How I Built
AIBuildGap.com
in Two Weeks
A Portfolio Executive's walkthrough of building the operator-side companion to AIWageGap: a portfolio site for shippable templates, with seven AI tools any non-developer executive can clone in a weekend. The corpus is the proof. The templates are the pitch.
Yuri Kruman
Builder of 8 portfolio properties · Jun 2026
cloneable templates featured
to ship the site
/month to run
median time-to-clone per template
The 30-Second Version
AIBuildGap.com is the build-side companion to AIWageGap. While AIWageGap teaches the problem (the wage premium for AI fluency), AIBuildGap shows the operators what to actually build to close the gap. The site is a portfolio of seven shippable templates with the full build log, the stack, the prompts and a downloadable starter. The templates are derivatives of the actual PortLev portfolio: a policy engine (AIHRPilot), a diligence rubric (DueDrill), an academy site (PortLev Academy), a newsletter OS, a podcast OS, a portfolio cockpit (Command Center) and a CEO integrator.
The Problem
Non-developer executives who know they should "build with AI" but have no template that actually fits their week.
The Stack
Static HTML + Vercel + 7 template cards + 7 downloadable starters + AEO-first.
What It Doesn't Need
No marketplace, no payments, no auth, no community.
Build Time
Two weeks. Half spent writing the templates' build logs, half building the site.
If you are a non-developer executive who has spent more time talking about "building with AI" than actually building, AIBuildGap is for you. The point is not the site. The point is that each of the seven templates can be cloned in 48 hours and produce a billable result.
Why a Build-Side Companion (and Why Not Inside AIWageGap)
AIWageGap.com taught readers the size of the gap. Six whitepapers told them WHY they should care. The book lays out the WHAT. But that left the WHY-NOW-AND-HOW unanswered for the executive who is convinced and wants to start tonight. Stuffing operator content into AIWageGap diluted the research voice. Spinning it out preserved both sites' identities.
2
distinct reader intents jammed into one site
0
templates I could send to people asking “where do I start?”
7
portfolio builds I had already done that doubled as templates
48
hours: the time-to-clone constraint each template had to fit
- 1Audience intents drive site splits. Research readers and operator readers are different people. Same brand voice; different sites.
- 2Templates are proof, not products. Selling templates becomes Gumroad. Showcasing the build logs becomes authority.
- 3The 48-hour constraint is the editorial rule. If a template can't be cloned in 48 hours, it's a product, not a template. Cut it.
AIBuildGap is the operator's index. AIWageGap is the reader's library.
The two sites point at each other. Every AIWageGap whitepaper ends with "want to build? → AIBuildGap." Every AIBuildGap template card ends with "want the research? → AIWageGap." Two surfaces, two intents, one ecosystem.
The Stack (and Why Each Piece)
Click each layer.
Site Shape
Portfolio grid + per-template page
Home is a 7-card grid (one card per template). Each card opens a per-template page with the full build log, the stack, the prompts, the downloadable starter and a CTA to the Leverage Brief and the cohort.
Site
Static HTML, no build step
Same pattern as AIWageGap. Static deploys on Vercel free tier. Each template page is its own HTML file (the build-log pages, just like this one you're reading).
Starters
Downloadable zip per template
Each template has a small zip in /files/ with the scaffolding: package.json, env example, one starter script, one prompt template. Not a finished product. A 30-minute head start.
Build Logs
Long-form per-template walkthrough
Each template page is the equivalent of this page: 10 sections, 6-phase build sequence, exact prompts, real lessons. The build log IS the showcase; the zip is a courtesy.
AEO
llms.txt + JSON-LD HowTo on every template
Each template emits HowTo JSON-LD with the 6 phases mapped to steps. AI engines start citing the build logs as authoritative answers to "how do I build an HR policy engine," "how do I score a deal automatically," etc.
CTAs
Leverage Brief + the cohort
Every template page ends with two CTAs: subscribe to the Brief (free, low risk) and apply to the cohort (where we build these together). No template is for sale; the templates are the proof of competence.
The Six-Phase Build Sequence
Each phase ~1-3 days. The hardest part is selection: which 7 templates make the cut.
Template Selection (the 48-hour rule)
Seven templates. Each one must be cloneable by a non-developer executive in 48 hours of focused work. If a template needs a dev team, it's not a template. Cut it.
The selected 7:
- HR Policy Engine — pattern from AIHRPilot
- Diligence Rubric — pattern from DueDrill
- Academy Site — pattern from PortLev Academy
- Newsletter OS — pattern from Leverage Brief
- Podcast Publishing OS — pattern from podcast-os
- Portfolio Cockpit — pattern from Command Center
- CEO Integrator — pattern from CEO Command Center
What I'd Do Differently Today
Five templates, not seven
Two of the seven barely cleared the 48-hour rule. They diluted the line. Five tight templates would have been a sharper site.
Don't gate the zips behind email
I gated v1. Conversion was higher but template downloads dropped 60%. The build log already qualifies the reader; the zip should be friction-free.
Add a “48h clock” CTA
A “start the 48h clock” button that emails you a check-in at hour 24 and asks for a shipped-or-stuck reply. Closes the loop on accountability without becoming an LMS.
Cross-link to AIWageGap from every footer
I cross-linked only from CTAs. Should have been in the footer. The two sites are stronger together than apart.
Adapt This for YOUR Operator-Side Companion
The architecture (select → logs → grid → zips → CTAs → AEO) is the template for any operator-side companion site that sits next to a thesis publication. Five adaptations off the same skeleton:
| Thesis Site | Operator Companion | Templates Featured |
|---|---|---|
| Sales leadership book | SalesBuildGap | CRM hygiene, lead scoring, deal review |
| PE/VC thesis | DealBuildGap | IC memo, LP letter, portfolio tracker |
| Nonprofit fundraising | DonorBuildGap | Funder fit, LOI draft, gift tracker |
| Parenting | FamilyBuildGap | Family meeting OS, allowance tracker, ritual calendar |
| AIWageGap (research) | AIBuildGap (operator) | 7 portfolio templates |
Starter Prompts for Claude / Cursor
Four prompts to take your operator-side companion site from idea to shipped.
"I run a [DOMAIN] portfolio with N shippable systems. Help me pick the 5-7 systems that double as templates for a non-developer executive in [DOMAIN]. Constraint: each template must be cloneable by a non-developer in ≤ 48 hours of focused work. For each candidate: name, one-sentence value prop, ICP, stack, build time, and an honest scoring against the 48-hour rule. Cut any candidate that fails the constraint."
"Generate the 10-section, 6-phase build-log skeleton for [TEMPLATE NAME]: hero, 30-second TLDR, origin story, interactive stack diagram, six-phase timeline, what I'd do differently, adapt-this-for-you, starter prompts, what-it-is-not, CTA. Use the visual pattern from the AIHRPilot build log. Per-template accent color [HEX]. Output as a single static HTML file with inline Tailwind via CDN."
"Write scripts/build-starters.mjs that generates one ZIP per template under public/files/<slug>.zip. Each zip contains: README.md (6-phase quickstart matching the template's build log), package.json (with the deps for the stack), .env.example, one starter script (the simplest viable version of phase 1), and one prompt template (the ‘exact prompt used’ from the build log). Total size < 1MB per zip. No transitive dependencies."
"For each template page, emit schema.org HowTo JSON-LD: name, description, totalTime PT48H, supply (env keys), tool (stack items), step[] mapping each phase to HowToStep {name, text, url (#phase-N anchor), image (the per-phase screenshot)}. Also emit BreadcrumbList from Home → Templates → This. Validate every block on https://validator.schema.org before commit."
What AIBuildGap.com Is Not
It is not a template store. It is not Gumroad. It is not a course platform. It does not gate downloads behind email. It does not sell anything.
What it is: an operator's proof gallery. Seven templates, seven build logs, seven downloadable starters. The build logs are authority. The cohort is the offer. The templates exist to prove the cohort is worth applying to.
The question is not
"should I build a template store?"
The question is:
"What 5-7 builds have I actually shipped that double as templates an operator could clone in 48 hours?"
Pick those 5-7. Write the build logs. Cut anything that can't make the 48-hour cut. The site is two weeks. The authority is years.
This walkthrough is part of the Portfolio Leverage Co. Build Bench series. For the cohort where we build these together, apply here.