From Burnout to Booked: How Cactus Automates Admin Work for Solopreneurs

In today’s digital economy, the rise of solopreneurs—individuals who manage and operate their own businesses—has transformed how work is done across industries. From private chefs and photographers to personal trainers and caterers, these independent professionals are driven by passion. But beneath the surface lies a growing challenge: administrative overload.

Solopreneurs often find themselves spending more time managing logistics than delivering their actual services. Missed calls, unqualified leads, inconsistent bookings, and the lack of proper customer management systems lead to lost revenue and mounting stress. The more successful a solopreneur becomes, the more overwhelming the back-office burden grows.

That’s the exact pain point Cactus aims to solve. By stepping in as an AI-powered copilot, Cactus takes over the tedious admin work, letting solopreneurs return to what they love: their craft.

What exactly does Cactus do?

Cactus isn’t just another scheduling tool or chatbot. It’s a full-fledged AI copilot built specifically for solopreneurs, functioning as a digital business assistant that handles front-facing operations. Its three core offerings work in sync to drive efficiency and growth:

1. Instant Website Generation
   Every solopreneur who signs up with Cactus gets their own personalized website, designed to attract, inform, and convert leads. This website becomes the central hub of their business online.
2. AI-Powered Phone Assistant
   When a potential customer calls, Cactus picks up. It doesn’t just answer—it intelligently qualifies leads, answers common questions, collects key information, and directs genuine opportunities to the solopreneur’s calendar.
3. Smart Booking Management
   Cactus automates scheduling by coordinating calendars and avoiding overlaps. It ensures solopreneurs have full, optimized schedules—maximizing earnings while reducing downtime.

Together, these functions form an invisible team member, enabling solopreneurs to operate more like enterprises, minus the overhead.

Who is behind Cactus, and what inspired them?

Cactus was founded in 2024 by Ajith Govind (CEO) and Avinash Joshi (CTO)—two college batchmates and now second-time YC co-founders. Their journey isn’t just technical; it’s deeply personal.

After becoming parents, both founders started hiring personal chefs to manage their family meals. But what they found was surprising: many private chefs were overwhelmed, not with cooking, but with answering inquiries, juggling calendars, and managing customer expectations. The chefs were passionate about food, not admin work.

Ajith and Avinash quickly realized the broader pattern. Solopreneurs across professions were burning out, not because of a lack of clients, but because of poor systems. That’s when Cactus was born—not as a marketplace, but as an AI-powered solution to the real problem.

Ajith, with his background in launching Turing Labs (YC W20), had already worked with global CPG giants like Coca-Cola and Unilever, generating over $65M in impact. Avinash brought his full-stack expertise from years of shipping products across technologies from Django to Rails. Together, their goal with Cactus became clear: help solopreneurs scale themselves without losing the joy that made them start in the first place.

How is Cactus already changing lives?

Since launch, Cactus has focused on private chefs and caterers—solopreneurs who often receive hundreds of inquiries per week. These professionals usually miss out on prime business simply because they can’t answer every call or organize their schedules quickly enough.

Cactus turned that around. By handling incoming calls, qualifying customers, and automating bookings, the AI copilot filled up calendars and increased revenue, without adding a single staff member.

Today, over 100 chefs use Cactus to manage their business operations. As a result, these chefs spend more time in the kitchen and less time on the phone or in front of a spreadsheet. For many, this was the first time they felt truly in control of their work-life balance.

This success has paved the way for Cactus to expand into other sectors: photographers, personal trainers, and more are next on the roadmap.

What is “vibecoding,” and how does it fit into Cactus’s vision?

One of the playful yet profound terms the Cactus team uses is “vibecoding”—the idea that solopreneurs don’t need to write traditional code to operate like a tech-savvy business. With Cactus, they can vibe into business ownership, making smart, data-backed decisions with the help of AI without touching a line of code.

In essence, Cactus is building the future of “no-code entrepreneurship.” Solopreneurs just show up with their skill; Cactus handles the rest. It’s the kind of seamless automation that makes the experience feel like magic—something that just works in the background, every day.

How is Cactus different from other admin tools?

While plenty of tools exist to help small businesses—CRMs, booking apps, website builders—most are fragmented. Solopreneurs end up juggling multiple platforms, which defeats the purpose of streamlining operations.

Cactus sets itself apart in a few key ways:

• Fully Integrated AI Stack
  Instead of patching together separate tools, Cactus offers a tightly unified experience, from answering calls to finalizing bookings.
• Built for Solopreneurs, Not Teams
  Most software is designed with teams or agencies in mind. Cactus is laser-focused on the needs of one-person businesses.
• Live AI Interactions
  Cactus’s AI doesn’t just work behind the scenes. It interacts with customers in real-time, handling tasks traditionally done by an assistant or front desk staff.
• Zero Learning Curve
  Solopreneurs don’t need to configure complex workflows. Once onboarded, the system begins working immediately, adapting over time based on customer behavior and preferences.

What’s next for Cactus?

With strong early traction among chefs and caterers, the Cactus team is now actively expanding to include photographers, fitness instructors, tutors, and other one-person businesses that face similar administrative challenges.

Long-term, the goal is to build an ecosystem where any solopreneur—from dog walkers to stylists—can rely entirely on Cactus to run the business backend. Imagine a world where anyone can start and grow a solo business without needing to hire a single assistant, receptionist, or bookkeeper.

Cactus doesn’t just want to help solopreneurs survive—it wants to help them scale joyfully.

Why does this matter now?

In a world where independence and flexibility are increasingly prized, more people are leaving traditional jobs to pursue passions as solopreneurs. But without the right support, many are finding the dream harder to sustain.

Cactus steps in at a perfect time—just as AI tools are becoming capable enough to function like real teammates. By focusing on real-time interaction, intelligent automation, and user simplicity, Cactus empowers a generation of business owners to thrive without burning out.

As co-founder Ajith Govind puts it: “We're not just building software—we're building confidence for solopreneurs. When they trust that the backend is handled, they can grow without limits.”

Conclusion: Is Cactus the future of solopreneurship?

All signs point to yes. With a growing user base, a strong founding team, and a razor-sharp focus on solving a universal pain point, Cactus is well-positioned to define the AI copilot space for one-person businesses.

More than just a tool, Cactus represents a new model of work—one where creative individuals are free to thrive without the administrative drag. And in doing so, it’s quietly becoming one of the most empowering startups of its generation.