Practical · 10 min read
Prompts that actually work for a business owner
Copy these, change the details, get something useful
A good business prompt states who you are, what you want, the constraints, and the format. Vague prompts produce generic American business writing; specific prompts produce something you can send. Always say 'South African English' and give the context of your industry and town.
Who this is for: Owners and managers who have tried AI, got bland results, and given up.
The shape of a prompt that works
Four parts: who you are, what you want, the constraints, and the format. Most bad output is a missing constraint. 'Write a job advert' gets you American corporate filler. The version below gets you something you can post.
Try this prompt
You are writing for a [8-person panel beating shop] in [Amanzimtoti, KZN]. Write a job advert for a [qualified spray painter]. Requirements: [3 years experience, own transport, red seal preferred]. Tone: direct, no corporate jargon. South African English. Under 200 words. End with how to apply: WhatsApp [number].
Chasing money without damaging the relationship
Ask for three escalating versions at once, so you have the next letter ready before you need it.
Try this prompt
Write three follow-up messages for an overdue invoice, escalating in firmness: a friendly reminder at 7 days, a firmer one at 30 days, and a final notice at 60 days before handover. South African English, professional, no threats we cannot carry out.
Turning how you do things into a written procedure
Describe the task out loud, badly, in one paragraph. Ask for a numbered SOP. This is how a business stops depending on one person's memory.
Try this prompt
I am going to describe how we do something in a messy way. Turn it into a clear numbered standard operating procedure a new employee could follow, and list anything I left out that they would need to know: [describe the task].
Preparing for a bank or funder meeting
Do not paste your statements. Describe the shape of the business in round numbers and ask what you will be asked.
Try this prompt
I run a [industry] business in South Africa, roughly [round turnover], [number] staff, trading [x] years. I am applying for [funding purpose]. What will the bank ask me, what documents will they want, and which three questions am I most likely to answer badly?
Interrogating your own numbers, safely
Use it to work out what to ask, not to do the arithmetic. Bring the questions to your accountant, where they will be answered against your real figures.
Try this prompt
My gross margin dropped from around 40% to 32% over six months in a [industry] business. List the most likely causes in order of probability, and exactly what I should ask my accountant to check for each.
Make it sound like you, not like a chatbot
Paste two things you have actually written and ask it to match your voice. Then ban the words you hate — most people start with 'delve', 'leverage', 'robust' and 'seamless'.
Try this prompt
Here are two emails I wrote. Match this voice for the next task. Do not use the words: delve, leverage, robust, seamless, elevate. [paste your emails]
Read next: Where AI actually helps a small business · What you must never paste into an AI chatbot
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