Prompts for running a small business day to day

The owner of a neighborhood bakery closes the register at 7:30 p.m. Three things are left: a supplier to chase, the message to write to the employee going on leave, the instructions to post for the new apprentice. These texts wouldn't take her long if her head were clear, but she's been putting them off until tomorrow for three days.

In a small business, the same person sells, produces, manages staff, and writes the letters. The prompts below tackle the writing that keeps piling up. None of them replaces your accountant, your lawyer, or your expert for a decision. They spare you the blank page.

Chase an unpaid invoice, in stages

An invoice reminder needs to be dosed: too harsh too early, and it upsets a good customer; too soft, and it does nothing. Prepare a sequence of three messages in one go.

Write three reminder messages for an unpaid invoice, from the softest to the firmest.

My business: [TYPE, E.G., BAKERY AND CATERING]. Customer: [INDIVIDUAL / COMPANY], with whom I have [A GOOD RELATIONSHIP / A RECENT RELATIONSHIP].
Invoice: no. [NUMBER], €[AMOUNT], issued on [DATE], due on [DATE], subject: [E.G., BUFFET FOR 40 PEOPLE].

Message 1: friendly reminder, 3 days after the due date, no reproach.
Message 2: 15 days after, restate the facts and ask for a payment date.
Message 3: 30 days after, firm and factual, announce the next step I'm prepared to take: [STEP, E.G., FORMAL NOTICE BY REGISTERED MAIL].

Each message is 80 words maximum. Cite no article of law, no specific penalty, and no rate: I will add the mentions required by my terms of sale myself.

Late-payment penalties and the fixed recovery fee normally appear in your general terms and on your invoices (in France). If you're unsure what you can apply, ask your accountant. For a large unpaid amount, a formal notice letter is prepared with a legal professional.

Answer an unhappy customer

A bad reply to a complaint costs more than the mistake that caused it. The right reflex is to write down calmly what you want to say in the heat of the moment, then have it reworded.

A customer wrote me this message:
"[PASTE THE MESSAGE]"

What really happened, according to my checks: [FACTS].
What I'm prepared to do: [GESTURE: REFUND, REDO THE SERVICE, DISCOUNT...].
What I won't do: [LIMIT].

Write my reply in 100 words maximum: acknowledge what is true in the complaint, explain briefly without justifying yourself, offer the gesture, give a deadline. Human tone, no standard apology formula. Promise nothing beyond what I have written.

The AI tends to be too generous on your behalf ("we're offering you..."). The "what I won't do" line keeps it on a leash. If you get this kind of message every day, look at the prompts for customer service.

Write a procedure the apprentice will actually read

A spoken instruction gets lost, and a written instruction that's too long goes unread. Ask the AI to turn what you say into a simple page.

I'm going to describe out loud how we do [TASK, E.G., OPENING THE SHOP AT 5:30 A.M.]. Raw transcript:

[PASTE YOUR NOTES OR DICTATION]

Turn it into a procedure for a new employee who has never done this work: numbered steps, one action per step, in the real order, with the two points where people make the most mistakes in bold and what happens if they get it wrong. Add a checklist of 6 lines maximum at the end of the page. If a step seems to be missing, ask me at the end instead of making it up.

A word on safety: the procedure doesn't replace the hygiene or safety rules that apply to your business. Have it reviewed by the person who already trains new hires, who will spot the step you do without thinking about it.

Prepare for a difficult meeting

Before seeing your banker, your landlord, or an employee whose behavior needs correcting, ask the AI to help you prepare the questions. Give it the context, what you want to get, and what you fear. Ask it to play the other person, as in the article on giving the AI a role. You practice saying calmly what you wouldn't have dared to say.

The limits to know

Don't put your customers' or employees' data into a consumer tool: names, addresses, payslips. Replace them with "the customer" or "the employee." And for anything involving accounting, taxes, or employment law, the AI is a good tool for understanding a subject and preparing your questions, not for deciding. Checking an answer details how to check a figure or a rule before using it.

To begin, take the writing task you put off most often, the one that's been in your head for a week, and write its prompt tonight. Ten minutes is enough.