Most founders think scaling means hiring more people. But what if you could 10x your output without adding headcount? This week, a story out of Buffalo is turning heads: two childhood friends grew a real estate portfolio from zero to 24 units in 12 months — and they're spending less than 10 hours a week managing it. Their secret? A dead-simple AI stack that costs $20/month. Here's what they're doing, and why it matters for every entrepreneur trying to scale smarter, not harder.

Connor Swofford and Pieter Louw aren't your typical real estate moguls. Swofford is a startup consultant based in Charleston. Louw is a real estate agent in Buffalo with a construction background. Together, they've built a 24-unit rental portfolio across nine properties in just one year — all while treating it as a side hustle.

The kicker? Swofford spends about two hours a week on the business. Louw, who handles on-the-ground work like showings and site visits, averages 10 hours. They meet virtually twice a week for 30 minutes to align on strategy and deals. That's it.

Their operation runs on three tools: Baselane (an AI-powered banking and bookkeeping platform), Asana (for task management), and ChatGPT (for everything from drafting emails to navigating legal questions). Total cost: $20/month for Baselane. The rest is free.

Baselane automates rent collection, expense tracking, and financial reporting. It even helped them identify that two-unit properties in their market were underperforming compared to larger multi-family buildings — a data-driven insight that reshaped their acquisition strategy. Asana keeps contractors and maintenance tasks organized. And ChatGPT? It's their on-demand consultant, helping them draft tenant communications and handle their first eviction process without hiring a lawyer upfront.

This story isn't really about real estate. It's about operational leverage — the ability to grow revenue and output without proportionally increasing time, cost, or complexity. And that's the game every entrepreneur needs to master in 2025.

Swofford and Louw demonstrate a principle that applies to any business: AI tools don't just save time — they unlock non-linear growth. Most founders hit a ceiling because they're stuck in execution mode: answering emails, chasing invoices, managing contractors, troubleshooting problems. Baselane eliminated hours of manual bookkeeping and reporting. ChatGPT became a 24/7 assistant for problem-solving and communication. Asana ensured nothing fell through the cracks. The result? They freed themselves to focus on what actually moves the needle: finding deals and making strategic decisions.

Here's the deeper lesson: you don't need a massive budget or a SaaS empire to automate intelligently. For $20/month, these guys built a system that would've required a property manager, a bookkeeper, and a virtual assistant just five years ago. That's a $5,000+/month overhead — gone. This is the new leverage available to founders today, and most aren't using it yet.

The implication for entrepreneurs is clear. Whether you're running an agency, an e-commerce brand, a consulting practice, or a SaaS startup, there are high-friction, repetitive tasks eating your time right now. Client onboarding. Invoicing. Email follow-ups. Content scheduling. Reporting. If Swofford and Louw can manage two dozen rental units in under 10 hours a week, what could you scale if you ruthlessly automated the bottlenecks in your business?

Start by auditing your week. Track where your time actually goes for five business days. Then ask: "Which of these tasks could be automated or AI-assisted?" Look for anything repetitive, low-judgment, or documentation-heavy. That's your automation hit list.

Next, pick one tool and test it for 30 days. If you're drowning in client communication, try ChatGPT to draft responses or create email templates. If financial tracking is chaotic, explore tools like Baselane or QuickBooks that use AI to categorize expenses automatically. If project management feels like herding cats, set up Asana or ClickUp with automation rules. The goal isn't perfection — it's to reclaim 5–10 hours a week and reinvest that time into revenue-generating activities.

Finally, think like Swofford: treat AI as a force multiplier, not a replacement. These tools didn't eliminate their judgment or expertise — they amplified it. Baselane's financial insights helped them make smarter acquisition decisions. ChatGPT helped them communicate better with tenants. The AI handled the grunt work so they could focus on strategy. That's the mindset shift: stop doing things AI can do for you, and start doing the things only you can do for your business.

You don't need a bigger team to scale — you need better systems. Two friends just proved you can manage a 24-unit portfolio in less time than most people spend in meetings each week. The question isn't whether AI can help your business. It's whether you're willing to let it.

Curated by The AI Business Stock — your shortcut to the smartest AI tools and strategies for entrepreneurs.