The Ignorance Tax: How to Build a Lean, Automated Solo Business with Paul Durelli

Paul Durelli returns to The Corporate Escapee Podcast one year after his first appearance to share what’s changed, what’s working, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for corporate and medical professionals looking to escape traditional systems. In this conversation, Brett and Paul explore how AI, automation, and virtual assistants can help GenX escapees scale their businesses without hiring full-time employees. Paul also explains how he’s helping medical professionals escape the bureaucracy of healthcare and build profitable, flexible practices in functional medicine. They cover why every solo business owner eventually pays an “Ignorance Tax,” how to turn that into an automation advantage, and why building your digital backbone early—CRM, SMS, AI follow-ups—can save years of frustration. Paul also shares a powerful “found money” idea: adding an ADA accessibility widget to your site that qualifies you for a $5,000 federal tax credit every year. What You’ll Learn: • The Ignorance Tax: when to stop DIY-ing and pay for speed and expertise • The tech stack every solo business needs to scale (CRM, SMS, email, AI) • How to delegate effectively and build your first small remote team • Lessons from doctors escaping into functional medicine and how that model applies to corporate escapees • How to find “found money” opportunities like the ADA tax credit that deliver instant ROI Key Moments: 00:00 – Welcome back and recap of Paul’s first appearance 02:00 – Why medical professionals are escaping corporate medicine 09:00 – The Ignorance Tax and when to hire help 10:30 – The best automation and CRM tools for solos 20:00 – ADA tax credit: how it works and why it matters 28:00 – How small, AI-enabled teams are outpacing big companies 35:00 – The mindset shift from worker bee to queen bee 39:00 – Continued learning, avoiding the comfort trap, and staying curious 41:00 – Where to connect with Paul and learn more Resources Mentioned: • Paul Durelli – Digital Kahuna: www.digitalkahuna.com • CRM Tool – Go High Level • Book – “Pro Voice” by JT O’Donnell Connect with Paul: Visit www.digitalkahuna.com for courses, automation services, and details on the ADA $5,000 tax credit offer.