Blog · List · 4 min read
5 things to hand to AI first if you run a business and feel behind
You don’t need a course or a new tool. Start with the jobs every owner puts off. Here are the exact words to use, with whatever AI you already have.
If it feels like everyone else figured out AI while you were busy running your business, you’re not alone. Most owners I talk to have opened ChatGPT a few times, asked it something, got a so-so answer, and closed the tab.
Here’s the good news: you’re not late. You probably just started in the wrong place. Most people try the most impressive thing they’ve seen AI do. Start with the boring jobs you keep putting off instead. That’s where AI earns its keep in the first week.
These five work with any AI you already have: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, free or paid. Each one comes with the exact words to copy.
1Reply to the review that made you angry
You either don’t reply because you’re upset, or you reply too fast and regret it. AI doesn’t take it personally. Paste the review, ask for three calm replies, pick one, change a word or two, and post it.
The exact wording
Here's a review a customer left about my business: [paste the review]. Write three short, calm replies I could post: one warm, one professional, one brief. Don't argue, don't make excuses, and don't offer a discount. Thank them, acknowledge the problem, and invite them to contact me directly at [phone or email].
Notice the “don’t offer a discount” part. Telling AI what not to do matters as much as telling it what to do, the same way it would with a new employee.
2Chase the invoice you’ve been avoiding
Being firm with a client you like is uncomfortable, so the reminder never gets written. Ask for three versions at once: friendly, firm and final. Most of the time, the friendly one is all you need.
The exact wording
Write three short emails to a client about an unpaid invoice. Invoice [number] for [amount] was due on [date]. The first is a friendly reminder, the second is firm, and the third is a final notice that mentions [a late fee / pausing work]. Keep them polite, plain and under 100 words each.
The connected version
That’s the copy-and-paste version. Once AI is connected to your accounting and your email, you skip the pasting. You ask, “Which clients are more than 30 days late?” It lists them and drafts each reminder for your OK. Nothing goes out until you’ve read it.
3Turn “how I do it” into a training guide
Most of how your business runs lives in your head. Every time someone new starts, you explain it all again. Next time you do a task, record a voice memo and talk it through as if a new hire were next to you. Your phone can turn it into text. Then paste the text in with this:
The exact wording
Below is me explaining how I [the task, like opening a new client file]. Turn it into a simple step-by-step guide a new employee could follow on their first day. Use numbered steps and short sentences, and add a "common mistakes" section at the end. Before you write it, ask me about anything that's unclear.
[paste the text of your voice memo]
That last line makes AI ask you questions instead of guessing. Use it any time the job is important.
4Make sense of the spreadsheet you’ve been ignoring
A sales export, a list of jobs, a year of expenses. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all let you attach a spreadsheet and ask plain questions about it.
The exact wording
This is a spreadsheet of [our sales for the last 12 months]. In plain English, what are the three most important things I should notice? Which [service or product] brings in the most money, and which one is shrinking? Make one simple chart. If anything in the data looks off, tell me instead of guessing.
Two honest warnings. First, delete client names, Social Security numbers and account numbers before you upload anything (here’s why). Second, AI can misread a column. Check one or two numbers against what you already know before you act on it.
The connected version
Doing this by hand every Monday gets old fast. Set up properly, a weekly report of your numbers shows up on its own: no export, no upload. It’s one of the first things we build with owners.
5Plan your week out loud
Talk, don’t type. Every one of these apps has a voice mode (look for the microphone or the sound-wave button). Use it in the car or on a walk. Say everything that’s on your mind, in any order, then let AI sort it.
The exact wording
I'm going to tell you everything on my plate this week. Sort it into three lists: what only I can do, what I can hand to someone else, and what can wait. Then suggest what I should do first tomorrow morning. Keep it short.
Owners explain things much better out loud than in writing. You’ll be surprised how much clearer the list looks when it comes back.
The catch, and how to avoid it
- Treat it like a smart new hire on day one. It’s capable, but it knows nothing about your business. The more you tell it, the better it gets. (Here’s the five-minute fix for generic answers.)
- AI writes the first draft. You’re the editor. Never send anything you haven’t read.
- Some things never go in. Social Security numbers, bank details, passwords and private client information stay out.
What happens after the first week
Something changes once you’ve done these a few times: you get tired of pasting. You explain your business again, copy the answer back into your email, and do it all over tomorrow.
That’s the moment to stop chatting with AI and give it a home inside your business. We call it a business brain: one folder where your business lives, with AI working inside it, connected to your email, calendar, files and books. Then “Who’s waiting on a reply from me?” just gets answered.