I saw this A.I. prompt in my travels the other day. There’s heaps of “steal my A.I. prompt for your business” posts going around as A.I. is extremely popular. I started doing a video on this but the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to say, so I figured I need to write all this instead of yabber endlessly so here we are.
With limited resources and time constraints, small businesses are constantly seeking ways to accelerate their growth. When they encounter prompts that offer a seemingly effortless path to generating substantial revenue, it’s natural for them to try it out. Like the prompt to generate $100K in revenue in six months. After all, who wouldn’t want to see their business flourish swiftly?
The prompt below has been doing the rounds on various platforms numerous people each claiming it as their own. (so I’m reluctant to credit it to anyone in particular). Note I’m not dissing anyone for this prompt but rather I am trying to show solo and small business owners (or anyone really) that to maximise useable output that evaluating and adapting “ready made” prompts is key. Make sure before using any prompt evaluate it and modify it for your own use.
THE A.I. PROMPT.
“Act as a business strategist. Please create a comprehensive 6 to 12-month business strategy to generate more than $100k in revenue for [your business/industry]. The strategy should effectively leverage the unique aspects of [your brand/industry], while adhering to best practices for growth and scalability. Each step should cater to one of the following focus areas: market analysis, unique value proposition, marketing plan, sales funnel optimization, strategic partnerships, high-ticket offer launches, and continuous improvement.
Include the following details for each step:
* Focus Area: Marketing Plan
* Key Activities: Detail the essential activities or actions required to achieve goals in this focus area.
* Milestones: Outline significant milestones or benchmarks to track progress.
* Resources Needed: Identify necessary resources or tools to execute these activities effectively.
Present this information in a structured table format with columns for Step Number, Focus Area, Key Activities, Milestones, and Resources Needed. This approach aims to establish a robust and dynamic business strategy, ensuring consistent growth and substantial revenue generation.”
Video below where I used the above prompt and pretended I have a candle making business. I’ve pasted the output for both Chat GPT and Gemini after the video.
Chat GPT Output.
Here’s a comprehensive 6 to 12-month business strategy for your candle-making business, designed to help you generate over $100k in revenue. This strategy covers various focus areas essential for growth and scalability.
| Step Number | Focus Area | Key Activities | Milestones | Resources Needed |
| 1 | Market Analysis | Conduct thorough market research to identify target demographics and competitors. | Completion of a detailed market report, including customer personas and competitive analysis Month 1. | Market research tools, competitor analysis software, customer surveys. |
| 2 | Unique Value Proposition | Define and refine the unique aspects of your candles (e.g., eco-friendly, custom scents). | Craft a clear and compelling UVP statement Month 2. | Brand strategist, UVP workshops, customer feedback. |
| 3 | Marketing Plan | Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy focusing on social media, content, and email marketing. | Launch of the first marketing campaign Month 3, and consistent engagement metrics improvement Month 6. | Social media management tools, content creation team, email marketing software. |
| 4 | Sales Funnel Optimization | Create and optimize a sales funnel that guides customers from awareness to purchase. | Achieve a 20% increase in conversion rates Month 4, and further optimize to reach 30% Month 6. | CRM software, analytics tools, landing page builders. |
| 5 | Strategic Partnerships | Identify and establish partnerships with complementary brands and influencers. | Secure at least 3 strategic partnerships Month 5, with joint campaigns launched Month 7. | Networking platforms, influencer marketing tools, partnership agreements. |
| 6 | High-Ticket Offer Launches | Develop and launch high-ticket candle collections or bundles for special occasions. | Launch the first high-ticket offer Month 6, with a target to generate 25% of monthly revenue Month 9. | Product development team, premium packaging, e-commerce platform enhancements. |
| 7 | Continuous Improvement | Implement a feedback loop for continuous improvement based on customer and market data. | Establish a regular feedback system Month 3, with quarterly reviews to adjust strategies accordingly. | Customer feedback tools, data analytics software, team meetings. |
Gemini Output.
Business Strategy for Candle Making Business
Understanding the Business
Before we dive into the strategy, it’s crucial to understand the specific details of your candle-making business. Please provide the following information:
- Target market: Who are your primary customers?
- Unique selling proposition (USP): What sets your candles apart from competitors?
- Current sales channels: How are you currently selling your candles?
- Existing marketing efforts: What marketing activities have you done so far?
- Revenue breakdown: What is your current revenue breakdown (online vs. offline, product vs. service)?
Once I have this information, I can tailor the strategy to your specific business needs. However, I can provide a general framework based on common candle-making business challenges and opportunities.
General Business Strategy Framework
| Step Number | Focus Area | Key Activities | Milestones | Resources Needed |
| 1 | Market Analysis | Conduct thorough market research, identify target segments, analyze competitors, identify customer needs and preferences | Completed market analysis report, customer profiles, competitive analysis | Market research tools, data analysis software |
| 2 | Unique Value Proposition | Define and refine your USP, develop brand story, create compelling product descriptions | Clear and concise USP statement, brand story, product descriptions | Brand identity guidelines, professional copywriter |
| 3 | Marketing Plan | Develop brand identity, create content calendar, build social media presence, email marketing strategy, public relations | Brand style guide, content calendar, social media profiles, email marketing platform | Graphic designer, content creator, social media management tools |
| 4 | Sales Funnel Optimization | Build a high-converting website, optimize product pages, implement effective call-to-actions, A/B testing | Increased conversion rates, reduced cart abandonment | Website analytics tools, email marketing software |
| 5 | Strategic Partnerships | Identify potential partners (retailers, influencers, complementary businesses), negotiate partnerships, execute collaborations | Partnership agreements, increased brand visibility | Partnership outreach, negotiation skills |
| 6 | High-Ticket Offer Launches | Develop premium product line, create exclusive offers, build anticipation, launch campaign | New product line, increased average order value | Product development resources, marketing campaign materials |
| 7 | Continuous Improvement | Track key performance indicators (KPIs), customer feedback analysis, implement improvements | Regular performance reports, customer satisfaction surveys | Analytics tools, customer relationship management (CRM) software |
The main difference here is the Gemini asked additional questions, note however that it did not ask what my budget was for the task. You will also notice that unlike Chat GPT in this first response, Gemini did not provide time targets for each focus area, whether it may have done so if I had answered all of it’s questions would be interesting to know – but that’s an experiment for another day.
ISSUE WITH THE A.I. PROMPT.
The prompt specifying $100k revenue is alluring to business owners, but not all business owners are the same. As you can see the steps provided (market analysis, UVP development, marketing, etc.) are foundational business activities that apply to most businesses, regardless of their revenue goals.
If a prompt is very general then the output is also going to be very general. It will simply provide the same information that can easily be obtained from a YouTube video and other sources or dare I say it a basic business book.
The effectiveness of the output greatly depends on the owner’s ability to provide context and refine the strategy based on their unique situation. Without this, the strategy may be too generic to actually try and achieve.
The other issues I see with this prompt are:
The placeholder [your business/industry] is too vague and broad. Unless the LLM asks you questions about it like Chat GPT did, the output won’t be of much value. This makes it difficult to generate a customised and relevant strategy.
Requesting a “comprehensive” strategy that covers 7 different focus areas within a 6 to 12-month period demands significant depth and this is too much to do this properly so the model is likely to dilute the output into general terms.
The term “comprehensive” is subjective and can mean different things to different people. There needs to be more clarity on what aspects should be covered in the strategy.
There are no clear metrics or benchmarks stated for what constitutes success in each focus area. For example, how should the LLM define “successful marketing plan”?
Including so many detailed requirements (e.g., key activities, milestones, resources needed) for each of the seven focus areas could lead to a cluttered and overwhelming response.
The requirement to present the information in a table format may not be the most effective way to convey detailed strategies and can limit the output’s expressiveness and depth.
It assumes that all businesses have the same needs and expertise to benefit from the strategy across all focus areas.
The revenue goal of “more than $100k” is specified without context about the business size, industry trends, or market conditions. This makes it difficult to assess the feasibility of achieving this target without additional information.
Although scalability is mentioned, there are no detailed requirements or examples that ensure the strategy would genuinely be scalable.
There is no context provided for the current state of the business, its challenges, or competitive landscape, which are crucial for crafting an effective strategy.
ISSUE WITH THE A.I. OUTPUT.
The problem for small business owners when confronted with both outputs could be:
Overwhelm Due to Complexity
The sheer scope of activities—market research, developing a UVP, creating a sales funnel, etc.—can feel overwhelming.
Lack of Expertise
Following on from complexity small business owners may not have expertise in areas like market analysis, sales funnel optimisation, or strategic partnerships. Without prior experience, they might find it difficult to understand and execute these steps effectively.
Limited Resources
The plan requires various resources—market research tools, CRM software, content creation teams—that may be out of reach to solo or small businesses with limited budgets. (Just an aside we churn out custom content for breakfast with our eggs if you are sick of that side of things. That can either be ongoing or you might need 10 videos to give yourself a break. Also check out or templates for a more diy version– we are expanding our range there too!)
Unrealistic Time
A solo or small business owner wears many hats. Finding the time to execute all the steps in the strategy could be challenging, leading to burnout or neglect of other aspects of their business.
Executing the plan in reality.
Knowing what needs to be done is different from knowing how to do it. Even if the small business owner understands the importance of, say, strategic partnerships, they might not know how to identify and approach potential partners.
EXAMPLES OF HOW TO IMPROVE THE PROMPT.
We don’t want you to take any prompt and paste it into Chat GPT but rather to assess the prompt and adapt it.
Specify the Business Context to the A.I. model.
Provide specific details about the business type and industry and your business within the prompt to tailor the strategy more effectively. There are issues about sharing business details with a A.I. Large Language Model which will be the subject of another blog post.
Change the focus.
Instead of covering all 7 focus areas at once, ask for prioritisation based on the unique needs of your business, or divide the response into phases.
Clarify Expected Outcomes.
Define what success looks like for each focus area to provide clear metrics and benchmarks.
Change the requested format.
Consider asking for a narrative format or a simplified table with concise key activities and milestones instead of detailed requirements for each area.
Give the A.I. Financial and Market info.
Include background information about the current revenue, your budget to complete the tasks, target market, and competitive landscape to provide a more grounded and realistic strategy.
Scalability and Feasibility Checks.
Request specific considerations for scalability and feasibility, making sure the strategy is practical for your solo or small business owner to implement.
Other information.
At the end of any prompt ask the LLM to ask any questions that will help it provide the most thorough response.
Our Mission.
We are on a mission to empower solo and small business owners who use A.I. or who are interested in using it. For those who want to learn more grab our guide to A.I. for small businesses. (get the 50 facebook templates with it as a bundle for limited time).
If you want us to assess your prompt or improve it email us and we will either do a video or blog post on it.
We always say A.I. is a tool, and it’s important to be realistic about A.I’s limitations. Focus on getting the most value out of the tools you have, and if the tool is not fit for purpose or you can achieve what you want to achieve using a quicker method do that!
