First prompts if you run a small business

Ten first prompts for the bits of running a small business where AI actually helps. Tool-agnostic — they work in any chat assistant. The aim is to take admin off your plate so you can spend more time with customers.

Paste, edit, adapt. Square brackets are your specifics.

• 01
  Review response

  "Draft a calm, human response to this review."

• 02
  Clear policy

  "Turn this mess into a clear refund / booking / hours policy."

• 03
  Customer email templates

  "Three reusable templates for [scenario]."

• 04
  Price-change note

  "Draft the honest 'why' behind a price change."

• 05
  Hiring post

  "Write a job post that attracts the right people."

• 06
  Supplier pushback

  "Draft what I'd say to negotiate this quote."

• 07
  Website pass

  "Read my copy like a sceptical customer. What doesn't land?"

• 08
  Numbers check

  "I did £X this month. What should I be asking myself?"

• 09
  Social caption

  "Turn this update into three caption options."

• 10
  Interview questions

  "Five questions that tell confident apart from competent."

Two things to keep in mind

Sound like you, not the assistant. The default AI voice is friendly, generic, and instantly recognisable as AI. Customers can tell. Always do one final pass where you read the output back and ask: would I actually phrase it like this? Cut the bits that wouldn't come out of your mouth.

Confidential numbers stay out. Detailed customer data, supplier contracts, anything covered by an NDA — don't paste it in. Use placeholders, get the structure of the answer, fill in the real bits yourself afterwards.

Sound human. Stay human.