain names
- Set up hosting and email (Hostinger)
- Ask Claude Code to build the page (legal pages included)
- Ask Claude to publish it
- Ask Claude to connect it to Google
- Ask Claude "how do I make this better?" and keep going
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The Deep Dive (Premium Content)
Sooo… Anthropic released a plugin that scans your project code (any project) and recommends the top 1-2 automations in each of these categories, tailored to what it finds:
- MCP servers — external integrations (e.g. context7 for docs, Playwright for frontend testing)
- Skills — packaged expertise (Plan agent, frontend-design)
- Hooks — automatic actions (auto-format, auto-lint, block edits to sensitive files)
- Subagents — specialized reviewers (security, performance, accessibility)
Slash commands — quick workflows (/test, /pr-review, /explain)
Now this is pretty cool, but I’m too lazy to do that project-by-project. So we supercharged it. We built it so goes from scanning one project to every project…
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It goes out in the newsletter. Subscribe free, share it with one friend, and every Deep Dive unlocks.
The Week Costa Rica Tries to Do Everything at Once
This was the last week before school is done, which in Costa Rica pretty much means it is already done. There are technically a few days left next week, but the kids who actually show up will probably spend most of the time cleaning classrooms, playing games, and wondering where everyone else went.
Looking at my photo roll from this week pretty much sums it up. Final school presentations, report cards, final soccer game, ripping One Piece trading card packs, a mini chess tournament, Chase’s First Communion (after three years of preparation), photos of my buddy having to call the fire department to remove a big snake from his house, and a going-away party.
It feels like the whole area tries to squeeze every event into the same week before a lot of families leave the country for a few weeks, or even a month. Lots of people traveling out of the country and for some the CR adventure is over so time to say final goodbyes.
We also had a pretty good storm come through the area this week, with some flooding in spots and some crazy waves at the beach.
Quick word of warning: don’t go swimming right after big storms. All that rain washes a lot of junk down from the mountains, into the rivers, and eventually into the ocean. It can be a recipe for getting sick.
Plug the Ad Leak That's on by Default
Yes, Amazon runs your sponsored products ads on Amazon, on third-party sites and apps, and it's switched on by default. Previously they wouldn't let us turn it off, but as of a recent change they do let us turn it off (thankfully).
I remember looking this up about a year ago and my off Amazon spend was like 2% but yours might be higher. Off Amazon spend typically converts much worse so this is generally for most people something that should be off.
Here's the two-minute fix (or if you’re feeling lazy just get AI to do it)
- Pull your Sponsored Products bulk file from Bulk Operations in the Ads console.
- In the Entity column, keep only the rows marked "Campaign."
- Drop "Update" into the Operation column on those rows.
- Scroll to the Off-Amazon ad serving column and switch its value to "Limit off-Amazon spend."
- Paste just those edited campaign rows into a fresh sheet and upload it back.
Voila!
The Same Card You Put PPC On Reimburses Meals and Hotels When You're Delayed
Okay, let’s say you’re stuck at the gate on a 6-hour mechanical delay, you buy $40 of airport food and maybe a hotel, and you eat the cost. You probably did not have to. If you paid for the trip with a premium travel card, it likely carries trip delay reimbursement, and the money sits there unclaimed because filing is not automatic.
Chase Sapphire Reserve (the #1 Amazon PPC card, BTW) kicks in after just a 6-hour delay, or any overnight delay, and reimburses unreimbursed expenses like meals and lodging up to $500 per traveler, per trip. Chase Sapphire Preferred is the same $500 cap, triggered at a 12-hour delay. You file at chasecardbenefits.com and you have to do it within 60 days. You just need to have paid at least part of the fare with the card.
The lever here is not getting the benefit, you already pay for it in the annual fee. It is remembering to file. Snap photos of every receipt during a delay and submit the claim when you land.
Every next level of your life will demand a different you.
Leonardo DiCaprio
BEER! Now that I have your attention… you probably would like the Facebook community.
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To your success,
Rob & Max