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The Notebook

AI Prompts for Business Owners

An AI assistant is only as useful as what you ask it. These are prompts written for owners — the follow-up email, the bad review, the cash-flow question — ready to copy, fill in the brackets, and paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. No account, nothing leaves your browser until you paste it.

Marketing

Get found and remembered without an agency retainer.

Marketing

Keep social media going without starting from a blank page

Paste this into an AI assistant to build a content system for your social accounts: it proposes post ideas and captions based on your business and your customers, holds them for your…

Updated Jul 31

Sales

Follow-ups, quotes and closing — in your voice, minus the pressure.

Sales

Follow up with every lead automatically, no CRM required

Paste this into an AI assistant to build an automatic follow-up sequence for new leads: emails or texts spaced over days, stopping the moment someone replies, books, or says no. The AI…

Updated Jul 31
 Sales

Text back every call you miss automatically

Paste this into an AI assistant that can write code or configure tools, and it will set up an automatic text message to anyone who calls your business and does not reach you — capturing…

Updated Jul 31

Customer Service

Reviews, complaints and win-backs, answered well.

Customer Service

Ask for reviews automatically and catch bad ones fast

Paste this into an AI assistant to set up two things at once: a review request that reaches customers at the right moment with a direct link, and a monitor that alerts you quickly when a…

Updated Jul 31

Money & Finance

Cash flow, pricing, and reading the fine print before you sign it.

Money & Finance

Get invoices paid without chasing them yourself

Paste this into an AI assistant to set up automatic reminders for unpaid invoices — before the due date, on it, and after — with wording that firms up as an invoice ages. The AI first asks…

Updated Jul 31

Admin & Paperwork

Emails, scheduling, forms — the office work that eats the day.

Admin & Paperwork

Take bookings online and cut down on no-shows

Paste this into an AI assistant to get a public booking page that shows your real availability, confirms automatically, and sends reminder texts or emails before each appointment. The AI…

Updated Jul 31

HR & Hiring

Job posts, interviews, onboarding and the hard conversations.

HR & Hiring

Collect job applications and screen them automatically

Paste this into an AI assistant to build a job application intake that checks every applicant against your stated deal-breakers and writes a short summary of each remaining candidate. The…

Updated Oct 15

Tech & Tools

Websites, software and getting more out of the tools you already pay for.

Tech & Tools

# Free Prompt: Add a Blog + Admin Content System to Your Business Website

Use this prompt to guide an AI assistant through planning and building a blog for your business website, complete with a private content manager and AI search optimization. Reach for it…

Updated Aug 4
 Tech & Tools

Add an AI-driven support ticketing system to your codebase

This prompt instructs an AI coding assistant to build a complete, portable support ticketing system inside your web application. It enables your existing AI chat assistant to catch user…

Updated Aug 2
 Tech & Tools

Turn scattered answers into a searchable help center

Paste this into an AI assistant that can edit your website, and it will pull the answers you already give by phone and email into one organized, searchable FAQ page. You supply the raw…

Updated Jul 31
 Tech & Tools

Build a customer support chat widget for your website

Paste this into an AI assistant that can write code — Claude, ChatGPT, or an AI website builder — and it will build a customer support chat widget for your website: one that answers your…

Updated Jul 31
 Tech & Tools

Build an AI customer support chat widget for your website

Use this prompt to generate code and instructions for an automated customer support chat widget on your website. It sets up a chatbot to answer basic FAQs and provides a clear handoff to…

Updated Jul 31

Strategy & Planning

Deciding what to do next with the numbers you actually have.

Strategy & Planning

Roth IRA Setup Checklist and Strategy Guide for Business Owners

Generates a clear, step-by-step roadmap to open and fund a Roth IRA as a small-business owner or freelancer. Use this prompt to clarify income eligibility rules, select a low-fee broker…

Updated Aug 2
 Strategy & Planning

Get an alert when a competitor changes prices

Paste this into an AI assistant to set up a monitor that checks the competitor pages you choose — pricing, promotions, announcements — on a schedule, and alerts you with exactly what…

Updated Jul 31

AI hacks and prompt reviews from the Notebook

Reporting on how owners actually use AI, and prompts put to the test.

All AI Hacks and Tips AI Prompts, Reviewed
A plain single-tier cake sits on a counter beside an ornate mirror reflecting a lavish three-tiered gold-leaf confection. Small Business

The AI cake in my ad had 3 tiers and gold leaf. I sell 1 tier for $65.

A made-up bakery used a How I AI image workflow to make a gorgeous ad photo of a cake it doesn't sell for $65, and 8 of 11 people who asked for it stopped replying. We tested the…

Nov 4 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A glowing smartphone sits beside bundles of wrapped laundry on a stainless steel table in an empty laundromat. Small Business

My 64 reviews said fix the washers. The $9,880 problem was in my texts.

A made-up laundromat asked AI what customers were unhappy about, and its Google reviews pointed at the washers while 5 canceled pickup subscribers sat in the texts. We tested a…

Nov 2 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A heavy pipe wrench weighs down a single sealed envelope on a wooden workbench beside an empty gold trophy. Small Business

The contest winner scored 320 points. The only job applicant came from 6th place.

A made-up 11-person plumbing shop ran a staff posting contest to find a licensed tech, and the leaderboard winner brought in nothing while the 6th-place post brought the only…

Nov 2 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Rental application papers slide off a wooden office desk and tumble into an unzipped backpack on the floor. Small Business

The AI policy said "use good judgment." 31 tenant applications went into personal accounts.

A made-up 9-person property manager had a 3-page AI policy that said "use good judgment," and staff still pasted about 31 rental applications into personal accounts. We tested a…

Nov 1 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Eight pottery wheels in a rustic studio crowded by an overflowing jumble of extra wooden stools and aprons. Small Business

The text bot told 13 people they were booked. The studio has 8 wheels.

A made-up pottery studio let a texting bot take bookings, and it confirmed 13 people for 8 wheels. We tested a How I AI text concierge workflow and rewrote it so the bot says…

Nov 1 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Retro cover card for “The AI said her landlord would cave. Her rent went up $700.” — Small Business in Markets & Main Street, from The Broker's Notebook by MCAFax Small Business

The AI said her landlord would cave. Her rent went up $700.

We tested Prerna Kaul's AI communication coach on a made-up shop's lease renewal. The first run bluffed and cost her. The rerun saved $25,415.52.

Oct 30 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A mechanical ticket dispenser on a pilates reformer carriage spills severed blank paper tags onto a hardwood floor. Small Business

Instagram sold 9 intros at $59. Her real price is $119.

A made-up pilates studio let AI write a week of Instagram posts, and one sold a $59 intro she never offered. We tested a How I AI content machine workflow and rewrote it to…

Oct 30 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A magnifying glass and an editor's two-color pencil rest atop a marked-up manuscript page under a warm desk lamp. From the Notebook

Copy Humanizer review: an editor that keeps your voice and shows its work

A low-risk, high-use editor for any owner who writes their own copy, with a change list that makes it easy to trust.

Oct 27 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A broken wooden folding ruler lies beside a paint tray and loaded roller on a canvas drop cloth. From the Notebook

The free estimator quoted $360 for a bedroom. Dana charges $633.

A painter's new website calculator quoted $360 for a bedroom she prices at $632.70, and hid the answer behind an email form. We tested a How I AI workflow for building small…

Oct 27 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A thick, open binder with divider tabs rests on a wooden desk next to curling yellow sticky notes slipping to the floor. From the Notebook

Skills, Not Prompts: Why Your AI Needs a Playbook, Not a Sticky Note

A pasted prompt is a sticky note your AI forgets the moment the chat ends. A skill is a maintained playbook it opens only when it needs it, and the evidence says that makes a real…

Oct 26 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A clipboard with checkmarks rests next to an alarm clock and a soapy bucket on a wet car wash floor at sunrise. Small Business

Our scorecard gave her 5/5 for reliability. She'd told us she can't start before 7:45.

A car wash scorecard gave a candidate 5/5 across the board, while the interviewer's own notes showed she couldn't make the 6:30 AM opens. We tested a How I AI workflow that grades…

Oct 26 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A robotic finger presses down on a vintage brass scale holding roasted coffee beans on a wooden workbench. Small Business

The AI made my price-increase email "more compelling." It also invented a 40% cost jump.

An AI made a coffee roaster's price-increase email sound great, and slipped in a cost jump she never gave it. We tested a How I AI workflow that makes the AI argue with your draft…

Oct 25 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A toy grooming van sits between a tiny stack of coins and a towering, wobbling pile next to heavy grooming shears. Small Business

The AI said my $58,000 grooming van pays off in 26 weeks. Local prices said 193.

An AI market scan told a groomer her new van would pay for itself in about half a year. We tested a How I AI workflow that makes the AI argue the other side first.

Oct 24 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Handmade beeswax pillar candles crowd and spill off a wooden market counter beside an open cash drawer. Small Business

The AI put 48 candles in my register. Saturday's market showed 71.

An AI agent loaded a candle shop's product sheet into Square twice and left old prices on the register. We tested a How I AI workflow that makes it show a dry run first.

Oct 23 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A robotic hand pipes towering, unstable frosting onto a simple loaf of bread on a flour-dusted wooden counter. Small Business

The AI job post promised $22 an hour. The job pays $19.

A one-line prompt wrote a bakery job post with pay, hours and requirements the owner never set. We tested a How I AI workflow that makes the AI ask first.

Oct 22 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A brass scale tips downward under a towering stack of bundled hoodies, while a single folded hoodie sits high on the other side. Small Business

The AI picked the $14.50 hoodie. My order of 200 would have cost $7,800.

The cheapest hoodie per unit cost $3,930 more once the 500-unit minimum hit. Price the order you're placing, not the unit.

Oct 21 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A black telephone receiver is buried under a heavy mound of white rock salt that spills over a stack of paper currency. Small Business

One caller said "salt cell" 12 times. The AI wanted $400 of my ad budget on it.

Count callers, not mentions.

Oct 20 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Paper slips and a heavy rubber stamp rest on a counter as dollar bills slip through a narrow floor crack into darkness. Small Business

7 Refund requests. 7 taps on Approve. $214 of it shouldn't have gone out.

An Approve button is only as safe as what's printed on it.

Oct 19 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A single cloth napkin sits under a spotlight and magnifying glass while a giant cart of linens tips off a loading dock. Small Business

The AI watchdog flagged $38 in napkins. It missed a $21,320 cancellation.

We tested a How I AI "Watchdog" health check on a made-up laundry service. It ranked a $38 napkin complaint first and missed a $21,320-a-year cancellation.

Oct 18 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A heavy ring of brass master keys sits pinned beneath a tall stack of blank white index cards on a dark wood desk. Small Business

The AI ranked him 23rd of 23. He runs 6 office buildings.

We tested a How I AI networking prep workflow on a made-up cleaning company. It ranked a 6-building facilities director 23rd of 23. Here's the fix.

Oct 17 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A chrome robotic arm places a tiny toy pizza next to a full-sized gourmet pizza on a flour-dusted wooden counter. Small Business

The AI meme said pies start at $9. Ours start at $18.

An AI meme draft promised pies from $9. The menu says $18. We ran Jason Levin's How I AI meme workflow on a made-up pizzeria, scored it 8/10, and rewrote the prompt.

Oct 16 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 An open toolbox with pristine wrenches sits on a workbench beside a clipboard marked with harsh red slashes. Small Business

Our best tech has 0 callbacks on 47 jobs. The culture rubric scored him a 1.

Stated values are not the same as who decides.

Oct 15 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 An open loan folder on an office desk is overshadowed by a large white cargo van parked right outside the window. Small Business

The AI prepped my bank meeting. It said I had no other debt. I pay $1,150 a month on a van.

Not found is not the same as none.

Oct 14 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A workshop calendar covered in chaotic pins, tangled red string, and misplaced invitation slips beside a tape measure. Small Business

7 Calendar invites in one week. 5 were wrong, and one went to a funding broker.

We ran a simulated test of a How I AI Copilot scheduler on a made-up remodeler's inbox: 7 invites, 5 wrong, one to a funding broker. Here's the fix.

Oct 13 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A massive gold trophy on an office desk next to dental tools is turned to reveal a hollow cardboard back propped by a stick. Small Business

Thistlewick Dental never said $18,720. The case study did.

We tested a How I AI case-study GPT on a made-up cleaning shop interview. In our simulated run it invented an $18,720 savings claim from "about two hours."

Oct 12 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A miniature wedding cake topper sits on an empty tiered stand beside three identical receipt spikes holding blank slips. Small Business

The AI marked an $8,680 wedding as booked. The couple was still "leaning toward you."

We tested a How I AI CRM workflow on a caterer's call notes. It marked an $8,680 wedding booked, skipped a deposit, and made duplicates.

Oct 11 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 An uncapped fountain pen and heavy shears slicing a paper invoice on a sign maker's workshop table. Small Business

My AI ghostwriter nailed my voice. Then it offered a $375 discount I never approved.

We trained AI on a sign shop owner's sent mail. It nailed his voice, then offered a $375 discount he never approved. Here's the fix.

Oct 10 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 An industrial yellow floor scrubber crushes an open desk calendar on an office desk, leaking soapy water. Small Business

The AI built my plan around one $4,800 job. 650 hours of my calendar said no.

We tested a How I AI strategy workflow on a cleaning company's numbers. It bet on one $4,800 job and made up a margin. A source table fixed it.

Oct 9 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A telephone receiver draped in an award ribbon rests beside a blank, unsigned work order clipboard. Small Business

The AI called my call "warm and professional." I lost the $1,860 job.

A friendly call that doesn't book is still a lost job.

Oct 8 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A single coin sits beside an automated brass stamper that buries a shop floor beneath an endless pile of paper tickets. Small Business

The AI turned one $45 favor into a $4,680 policy.

A favor you do once becomes a policy you owe everyone.

Oct 7 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A push mower rests on a trimmed lawn before two tall, uncut patches of grass in late afternoon light. Small Business

The AI proposal billed 28 mows. The season had 30.

A proposal that sounds like you can still price like a stranger.

Oct 6 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A magnifying loupe inspects a tiny copper coin beside a towering stack of folders bound in heavy iron chains. Small Business

The AI wrote 15 sales questions. None asked about the $76,800 lease.

A $250 price gap is small next to a $76,800 lease.

Oct 5 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A heavy iron ball sits atop a folded paper bill on a weathered wooden desk next to a spilled cup of coffee. Small Business

I asked what I dropped. A $1,240 invoice was already late.

Never call a funder solicitation a dropped ball.

Oct 4 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A toy robot hand signs letters on a desk, burying a crumpled paper trapped in an armed mousetrap beneath the stack. Small Business

AI drafted replies to 3 funders. It buried a $2,847 bill.

Never draft a reply to a funder solicitation.

Oct 4 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 A miniature folded paper coffee cart sags as spilled coffee from an espresso cup pools around its paper wheels. Small Business

Our coffee cart made $7,783 a month. On paper.

Our test coffee cart cleared $7,783 a month. Then the AI asked where the number 140 came from.

Oct 2 · AI Prompts, Reviewed
 Chrome barber shears slice a tall stack of paper bills in half on a wooden counter next to a jar of blue disinfectant. Small Business

The bank said $47,530 came in. The shop made $24,530.

$47,530 Landed in a barbershop's checking account in September. Barely half of it was money the shop earned.

Oct 2 · AI Prompts, Reviewed

Getting the calls? Shut it down.

Check a broker, then use the finance skill in your own AI. MCAFax has no user accounts and no sign-up.

Open the finance skill