JC
Julissa Cotillo
All posts

Building in public

Field notes from building a portfolio of AI-operated brands with my co-founder. The experiments, the retros, the half-broken sprint demos.

ai-content-engine

Seven Brands, One Engine: What I Mean When I Say 'AI Marketing Operations'

I run an AI content engine for seven brands right now, including this one. Here's what that actually means in practice — the stack, the editorial gates, and the specific reason I stopped calling myself an 'AI consultant.'

May 22, 2026·7 min read
brand-julissa-cotillo

How Mastra's SF Demo Day Solidified My Bet on TypeScript for AI

How Mastra's SF Demo Day Solidified My Bet on TypeScript for AI I’ve been a software developer for over a decade, and for the past five months, I've been quietly working with Mastra, a framework I stumbled upon while searching for a seamless AI workflow management solution. I was already a fangirl, so when they announced a demo day in San Francisco, I knew I had to be there. I flew in with high expectations, and the event didn't just meet them—it blew them away. I walked out more convinced tha

Apr 21, 2026·2 min read
brand-julissa-cotillo

The Real Tech Stack Behind Our Airbnb: Price Labs, Cameras, and Why We Use Dumb Locks

When we launched Breezy Keys, our short-term rental business in Florida, everyone told us we needed the fanciest smart home tech. Smart locks, smart thermostats, automated everything. We tried some of it. Some stuck. Some we ditched. Here is what we actually use day to day, and why our setup is probably simpler than you would expect. Price Labs: The Biggest ROI in Our Stack If I had to pick one tool that has made us the most money, it is Price Labs. Dynamic pricing is not optional if you are

Mar 17, 2026·3 min read
brand-julissa-cotillo

Why I Automated My Entire Content Pipeline with AI (and What I Would Do Differently)

I run multiple brands. Each one needs blog posts, social content, SEO optimization, and consistent publishing. Doing all of that manually was eating 15-20 hours a week. So I did what any engineer would do: I built a system. The system is called travel-micros-fleet. It is a multi-agent AI platform with 11 specialized agents, over 60 tools, and 15 automated workflows. Here is the real story of how it works. The Problem: Content at Scale as a Solo Operator When you are running multiple brands b

Mar 17, 2026·5 min read
entrepreneurship

Figuring It Out: How We're Applying an Experimental Mindset to Building a Business as a Duo

We're a 2-person team building something new. We don't have customers. We don't have answers. What we do have is an experimental mindset. This isn't advice—it's field notes from the messy middle.

Feb 2, 2026·10 min read
project

BnB Tuner: AI-Powered Listing Optimization for Airbnb Hosts

An AI-powered tool that analyzes Airbnb listings and suggests improvements for better copy, plus exploring AI-driven professional photo editing to maximize booking potential.

Jan 14, 2025·5 min read