From buildingcompaniesto building the AI that runs them.
I'm Mike Hodgen. I turned $200 in fabric into a solar-powered microfactory — 4,500+ products, 10 employees, 7,000+ five-star reviews. Then I built 15+ AI systems that rewired how the whole company runs. Not from the outside. As the CEO. Now I do it for companies that play to win.
RECEIPTS / WHAT THE WORK PRODUCED
The
whole story.
2014 — 2025 / NO SHORTCUTS
The spark
Met my co-founder at Iona. The idea hit at a festival — make the fashion better.
From zero
Two broke kids. $200 in fabric. Hand-sewing in an apartment. Launched on Etsy. No safety net.
Built the factory
A solar-powered microfactory in San Diego. In-house manufacturing at a 0.5% defect rate — 10x better than the industry. All handmade, all local.
Survived the shutdown
Festivals died overnight. Revenue dropped 80% in a month. We pivoted, kept every employee, and came back at 108% YoY.
Weaponized AI
Not as a consultant — as the CEO running the company. Product, SEO, pricing, inventory: every function got an AI layer. 15+ systems, 22,000+ lines of Python.
The numbers hit
+38% revenue per employee. -42% manual ops time. 3,000+ hours saved a year. 4,500+ products. 10 people. AI through all of it.
Chief AI Officer
Handed the CEO seat to my co-founder. Founded Hodgen.AI to run AI for companies that move fast.
FEATURED IN
On the record.
04 / PODCASTS
Retention Nation
HiFlyer Digital
Using AI to drive retention and loyalty in ecommerce
LISTEN ↗The Ecom Show
The Ecom Show
Managing 4,500+ SKUs and scaling inventory the easy way
LISTEN ↗Digital Marketing Fastlane
Digital Marketing Fastlane
Building a DTC brand from a one-bedroom apartment
LISTEN ↗The Mindset Babe
Perry Richardson
Building a brand and leading through a pandemic
LISTEN ↗Let's build
yours. now.
A few companies at a time. The ones that move get the seat. Apply, or book a call and let's see if we're a fit.
The time is now. Founders, operators, people who play to win. We turn ambition into AI advantage — in weeks, not years.