GoKawiilAfter years of building a traditional business centered on helping people get out of the house and find fun stuff to do, John Peterson, the CEO of The Nudge, just launched an agentic AI version of its “planner friend.” This new AI agent, which is now live across dozens of U.S. markets, proactively plans, recommends, and books things to do in your city, informed by your likes and dislikes, plans others are making locally and chats from other users. “Once you sign up, you start receiving texts directly on your phone a couple of times per week – each ‘nudge’ includes a brief itinerary, cost, and deadline to take action,” according to the company.
Peterson recently connected with Entrepreneur to share his thoughts on pivoting to AI without sacrificing quality, the key to connecting with Gen Z and the main question any leader needs to constantly be asking themselves as they explore new ideas.
Give us the elevator pitch of The Nudge.
The Nudge is the AI agent that runs your free time and lives in your text messages. It’s a subscription that tells you what to do on the weekend, helps you plan it, and can book things for you. Our vision is for The Nudge to handle all your free time one day.
Please tell us one “holy @#$!” moment about running your business — an unexpected problem you faced and how you overcame it.
One day in 2020, we arrived in the office and found out that due to COVID, our entire value prop of “we text you things to do in your city” was not going to work for a while. “Holy @#$!” indeed.
I remember bringing the team into our tiny basement office and telling them what I always say when @#$! hits the fan: “Don’t let a crisis go to waste.” Every catastrophe has opportunities if we can see them.
So we got to work on finding those opportunities. We realized that our value prop was not “we text you things to do in your city” but rather “we help you live your best life.” We started texting people how to do Zoom trivia nights with friends, which Mexican foreign film to watch on Taco Tuesday at home, and how to support local restaurants. We were able to think bigger and redefine how we help people.
What’s something small, like a daily routine or mindset shift, that changed the way you lead or perform?
Every day when I arrive in the office, before I begin my work, I write the answer to two questions in a Google Sheet: 1. When I really zoom out, I realize ____________. 2. Therefore, today I will ____________.
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