We recently connected with Helena Liu and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Helena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

When I started my first business, ExamsPM, I was 22 and I had no idea what I was doing. I was working in project management at IBM and all the senior staff members always told me how valuable PMP certification was for career growth, so I got the certification. During my own certification journey, I saw that the study materials were dense and hard to follow. This was also the start of online learning and there weren’t many online courses at the time on project management. I thought, “There has to be a better way to teach this.” That’s when the idea hit me—I could create an online course to help professionals pass their PMP exam faster and for 10% of what the local colleges were charging for in-person trainings.

I spent a whole year building a website, designing logos, tweaking the layout—everything except actually launching. It was easy to convince myself I was making progress when, in reality, I was just avoiding the hard part: selling. I told myself, “I’ll launch when everything is perfect.” But perfection never came.

After nearly two years of “playing business”, I forced myself to stop tweaking and start selling. I posted a few ads for my courses on Kijiji and made my got my first 5 paying students! That’s when things started clicking.

Once I saw proof that my idea could work, I doubled down. I created YouTube videos, optimized my website for SEO, spent money on ads, and improved my course based on student feedback. Over time, ExamsPM grew into a full-fledged business.

After years in online education, I saw AI starting to change the way businesses operate. The same way I had figured out online courses, I had to figure out AI automation. That’s how Product Camps was born.

The process wasn’t much different—I had to learn, experiment, and iterate. I saw that business owners needed AI solutions that were practical and easy to implement. So instead of just teaching AI, I started building AI automation templates, AI-powered content tools, and chatbot solutions.

If I could go back, I would launch sooner and let the market tell me what was working instead of waiting for things to be “ready.” Every successful step came from action, not overthinking.

That’s the mindset I bring to AI and automation today—helping business owners move fast, test ideas, and use AI to work smarter.

Helena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I’m Helena Liu, and I help business owners and entrepreneurs leverage AI to scale, automate, and create better content—without needing a tech background.

I saw how AI was changing the way businesses operate, and I knew I wanted to help others simplify their work, increase revenue, and free up their time. That’s how Product Camps was born.

At Product Camps, I teach and build AI-driven automation solutions for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creators. The goal? Make AI practical, easy to implement, and RESULTS-DRIVEN.

✅ AI-Powered Content Creation – I help businesses create high-quality social media posts, blogs, emails, and videos using AI (without spending hours staring at a blank page).
✅ AI Chatbots & Customer Engagement – Businesses can use AI chatbots to answer inquiries, qualify leads, and book appointments 24/7.
✅ Automation for Lead Generation & Follow-Ups – I show business owners how to automate follow-ups, re-engage old leads, and keep customers coming back—without lifting a finger.
✅ Done-for-You AI Automation Templates – I offer plug-and-play AI automations so businesses can streamline operations without hiring a tech team.

What I’m Most Proud Of
I’m proud of the community I’ve built. Through my YouTube channel (177K+ subscribers), courses, and AI tools, I’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners integrate AI into their work. Seeing people go from “AI is too complicated” to “I can’t believe how much time this saves me!” is the most rewarding part of what I do.

What I Want Readers to Know
AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. Businesses that embrace it now will have a huge advantage over those who wait. My mission is to help entrepreneurs stay ahead of the curve, automate the busy work, and focus on what actually moves the needle.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I began, I had no prior experience with video creation or on-camera presence. My initial videos were simple and I edited them myself after watching a couple of Youtube videos on how to do video editing. As my channel grew, I invested the ad revenue into hiring a video editor. It’s allowed me to create content at twice the speed.

It took me a while to find my voice and stand out from the crowd. In the beginning, I felt awkward on camera—stiff, unsure, overanalyzing every little detail. I’d re-record the same sentence ten times, convinced I didn’t sound “expert” enough.

But over time, when I stopped trying to sound perfect and just focused on sharing what I knew in a way that felt natural, things started to click. My audience wasn’t looking for a highly produced, corporate-style video—they wanted relatable, useful, and easy-to-understand insights.

Once I leaned into my own personality—sharing my wins, mistakes, and honest takes on AI—my channel started to grow. I no longer worried about whether my videos were “good enough.” I focused on whether they were helpful enough. That mindset shift made all the difference.

Advice for New Creators

Start with What You Have: Don’t wait for perfect equipment or skills. Begin with what you have and improve along the way.

Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, ask for feedback, and build a community. Your viewers’ insights are invaluable.

Be Consistent: Regular uploads help build momentum and trust with your audience.

Stay Authentic: Share your unique perspective and experiences. Authenticity fosters genuine connections.

Embrace Learning: Continuously seek to improve your content, presentation, and understanding of your audience’s needs.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Trust and keeping it real.

I’ve never been the kind of person to overhype things or sell something I don’t believe in. I’d rather tell someone, “Hey, AI isn’t a magic button, but here’s how you can actually use it to make your life easier” than make some big promise that won’t hold up. People appreciate that. They can tell when you actually care about helping them versus just trying to make a sale.

Trust isn’t built overnight. It comes from showing up, sharing what you know, and doing the right thing even when it’s hard. There have been times when I could’ve taken shortcuts—pushed a trendy AI tool. But that’s not me. I’d rather play the long game, be honest, and know that when people do work with me, they’re getting something real.

At the end of the day, people want to do business with people they like and trust. That’s why I focus on helping first, selling second. If I can show you something that genuinely makes your life easier, I know you’ll stick around. And that’s how I’ve built everything—one real conversation at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.productcamps.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/359828897763788/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena–liu/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HELENA-LIU