Archive - Islands

How to scale content creation without adding headcount

I recently joined a meeting with a Series B founder.

Jul 3 • Ali El-Shayeb

I stopped writing SEO content for Google. Here is what I do instead.

A founder asked me last week why his blog traffic fell off a cliff in February.

Jul 1 • Ali El-Shayeb

June 2026

The marketing job tripled. Here's what AI-powered content creation actually changed.

The marketing job description quietly tripled in 2025.

Jun 29 • Ali El-Shayeb

Most content "automation" isn't actually automation

When founders say “we automated our content,” the first question I ask is: what does the workflow do without you in it?

Jun 26 • Ali El-Shayeb

5 tests to validate your AI startup idea before writing code

I’ve seen too many AI startups burn six figures on a product that fails before it launches.

Jun 24 • Ali El-Shayeb

How to find a technical co-founder AI startup (and why you might not need one)

How to find a technical co-founder AI startup founders often ask me.

Jun 22 • Ali El-Shayeb

What venture studio equity really looks like in 2026

I've been talking to founders who are thrilled about their venture studio partnership: until they see the term sheet.

Jun 19 • Ali El-Shayeb

How to hire your first AI engineer

I’ve been talking to CTOs who are tired of hiring cycles that burn six months on the wrong candidate.

Jun 17 • Ali El-Shayeb

How we use agents behind the scenes and humans in the loops for content

I have been watching B2B SaaS founders and CMOs struggle with a specific, frustrating pattern.

Jun 12 • Ali El-Shayeb

How we manage newsletters and blogs for $700 a channel (and what the $300 graphics add-on includes)

I have been talking to a lot of marketing agency founders lately, and the frustration is palpable.

Jun 10 • Ali El-Shayeb

The AI just recommended your competitor by name

Hey, it’s Ali.

Jun 9 • Ali El-Shayeb

Why we charge $2,000–$3,000 a month for plug-and-play go-to-market pipelines

I have been looking at the burn rates of Series B scale-ups lately and the data is consistent.

Jun 5 • Ali El-Shayeb

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts