By now, most people have heard that AI tools like ChatGPT can help you write emails or generate content. Those uses are real, but they’re the shallow end of what’s possible. As small business owners, we wear all the hats, and the to-do list never ends. Here are five AI prompts for small business owners that go beyond the usual advice and can save you real time and money.
I’ve updated this post since I first wrote it because the tools have changed considerably. Most AI platforms can now read uploaded files, work with spreadsheets, and retain context over longer conversations. This makes several of these uses even more practical than a year ago.
1. Audit Your Subscriptions: What Are You Really Paying For?
Ever realize you’ve been paying for a tool you haven’t used in years? Or upgraded to something new, but never canceled the old plan?
I once pasted a list of my software subscriptions into ChatGPT and asked: “Do any of these overlap in features or seem redundant?” It flagged a few tools that did the same thing and even suggested a cheaper alternative. The result? I canceled two subscriptions and saved $30/month — no spreadsheet needed.
Prompt idea:
“Here’s a list of my business software subscriptions. Are any of these redundant or overlapping? Can I consolidate or replace any to save money?”
2. Turn Your Processes Into Training Materials
If you’ve ever wished your onboarding process or internal procedures were easier to follow, this one’s for you. Just copy and paste your notes, bullet points, or workflows into ChatGPT and ask it to create:
– A new hire checklist
– A one-page how-to guide
– A simple cheat sheet
What used to take hours now takes minutes — and you don’t need to be a designer or editor.
Prompt idea:
“Turn these onboarding notes into a checklist and a one-page SOP for new team members.”
3. Simplify Complex Concepts Using Your Client’s World
Sometimes your client doesn’t understand something technical, not because they don’t have the capability, but because it’s difficult to relate abstract concepts to their specific industry or situation. Rather than giving a generic explanation, you can customize it for them by providing context they understand.
For example, I had a client who was trying to understand the difference between their cash flow statement and their profit & loss statement. They’re a small business that takes shareholder distributions, pays credit cards in large amounts at a different time than from when the expenses are charged, and pays payroll liabilities at a different time from when they appear on the profit and loss.
I provided ChatGPT with those details, and it gave a simple, tailored explanation they could easily relate to. You can do the same for clients in other fields:
As a marketing agency:
your client may struggle to understand the difference between ROI and customer lifetime value. You could provide ChatGPT with specific details about their campaigns and customer segments to help make the concepts clearer.
As a doctor:
you may need to explain the difference between a high-deductible health plan and a traditional insurance plan. By sharing the client’s unique healthcare needs (e.g., they have chronic conditions and frequently see specialists), you can get a more tailored and understandable explanation.
As a lawyer:
you might need to explain complex tax structures or legal terms to your clients. By providing specific examples (for instance, explaining what “LLC” means for a small business owner in a specific state), ChatGPT can generate an explanation that connects the dots more easily.
Prompt idea (for professionals):
“Explain the difference between gross profit and net profit to a client who owns a marketing agency. They pay contractors per project and spend heavily on Facebook ads. Use examples they’d relate to.”
4. Optimize Workflows With the Tools You Already Use
You don’t always need to add new tools to improve your systems. Sometimes, you just need to make better use of what you already have. Paste in a list of the software you use (like QuickBooks, Trello, Slack, Calendly, or Google Sheets), describe what you’re trying to streamline, and let ChatGPT suggest improvements.
Prompt idea:
“Here’s the software I use. I want to simplify my client onboarding process. Can you suggest a workflow using only these tools?”
5. Get Benchmarking Ideas for Your Industry
Curious how your business stacks up to others like yours? AI can help you get a ballpark idea of common KPIs and financial benchmarks based on your size, industry, and location. It’s not pulling from a formal database, but it’s a helpful starting point for setting goals or understanding where you might be under- or over-performing.
Prompt idea:
“What are typical profit margins and marketing spend percentages for a service-based business with under $1M in revenue in the U.S.?”
Before You Start: What Not to Put Into AI
I want to add something here that I didn’t include when I first wrote this post, because it comes up constantly now that more of my clients are using these tools.
Be careful about what information you paste in. Most consumer AI tools are not subject to the same confidentiality obligations that govern how I handle client information. Depending on your settings, what you enter may be retained or used to train the underlying model.
A few things I’d keep out of any general-purpose AI tool:
Full account numbers, routing numbers, or login credentials. There’s no version of a business question that requires these.
Employee Social Security numbers or personal identifying information. If you’re working on a payroll question, describe the situation rather than pasting the actual records.
Client data you’ve agreed to keep confidential. If you have a signed confidentiality agreement or work in a regulated field, entering client information may put you in breach of it regardless of what the AI tool does with it.
Anything you’d be uncomfortable seeing outside your business. That’s the simplest test I’ve found.
The good news is that most of the uses in this post work fine without any of that. You can describe a situation in general terms and still get a genuinely useful answer. When I asked about my software subscriptions, I listed the tool names, not my billing information. When I explained cash flow to a client, I described the pattern of their transactions rather than uploading their actual books.
If you’re working with financial data that feels sensitive and you’re not sure where the line is, that’s worth a conversation before you paste anything in.
Common Questions About Using AI in a Small Business
Is it safe to put my business financial information into ChatGPT?
It depends on what you’re entering and which version you’re using. Business and enterprise tiers generally offer stronger data handling than free consumer accounts, but even then I’d avoid account numbers, credentials, and personal identifying information. Describing a situation in general terms usually gets you the same quality of answer without the exposure.
What AI tool should a small business start with?
For most owners, the general-purpose assistants are the right starting point because they handle the widest range of tasks without requiring setup. I’d rather see someone get comfortable with one tool and use it regularly than sign up for five specialized ones and use none of them. Start with the specific problem you want solved, not with the tool.
Can AI replace my bookkeeper or accountant?
It hasn’t, in any case I’ve seen, and I don’t expect it to. These tools are useful for explaining concepts, drafting documents, and thinking through options. They’re not reliable for the parts of the work that actually carry risk, like knowing whether a transaction is categorized correctly, catching an error that doesn’t look like an error, or understanding what a number means in the context of your specific business. What I do see is AI improving the working relationship, because clients come in with sharper questions than they used to.
How much time can AI actually save a small business owner?
It varies a lot by task. The uses in this post tend to save time by a few hours a month rather than transforming your week. The subscription audit took me about 10 minutes and saved me $30 a month permanently. Turning notes into a training document turns a two-hour task into a fifteen-minute one. The gains are real but incremental, and they compound if you build the habit.
The Bottom Line:
AI doesn’t have to be flashy or technical to be useful. Some of the best uses are the unglamorous ones that save you an hour, cut a recurring cost, or help you get something off your mental to-do list that’s been sitting there for months.
None of this replaces knowing your numbers or having someone who understands your business look at them with you. But it can clear out enough of the small work that you have more room for the decisions that actually matter.
If you’ve used AI in a creative way for your business, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a message and let me know what worked for you!