Running a business as a solo owner means every task, every deadline, every piece of content falls on your shoulders.

Some weeks, the to-do list feels like a second job. And when you finally find a tool that can shave off 30 minutes here and there, it adds up.

That’s where I was a few months ago, deep in the writing process for my book, trying to keep up with client work, content, admin, all of it. (We wear many hats.)

I decided to give ChatGPT a shot to help edit some of the writing. I uploaded my rough draft with stories and insights, but the revision didn’t sound like me. The stories were mine. The insights were mine. But the voice? Filtered. Generic.

That’s when I realized, if AI is going to help us, it needs to know me. It needs more than a great prompt. It needs our decision-making process, our values, our tone, even our quirks.

If you’ve felt buried in work or disappointed by AI, I’ll show you a better way to use AI, whether it’s ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini,  that is not only strategic but a huge timesaver.

Whether you’re just starting or searching for more meaningful output, this episode will give you actionable steps to make AI work more effectively.

• Why adopting an AI strategy matters more than just acquiring prompt templates.
• The most common mistakes business owners make when using ChatGPT and how to avoid them
• The foundational documents you need to “teach” AI about your unique business and brand
• How to shift your mindset from overwhelmed admin to empowered strategist
• Simple steps to build specialized AI assistants for ghostwriting, marketing, and more.

• You only need to create your foundational business documents once, and you’ll reuse them to train your custom AI assistants.
• The quality of your prompts depends on how much unique, specific information you provide to ChatGPT; otherwise, it fills in gaps with generic content.
• Your heart, worldview, and perspectives are what truly set your business apart, and AI can help you articulate them with greater clarity.

“It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing the right things better.”

“When you feed AI information about you, your business, and your brand, it becomes very unique to you, and not to somebody else’s business.”

“You are the one that’s going to make the difference as far as whether or not they choose to buy from you, that’s why your brand, your voice, is so important.”

If you’re ready to step off the sidelines and start using AI with confidence, CLICK HERE to grab my free resource.

00:00:00 – 00:00:44: Introduction & AI hesitation among solo business owners00:01:08 – 00:05:37: The many hats of solo entrepreneurs, and shifting your mindset00:05:37 – 00:06:45: Understanding reach, impressions, engagement, and conversions.00:07:51 – 00:09:02: The importance of clear AI input, and feeding context00:10:14 – 00:13:11: Building business, client, product, and voice profiles for AI00:13:38 – 00:16:32: The power of the Heart Profile and applying your true brand to AI00:16:38 – 00:19:28: Encouragement to start small, free resource, and closing remarks

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisashadrick/

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Amplify Your Authority PodcastPodcast Transcript: Episode 140Title: Build an AI That Thinks Like You Using ChatGPT Best PracticesHost: Marisa Shadrick

Why Solo Business Owners Hesitate with AI

Many solo business owners have waited, followed the AI buzz from the sidelines. And now, three years later, after ChatGPT was released, they’re starting to think about joining in or at least giving it a serious look. Yet with so many options and little training, they often try tools like ChatGPT only to be disappointed.

In this episode, we’re going to break down common mistakes, and I’ll show you how to get the best results using ChatGPT. You’ll walk away inspired and ready to build better prompts—and maybe even your first AI assistant—so you can start using AI for meaningful, high-leverage work.

Why You Need AI Now

Hello and welcome to the Amplify Your Authority Podcast. I’m Marisa Shadrick, AI marketing strategist and certified copywriter, and I’m excited to bring you this mini training. I’m going to give you insights into how ChatGPT works, why it matters for solo business owners, and best practices for using it effectively.

Let’s start with why you even need AI. Many people hesitate. It can feel overwhelming and unfamiliar. But three years in, it’s here to stay. Companies are using it everywhere. It’s not going away—and solo business owners can’t afford to ignore it.

Wearing Too Many Hats: The Reality of Solo Business

In a corporate setting, different roles are handled by different people—sales, content, copywriting, and project management. But solo business owners? We do it all.

That means prompts to AI often feel rushed or surface-level because we’re stretched thin. It’s not carelessness—it’s overload.

AI matters not to do more, but to do what you’re already doing better. Imagine having an AI assistant that acts like a copy chief—overseeing all content to keep your voice and messaging consistent.

The first mindset shift we need: stop seeing yourself as just an admin and start thinking like a strategist.

Content Metrics: What They Really Mean

Let’s talk about content strategy. There are four stages: reach, impressions, engagement, and conversion.

Many post content hoping to grow their list, but what does engagement really mean if it doesn’t lead to conversion?

Reach is the number of people who see your content. Impressions are the number of times your content is shown. Engagement is how people interact with it. And conversion is when people take real action—buy, sign up, or register.

AI can help with content at all stages—but only if you start with strategy first and work backward.

Why Prompts Fail Without Context

AI is literal—like Amelia Bedelia. If your prompt isn’t clear or complete, it guesses. It pulls from the internet, not from you.

That’s why you need to feed it the right information: your voice, values, worldview, and more. You can’t expect strong output from weak input.

When I prompt AI, I share the context—what came before, what the goal is, and what happens next. When AI understands the why, it performs much better.

Feeding AI with Strategy: Business Docs Matter

AI is great at pattern recognition. So give it your patterns.

Start with these documents:

Business Profile (your value prop, offers, testimonials, story)

Client Profile (your audience’s pain points, surveys)

Product Profile (what you offer and why it matters)

Voice, Tone, and Style Guide (based on real content or transcripts)

Once you create these, you can reuse them again and again. You’ll save time and train your AI to think like you.

The Heart Profile: Making AI Sound Like You

While working on my book, I noticed something: AI could help, but my content was starting to sound flat. It lost my voice.

That’s when I created the Heart Profile—a deep dive into your values, worldview, personal beliefs, and what makes your message truly human.

AI can’t find that on the internet. But if you give it your humanity, it’ll reflect it back.

Once you have your foundational documents, you can create custom GPTs for different business needs—a ghostwriter, a content strategist, a copy chief—whatever role you want to offload.

Encouragement to Get Started

If ChatGPT isn’t your tool of choice, these documents work with Gemini, Claude, and others.

To help you get started, I’ve created a free resource: a Heart Profile questionnaire that helps you extract what makes your brand you.

Visit marisashadrick.com/heartto download it.

Record your answers in Google Docs using voice typing. Yes, it’s a detailed process—but it’s one you only do once. And the clarity it brings? Game-changing.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been on the AI sidelines, this is your time to step in with clarity and confidence. At the end of the day, you are the reason people buy. Not your offer. Not the algorithm. You.

Your brand and voice matter. AI can help you show up more often, more clearly, and with greater impact.

It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing the right things better.

So start small. Try a new prompt. Build your first AI assistant. Lead with strategy and humanity, and let AI do the heavy lifting.