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Key insights
- Many entrepreneurs waste time consistently studying AI because they skip the consideration and preparation that ought to occur before writing a solicitation.
- An easy three-step approach can significantly improve AI output and eliminate much of the trial and error that the majority users face.
Most entrepreneurs use AI in the identical way: They type in a vague query, get a general response, after which spend 20 minutes talking forwards and backwards until something useful emerges.
It’s like hiring a contractor and saying, “Build me something nice.”
The problem shouldn’t be the AI. So we ask. After watching dozens of corporations implement AI tools, I’ve noticed a pattern: people who get real results follow three easy steps.
Step 1: Clarify what you really want
Before you enter anything, answer three questions.
1. What must be delivered?
Not a “marketing plan,” but “a 90-day content calendar with weekly topics, platform assignments, and publishing times.”
2. What does good appear to be?
If the output were perfect, what would it not contain? How long would it not take? Which format? Which sections?
3. What has already been decided?
This is where entrepreneurs lose most of their time. You ask the AI to make decisions that ought to already be made after which reject the outcomes because “that’s not what I meant.”
Here is an actual example. A consultant wanted to enhance her appearance in AI search. When people asked tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity for experts of their field, she wasn’t mentioned.
Her first request was vague: “Help me get mentioned by AI assistants.” The result was general advice on search engine marketing and social media.
After clarifying her goal, she tried again:
“Create a six-month plan to determine my company’s presence in order that AI systems recognize me as an authority on sustainable supply chains. I would like to look when someone asks, ‘Who are the leading sustainable supply chain consultants?’ Deliverables: monthly promotions that include my site’s homepage, third-party mentions to follow, and content that builds current authority. Format: actionable calendar with specific platforms and content types.”
The second version worked because she thought first.
The principle: AI performs well but makes poor decisions. Make your decision before you begin typing.
Step 2: Clean up your input
Messy inputs result in messy outputs. Every time. Sanitizing your input means three things.
Structure it
Do not include a wall of text. Divide information into categories. Your credentials will appear in a bit. Your audience in one other. Your positioning elsewhere. AI can’t organize your priorities for you.
Make it specific
“I am a management consultant” means almost nothing to the AI. But this does:
“Supply chain sustainability consultant with 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 manufacturers. Known for reducing carbon footprint in logistics while reducing costs.”
Specificity gives the AI something to work with.
Eliminate contradictions
Your brand can’t be “an established industry leader” and “a fresh new voice” at the identical time. They can’t be “exclusive” and “accessible”.
AI takes you literally. Contradictions result in confusing output. A friend of mine once fed AI a bio during which he described him as each “a visionary founder who revolutionized the industry” and “a steady hand with decades of traditional expertise.”
The results were bizarre: one paragraph progressive, the following conservative. The problem wasn’t the AI. His positioning was unclear.
The principle: Spending 10 minutes organizing your input will prevent half-hour correcting the output.
Step 3: Separate reference material from instructions
This is the step that the majority people overlook – and where the most important improvements come from.
Each AI prompt accommodates two forms of information.
Reference material
Facts the AI must know. Your background, credentials, company details and differentiators.
That’s that What.
Instructions
The process that AI should follow. The format, structure, tone and logic you desire.
That’s that How.
Most people mix these into one giant request. It works sometimes – until it doesn’t.
A SaaS founder I worked with learned this the hard way while attempting to create content that might help his product appear in AI recommendations.
His chaotic request looked like this:
“Write content for my project management software. We’re called TaskFlow, founded in Austin in 2019. We’re focused on creative agencies. Our differentiator is visual workflow management; we integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma, pricing starts at $29 per user, competitors include Monday.com and Asana, but we’re more visual. Make it about 800 words.”
Instead, we’ll split the prompt into two sections.
Reference material
Company: TaskFlow (Project Management SaaS)
Founded: 2019, Austin, Texas
Target group: creative agencies and design teams
Key Differentiator: Visual workflow management
Integrations: Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma
Pricing: Starting at $29 per user/month
Competitive Context: Alternative to Monday.com and Asana for visual-first teams
Instructions
Goal: Position TaskFlow as the best project management tool for creative teams
Format: 800 word article
Tone: Authoritative, but not sales-promoting
Must contain: Use cases for creative workflowsStructure: Problem, solution approach, concrete examples and clear positioning.
Structure: problem statement, solution approach, concrete examples and clear positioning.
Same information. But now, when the output is unsuitable – which is usually the primary time – you recognize exactly what to repair.
The principle: If you’ll be able to update one without breaking the opposite, your prompts will probably be scalable.
Why this is very important for entrepreneurs
For a single LinkedIn post, chaotic prompts are manageable. But if you’re producing dozens of pieces of content across multiple platforms — or attempting to influence how search engines like google and AI assistants understand your brand — consistency is very important.
Messy inputs result in a messy digital presence. Structured input results in clear results that add up over time.
In my experience:
- Every hour invested in proper setup saves several hours in cleanup.
- Each contradiction resolved prevents dozens of confusing issues.
- Any clear instruction eliminates one other round of “No, that’s not what I meant.”
What to do on Monday morning?
Choose an AI task that you simply use recurrently – content creation, email drafts, or strategic planning.
Then check it with three questions:
- Have I clearly defined the specified output? (format, length, tone and structure)
- Was the data I provided structured or simply a wall of text?
- Have I separated what the AI should know and what it should do?
Then recreate the command prompt properly.
- Write down exactly what you would like the output to appear to be.
- Structure your information.
- Separate reference material from instructions.
Run it again and compare the outcomes.
In my experience, a well-structured first prompt often produces higher results than a tenth revision of a messy prompt.
Same AI. Just a greater request.
Clarify what you would like. Clean what you provide. Organize the way you ask. Three easy steps that separate working AI from time-wasting AI.
Key insights
- Many entrepreneurs waste time consistently studying AI because they skip the consideration and preparation that ought to occur before writing a solicitation.
- An easy three-step approach can significantly improve AI output and eliminate much of the trial and error that the majority users face.
Most entrepreneurs use AI in the identical way: They type in a vague query, get a general response, after which spend 20 minutes talking forwards and backwards until something useful emerges.
It’s like hiring a contractor and saying, “Build me something nice.”
