I had three different CEOs say a similar thing last week. Three! "We're just not ready for AI agents yet."
I get it. I really do. When you look at your legacy systems, your security gaps, that one database still running on Windows Server 2012 (we all have one)... it feels like you need to fix everything before you can start.
But here's what's actually happening while you're getting "ready."
Your competitor's IT infrastructure? A mess. Their team's AI knowledge? Zero. Security posture? Let's just say "evolving."
They deploy her first agent anyway. Just one. It handles something like delivery route optimization—nothing fancy. That single agent might be saving them $400K annually and processing 900 deliveries a day.
"But what about security?"
They're building it as they go. Starting with basic access controls. Adding monitoring. Implementing security principles one by one. Is it perfect on day one? Nope. Is it better than letting competitors pull further ahead? Absolutely.
Here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud: The companies crushing it with AI agents weren't "ready" either. They just started.
What I'm trying to say is the perfect infrastructure doesn't exist. The perfect security setup is a myth. The perfect team who all understand AI? They're at your competitor, building while you're planning.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Pick one process. The annoying one. The one everyone complains about. Deploy one agent there. Learn. Adjust. Scale.
Because "not ready" is just another way of saying "not started." And every day you don't start is a day your competitors pull further ahead.
The book I'm launching dives deep into how to start smart, even when you're not ready. But honestly? The first step is just... starting.