How to Get AI Answers - Effectively

Everything is about AI these days. You can't turn around without an article or video about it. Unfortunately, much of the noise seems to be predicting doom and the awful results of the increasing AI. (Artificial Intelligence)

I have plenty of my own questions about whether we truly need this level of tech assistance or impact in our lives. Sure, some advancements are already pretty cool, but the level the "tech bros" talk about or that you can see as the train at the end of the tunnel coming at you? I'm pretty sure none of us have asked for that level of AI "assistance." 

AI Bubbles
There are very definitely the Users, the Non-Users, and the Ignore At All Costs bubbles at the moment. (NOTE: I am completely making these terms up for my own frame of reference)

• Users: If you use AI, you tend to really use AI. These folks keep up on the AI news. It becomes hard to get away from it. (thank you, algorithms, feeding you more of anything you look at) These are the most immersed folks. If you land in this bubble, it's hard to see there are many who don't use AI - at all.
• Non-Users: Believe it or not, especially if you use AI, there is a silent larger group of Non-Users! Most of the world doesn't actually have any interest or contact with AI nor feel a need for it. These folks will often be most concerned about energy, water, and conservation issues which are very valid. 
• Ignore At All Costs: Shockingly, many in Gen Z fall into this category. My kids are two of them. There are a few articles reflecting this on Medium,  Persuasion, and Forbes. 
  • They have been repeatedly told in school growing up about cheating and that use of AI is often seen as cheating. If AI isn't cheating, it's at least often and heavily picked up in plagiarizing check tools. These tools and teachers allow a certain level as "can't help it" when the the checker tools pick up overly much, but still—no one wants to be accused of cheating. 
  • These folks are also stuck on the "AI Hallucinates" bandwagon. Sure, it exists, but less so than initially and further prompts can reduce or eliminate that factor. It's also human responsibility to fact check and vet what AI provides. I don't see the need to fact check AI going away any time soon. This is actually a roadblock for some high AI users for the time needed to vet deep research projects. 
  • This post won't get into the impact AI is having on the entry level job market of Gen Z grads, which is definitely not encouraging use of the tool or generating any love for AI. 

Prompting Framework for Generative AI
I caught Joe Pulizzi on a recent podcast of This Old Marketing referring to a framework he heard from Geoff Woods at a recent MAICON conference that he shared in a blog post. There are a few similar versions for prompting, but this is a useful reference if you're getting started with AI or looking for small ways to improve your results. 

CRIT = Context, Role, Interview, Task

• Context: Give your tool (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude - any of the models) a frame of reference you are coming from. Share your goals, tone, and audience.
• Role: What role would you like the AI tool to take? A fellow marketer, business owner, author, or nonprofit? A strategist who will poke holes in your ideas or article?
• Interview: This is a new idea to me - ask the AI tool to ask you three clarifying questions, one at a time, to help you think more deeply on the matter. 
• Task: What would you like the AI tool to do - how can it assist you? Provide a summary? Write an article you can then edit as a draft? Help you see next step actions?

Brilliant Use of AI!
This is a great succinct way to work through better ways to prompt AI as a thought partner rather than using it as a "do this for me" tool. This reflects my typical use of AI with the addition of the Interview idea. This is also a far better human-first approach to using AI! 

With Gratitude
My many thanks to Joe Pulizzi for sharing the thoughts and Geoff Woods for inspiring Joe! I just picked up Geoff's book The AI-Driven Leader on Audible as it inspired Joe's post. I'm looking forward to the read and sharing insights! 

How Will YOU Use AI?
Are you an AI User, Non-User, or prefer to Ignore At All Costs? Hopefully the CRIT idea offers useful options to enable you to prompt better to be more effective in your use or even to help get you started!

Love to hear how your AI journey is going - Let's Chat or message me on LinkedIn!

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Is It Really a Big Deal?
The short answer is YES. It really is a big deal to have made it to 3 years in business!

Generally, one should be able to at least begin to see profit within 3 years of starting a business. This allows time for growth, firming up your business plan and market, and being able to differentiate yourself as a business rather than a hobby. This does apply to nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and authors as a "business." 


IRS Tax Deductions
TurboTax refers to an IRS "safe harbor rule" that suggests a business should be able to turn a profit in 3 of 5 consecutive years. Keeping records of your business plan, receipts, expenses, and income are critical. Every business owner has their own comfort in what deductions to attribute to a business. A tax professional is always advisable.

Mindset - From Startup to Growth
The 3-year mark is a transition reference for different challenges in a business. The first 3 years tend to have a lot of adaptations to make to find a solid path forward. Once you get past the 3rd year, you approach your business differently. You feel more in the drivers seat and ready to take on different challenges, seeking more opportunities to expand your client base, consider hiring assistance, or simply feel more confident in what you're doing.

Common Challenges - First 3 Years
There are some pretty big factors that need figured out in those first 3 years. I do a deeper dive on the first 3 years on ​this blog post. 

• Business plan: Your business needs at least a rough structure to succeed. What do you hope to achieve with your business? 
• Market fit: This will likely take some adaptations along the way to find your ideal audience and product fit. Is there a demand? What's the competition like? How can you differentiate?
• Cash flow: Do you have a sufficient reserve or plan for the lean start and initial investment? If your plan is big enough to have staff, you're able to pay salaries and stay afloat? Have you addressed the basics - can you handle the back-shop bank book/invoicing or do you have someone skilled to do so?

Small Business Survival in First 3-5 Years
A search of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shares 65-70% of small businesses succeed within their first 3 years. I did find a note that number does continue to drop over time, so survival past the 3rd year is no guarantee, simply an indicator a business has promise to succeed.

The 1st year is often driven by excitement and drive. The 2nd year shows the weak spots in cash flow, market, and business plan. The 3rd year is that golden year typically where you've sorted through the obstacles to being viable. At this point you have systems in place for your business, a customer base, and a proven concept!

You've Made It - Now What?
What does the future hold for your business past the 3rd year? You begin to look at long-term strategy.

• Scaling: What's your growth plan? Will you be expanding services, locations, or staff or you're comfortable where you're at?
• Strategic plan update: It's time to sit down to map out your next few years. You've survived the initial test! Are you in it for the long haul?
• Check your financial plan: Are you solid in your back-shop processes and accounting? You know your numbers to break even, sustain growth, and begin investing in the business or your retirement?
• Brand awareness: This is a good time to consider updating your brand visibility. Consider different marketing and outreach options. Anchor your primary supporters to become your biggest cheerleaders to draw others into the tribe! 

Where are you in your business as a nonprofit, entrepreneur, or author - first 3 years or beyond? Have you noticed a difference between the two time periods? Any advice to share?

​Love to hear from you - Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn! 

Simon Sinek - Start with Why

Book review time! I've only recently paid attention to the work of Simon Sinek. One of his earliest books, Start with Why, is hailed as a keystone sort of book, especially for business owners. Now that I've read it, I can see why.

An Oldie but a Goodie!
You can find the book on Amazon, published 2011. An Audible version was posted May 2025 as a 15th anniversary item, narrated by Sinek. He has a smooth, entertaining voice. Anything read by an author tends to get higher on my list! I was able to enjoy it for free through Libby, an audio app connected to many libraries. 

Generally About Start with Why
The book is filled with corporate examples to illustrate his point for individuals and businesses to start with their "why." He highlights a few companies repeatedly as they simply exemplify his message. I'll admit, I got a little bogged down in the middle, but it picked up for me as he got closer to the end with chapters 10-14 noteworthy beyond the first couple of chapters describing the concept. 

The Golden Circle

This was really the core concept of the book and most easily describes Start with Why. Business owners, small or large, don't necessarily begin with a clear "why," but you have to develop one you can articulate if you have any hope of continuing beyond year three as a business. 

Why 3 Years?
Three Years is considered a key transition time for businesses to mark surviving start-up and transitioning to a sustainable business. Refer to this blog post reviewing the general 3 year business lifecycle. 

Understanding The Golden Circle
Let's define the pieces of The Golden Circle.

• Why: This is really the crux of why you do what you do—WHY are you even in business? This is asking beyond the surface level of "To make money." Why THIS? Why NOW? As Simon calls it, "WHY is a purpose, cause, or belief. It's the very reason your organization exists."
• How: This is what makes you special or sets you apart from competitors—your process.
• What: Many start with What - this is the product or service you aim to sell or provide. This is the most easily identifiable aspect of your business. 

Is Why REALLY That Important?
You betcha. Simon offered many examples in his book about corporations rising to success - big ones like Walmart, Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Starbucks - who "got fuzzy" about their Why as founding leaders and corporations faced transitions. It seemed a company remained viable as long as the founder and the corporate WHY was (literally) alive and connected with the business. Once a "What" or "How" style leader became the corporate head, often where money became the object or most visible metric of success, that's where corporations faced challenges to even remain viable, typically with reputations taking a severe hit. 

This Applies to Small Businesses
Yes, my nonprofits, fellow entrepreneurs, and authors—this applies to us "little guys" as well. If we have any hope of lasting past Year 3 and becoming sustainable, we must create that Why if we didn't begin with one clearly in mind. 

Focusing on What and How
Sometimes, you identify a need or a benefit you can offer and you simply start running, figuring things out as you go. That's fine to start. You typically have SOME Why in mind as you go, but it may be fuzzy to start, needs shaped, or adapts a bit in those three years to become viable and suit market interest. 

However, for your business to sustain, you must formalize your Why and be able to say it clearly to others. This becomes your rock or "North Star" to weigh decisions that arise.

Staying True to Your Why
Sure, it may still flex as you continue, but likely only a limited amount unless you decide to change businesses, which happens. What and How will regularly adapt as your business grows and evolves. But your Why should remain your core.

What About You?
Do you have your Why in mind? If not, are you working on fleshing it out?

I'm working on the words to update my About page to focus more on my Why. Love to hear your Why and your journey to discover it! Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn!

Do You Have an Elevator Pitch?

Just to be sure we're at the same starting point, what is an elevator pitch? 

It turns out, it's not found in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as a "word" to define. True, it's a phrase. So we'll go with the general idea behind it.

An "elevator pitch" is your quick basic introduction to what you do and who you are. 

How Long Should It Be?
Some "gurus" consider 30 or 60 seconds as the ideal length. Yes - seconds. The emphasis is on quick. I was listening to a podcast by Joe Pulizzi recently advocating for a 15 second version as ideal!


Key Characteristics of an Elevator Pitch
Joe Pulizzi suggests the response should be framed to answer "How do you make people's lives better?" I like that.

If you search "elevator pitch," you'll find a number of suggestions of approaches to take. I'm afraid if a pitch included all the pieces I'm seeing recommended, we quickly go beyond 60 seconds for the pitch and you'll feel like you need to memorize it like a speech! 

Google Gemini offers these suggestions which are a generally reasonable starting point:

• Brief: an elevator pitch must be concise, lasting no more than 30-60 seconds
• Clear: easily understood, even if your audience is not an expert in your field
• Compelling: the goal isn't to explain everything about you, but to create interest for the listener to want to hear more - a "tease" about you.

Adobe is very happy to provide you with templates to start you thinking if useful. (Warning: this is a fairly lengthy piece provided by Adobe) 

Indeed suggests you:

• Introduce yourself by full name.
• Summarize what you do.
• Explain what you want.
• Finish with a call to action. 

That's not bad, but you may consider cutting this in half - stick with the first two ideas and be ready with follow-up information if useful. 

I really like the simplicity of Joe Pulizzi's suggestion, especially as I come from a service background and see my business in that light.

I also appreciate the shorter time focus Joe suggests as short attention spans are real these days. Start with a 15 second quickie. You can always expand on it in conversation, but a 15 second hook is brilliant!

Where Would You Use an Elevator Pitch?
Anywhere you would talk to people! This could be as official as a job interview or networking event or as casual as chatting with friends and family. 

This is why it needs to be so simple that it quickly and easily rolls off your tongue like it's simply part of who you are!

How Is YOUR Elevator Pitch?
Having a ready elevator pitch is one of the first "tools" to have in your marketing "tool bag"! Having a couple of different lengths in mind or a 1:2 punch of start/follow-up at the ready is extremely useful. 

Need to bounce your pitch off of someone? Happy to be that extra set of ears if useful! Sometimes it helps to get out of your head and chat with someone not in your immediate circle of close friends and family who will love anything you create. Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn!