When was the last time you had one of those "valley of despair" moments? Mine was this Monday, when the list of things to tweak or fix got longer than a proper monthly shopping list.
New users to onboard, a new feature to test (an MCP connector), bugs to squash, and not for one, but for two big active projects at the same time.
virtualX is still in its founding beta, and I'm super grateful to my founding clients who are helping me fine-tune the product and the user experience in exchange for special pricing.
It normally doesn't bother me, because that's just how creating and launching a product works, but for some reason everything felt like too much.
What I've learned over the years is not to resist it, but to get away from the screens, take a walk and let it wash over me.
And then a funny thing happened: in the middle of that walk, the phone rang. It may have been a coincidence, but I don't believe in those.
It was a client, all excited. One of her peers had just seen the preview of her virtualX expert and told her:
"This is EXACTLY what we need, because our teachers and educators are trying to navigate these delicate materials on their own, with ChatGPT.
They get responses, but they have zero clue what's correct and what isn't, and then they get even more frustrated for not knowing what to apply."
1/ Show me (the demo), don't tell
And that was all I needed to snap out of the valley of despair loop.
No, the to-do list didn't get smaller at that moment, but it reminded me that I'm onto something real: an AI tool that solves a real-world frustration, one that is only going to get bigger over time.
And if you teach, coach or consult people, your clients and audience is probably doing the same thing with your materials right now.
But more importantly, what stuck with me from that phone call was the client mentioning the showing part.
During September I wrote to you plenty about why AI was never supposed to replace you, whether human judgement is still your advantage and what to do when you lose a client to AI, but I haven't actually shown you enough of how all of this makes working with your clients easier.
So, here's the deal: instead of asking you to trust me blindly, I want to create a demo for you based on your live content.
Not a demo of a chatbot screen, but a look at what's hiding behind the curtain, and WHY it works differently than regular robots.
I'll feed it some of your publicly available education material and show you how the real thing would work:
- creating brain (knowledge) entries
- writing answers,
- saying "I don't know"
- and refusing to respond.
I'm looking for 4 founding clients, but I can take on only two buildouts in October .
Check out the video below to see what a demo based on your content could look like, and if it makes sense, click here and fill in the short form to see if you qualify at the bottom of the page.
2/ Let's build Virtual Filip together
To add more fun to the creation process, I'm also starting a new, ongoing FlowOS Lab series where we build my own virtual expert together.
First part of the series will land in your inbox next Tuesday (Oct 12).
I'll share my screen and show you how I use the virtualX app to add new memories to its brain and then create its boundaries.
Once that's done, we'll make kiddo Virtual Filip smarter together, through a few rounds of testing (and I'm even playing with the idea of doing the testing on live sessions).
Again, you'll see what it looks like when it responds well, and what happens when a response doesn't make sense.
The end goal isn't just a demo for you. It's a premium tool that I'll include in my recurring offer, so all the knowledge I share here on Substack can be accessed and implemented on demand.
That way you'll see the two biggest benefits together:
A) How a virtual expert saves you time while improving your clients' experience
B) How a virtual expert increases your recurring revenue
I know you wouldn't say no to either, but I also know that "AI that says no, and helps only from the knowledge you specifically chose" may be a new concept.
Let's start by creating your demo first, and then we'll discuss whether reserving one of the two October spots makes sense.
I'm a firm believer in human judgement, human connection and the need for "real life".
I'm also a firm believer that AI is here to stay, so I want to make sure my business and my clients use it in the best possible way, while the majority is still theorizing whether or not AI will replace us - let's start with your demo.
-Filip "show, don't tell" Sardi
PS. One final thought before wrapping this one up: remember to have more fun while doing serious work. I caught myself in a familiar trap over the past couple of months, because we're launching two serious projects, and fun got left behind for a moment there. Don't let it. What's the point of all this if we don't find a way to enjoy the process, even when it's hard?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the free virtual expert demo?
Filip takes some of your publicly available education material and builds a demo of a virtual expert from it. It is not a chatbot screen but a look behind the curtain: creating brain (knowledge) entries, writing answers, saying 'I don't know', and refusing to respond. The letter's video shows what a demo based on your content looks like.
Who is the demo for?
People who teach, coach or consult, whose clients and audience are already asking ChatGPT about their materials. A client's peer put it this way: teachers get responses but have zero clue what's correct and what isn't, and get more frustrated for not knowing what to apply. The letter names four founding clients wanted and two October buildouts available.
How is a virtual expert different from a regular AI chatbot?
It helps only from the knowledge you specifically chose, and it says no. It answers from approved entries, says 'I don't know' when the answer isn't there, and refuses what crosses a boundary. The letter calls it AI that says no, and admits that may be a new concept for most people.
What is the Virtual Filip series?
An ongoing FlowOS Lab series in which Filip builds his own virtual expert in the open: he shares his screen, adds memories to its brain, writes its boundaries, then makes it smarter through rounds of testing. The goal is a premium tool inside his recurring offer, so the knowledge from his letters can be accessed and implemented on demand.
Client Flow Letter
If this was useful, the next one will be too.
Retention strategy for coaches and founders — every week. No filler.
