In this post, I want to share my experience of starting an online business—and how AI played a key role in speeding up the process.
Part 1: The Idea
The core idea was to build a platform that helps students prepare for English language proficiency tests, like TOEFL, at a lower cost. After doing some research, I realized that creating TOEFL-related content would be a practical starting point, as it was easier to structure and produce compared to other exams. My goal was to make high-quality test preparation accessible and affordable.
Part 2: Technical Journey
This was a full-stack project, and to be honest, I had never written serious back-end code before. So I started learning everything from scratch. Whenever I ran into problems or the documentation wasn’t clear enough, I turned to AI. It helped me find answers quickly and gave me the confidence to keep moving forward.
AI also played a role in areas I wasn’t familiar with—like SEO and digital marketing. With its guidance, I managed to implement several strategies correctly, even without prior experience.
That said, I never relied entirely on AI. I strongly believe that developers should stay in control of their codebase. Overusing AI can lead to a lack of understanding and ownership, which is risky in the long term.
Part 3: Looking Ahead
I believe AI will continue to drive down the cost of services that were once expensive, especially in education and content creation. In my opinion automating routine tasks and producing scalable learning materials opens up incredible opportunities for future businesses.
As for me, I plan to keep improving the platform—adding new features, supporting more exams, and making the experience even better for learners.
If you're interested in collaborating, feel free to check out my website: SmartTestify.com . I'd be happy to connect.
Thank you for reading this post, hope you find it useful.
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