I Thought I Was Bad at AI. Turns Out I Was Bad at Prompts.
I Was Using AI… But Not Well
When ChatGPT launched, I jumped in like everyone else.
I used it to:
Draft blogs
Write emails
Brainstorm ideas
Speed up client work
Sometimes it gave me something brilliant.
Other times it gave me beige content that sounded like it was written by a polite robot who had never run a business in its life.
I kept thinking:
Maybe it’s the tool.
Maybe I need a better model.
Maybe I just need more practice.
But the issue wasn’t the platform.
It was the system.
Knowing About Prompts ≠ Writing Good Prompts
I knew all the theory.
Define a role.
Set an objective.
Add guardrails.
Clarify audience.
Specify tone.
I even teach this.
But knowing the framework and actually slowing down enough to write a thoughtful prompt are two different things.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most of us are impatient.
We have an idea.
We want to see it come to life.
We don’t want to spend 10–15 minutes building a proper prompt.
So we type something quick.
Then we blame the AI when it produces something average.
The Shift: Let AI Write the Prompt
This is the breakthrough.
Instead of trying to write the perfect prompt…
I ask AI to write it for me.
Think about that.
AI understands what kind of instructions generate high-quality output better than you do. It knows what structure helps it think clearly.
So now the workflow looks like this:
Step 1: Brain dump.
Step 2: Ask AI to structure it into a proper prompt.
Step 3: Run the structured prompt.
Step 4: Save what works.
That’s it.
Step 1: Stop Organising. Start Dumping.
Most small business owners try to organise their thoughts before using AI.
That’s friction.
Instead, dump everything:
What you're trying to achieve
Who it’s for
Constraints
Examples you like
What you hate
What must not happen
Messy is fine.
Clarity comes after.
If you prefer speaking (and many do), voice-to-text tools like Otter (also listed in the SBPS AI Tools stack SBPS_Best_AI_Tools_2025-2) can make this fast and low-friction.
The goal is not elegance.
The goal is information density.
Step 2: Ask AI to Write the Prompt
Now give AI this instruction:
“Based on everything above, write a structured, detailed prompt that will produce the best possible output. Include role, objective, constraints, tone guidance and formatting instructions.”
Let it build the architecture.
It will produce something far more robust than what you would have written in two rushed sentences.
Then paste that structured prompt into a fresh chat.
Now you’re not “asking AI a question”.
You’re briefing it properly.
Step 3: Iterate the Prompt (Not Just the Output)
Here’s where most people stop.
They tweak the output.
The smarter move?
Improve the prompt.
If you find yourself saying:
“Make it less generic.”
“Add examples.”
“Be more strategic.”
“Use Australian spelling.”
That’s feedback for the prompt.
Go back and say:
“Update this prompt so the output naturally includes X next time.”
Now you’re building an asset, not just generating content.
Step 4: Save What Works
If you’re recreating prompts from scratch every time, you’re wasting leverage.
Save them.
In SBPS, we treat prompts like reusable systems.
Just like you wouldn’t rebuild your Mailchimp automations every month (see the SBPS Mailchimp onboarding checklist SBPS_Mailchimp_Onboarding_Check…), you shouldn’t rebuild your AI instructions every time you need a blog or email.
Create:
Blog draft prompt
Email conversion prompt
Social pack prompt
Proposal builder prompt
SOP generator prompt
Over time, they get sharper.
And your outputs get more consistent.
The Real Insight: It’s Not About Being Better at AI
You don’t need to “master AI”.
You need a repeatable system.
The SBPS is built on this idea: small businesses don’t need more tools — they need better workflows.
The biggest mindset shift is this:
Stop treating prompting like a skill you must perfect.
Start treating it like a process you can refine.
And yes — let AI help you refine it.
If Your AI Feels Generic…
It’s probably not the tool.
It’s the brief.
And if you’re not asking AI to improve your prompts, you’re doing extra work for no reason.
Systems beat talent.
Structure beats speed.
Saved prompts beat starting from scratch.
This is exactly the kind of operational leverage small businesses need in 2026.
