Collapse the surface area
Every extra channel, SKU, and persona multiplies support. Tiny labs win by repeating one job shape until it is obvious.
Reuse voice, visuals, and loop templates. Novelty is expensive; coherence is free once earned.
Automate the glue, not the judgment
Use agents for packaging, drafting, and checks. Keep humans on taste, pricing, and irreversible sends.
Headcount looks like a flex. Throughput per person with trustworthy loops is the scoreboard.
Field steps
- List every weekly chore that touches AI.
- Turn three into named loops with exits.
- Kill one surface that does not earn its keep.
- Document the job shape so a contractor could run it.
Long view
Labs that stay alive will look understaffed on paper and over-systemized in practice.