A prompt is not just a question; it is a piece of code written in English. The difference between a generic answer and a business-transforming strategy lies entirely in the structure of your prompt. In 2025, the most valuable asset for a small business owner isn’t software—it’s their Prompt Library.

This guide provides a curated collection of “Mega-Prompts” for the most critical functions of your business: Strategy, Marketing, Operations, and HR. These aren’t simple one-liners. They are sophisticated instruction sets designed to turn ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini into a senior consultant.

How to use this guide: Copy the prompts below, paste them into your AI tool, and replace the [bracketed text] with your specific details.

Category 1: Strategic Planning & Business Models

Stop guessing your next move. Use AI to stress-test your strategy.

1. The “Devil’s Advocate” Strategy Stress-Test

Use this before launching a new product or changing pricing.

• The Prompt:
  *”Act as a ruthless Private Equity consultant and market skeptic. I am planning to [Launch a subscription coffee service for remote workers].
  Here is my plan: [Paste Plan/details].
  Your goal is to kill this idea.
  1. List the top 5 reasons this will fail.
  2. Identify the ‘Silent Killer’ (the risk I am ignoring).
  3. Challenge my pricing assumptions.
  4. Then, pivot to ‘Constructive Fixer’ mode and suggest 3 mitigations for these risks.”*

2. The “Blue Ocean” Finder

Find a market gap your competitors are missing.

• The Prompt:
  “Analyze the market for [Local Yoga Studios in Austin, TX].
  The standard offer is [Drop-in classes and monthly memberships].
  Using the ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ framework, suggest 3 distinct ‘New Value Curves’ that would make the competition irrelevant.
  Focus on: What can we eliminate, reduce, raise, and create?
  Give me 3 specific service ideas that target non-customers.”

Category 2: Marketing & Copywriting (The Growth Engine)

Write better copy than a $50/hour freelancer.

3. The “Voice of Customer” Landing Page Rewriter

• The Prompt:
  “Act as a world-class Conversion Copywriter specializing in [Industry].
  I am pasting my current landing page copy below.
  I am also pasting 5 customer reviews that describe their pain points.
  Your task: Rewrite the H1, H2, and Bullet Points of my landing page.
  Constraint: You must use the EXACT words/phrases found in the customer reviews to describe the problem (mirroring language).
  [Paste Copy]
  [Paste Reviews]”

4. The “Email Nurture” Architect

Create a sequence that builds trust, not just spam.

• The Prompt:
  *”Create a 5-day email nurture sequence for new leads who downloaded my [PDF Guide on Tax Savings].
  Goal: Book a consultation call.
  Tone: Empathetic, expert, authoritative, but not salesy.
  Structure:
  • Email 1: value delivery + ‘Open Loop’ (curiosity).
  • Email 2: The ‘Enemy’ (common mistake everyone makes).
  • Email 3: Case Study (Hero’s Journey format).
  • Email 4: The ‘Paradigm Shift’ (a new way of thinking).
  • Email 5: The ‘Hard Ask’ (scarcity/urgency).
    Write the subject lines and the body copy.”*

Category 3: Operations & Efficiency

Automate the boring stuff so you can focus on growth.

5. The “SOP Generator” (Standard Operating Procedure)

Turn a messy brain dump into a training manual.

• The Prompt:
  *”I am going to describe a process I do manually: [Paste a messy transcript of you explaining how to process a refund].
  Turn this into a formal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
  Format:
  • Goal: What success looks like.
  • Prerequisites: What tools/logins are needed.
  • Step-by-Step: Numbered list with ‘If/Then’ logic for edge cases.
  • Quality Checklist: 3 things to check before hitting ‘Submit’.”*

6. The “Meeting Synthesizer”

• The Prompt:
  *”Analyze this transcript of our weekly team meeting.
  1. Summarize the top 3 discussion points.
  2. Extract a table of ‘Action Items’ with columns: Task, Owner, Deadline.
  3. Identify any ‘Unresolved Issues’ that need to be revisited next week.
  4. Draft a follow-up email to the team summarizing this.
     [Paste Transcript]”*

Category 4: HR & Hiring (Building the Team)

Hiring the wrong person is expensive. Use AI to filter for “A-Players.”

7. The “Cultural Fit” Job Description

• The Prompt:
  “I need to hire a [Marketing Manager].
  Our company culture is: [Fast-paced, remote-first, hates bureaucracy, values autonomy over permission].
  Write a job description that will repel candidates who want a slow, safe corporate job and attract candidates who are entrepreneurial ‘builders.’
  Include a ‘Challenge’ section instead of a standard ‘Requirements’ list. Ask them to solve a specific problem in their application.”

8. The “Interview Question” Generator

• The Prompt:
  “I am interviewing a candidate for [Sales Rep].
  Their resume says they ‘increased revenue by 20%’.
  Generate 5 behavioral interview questions to verify this claim and test if they did it themselves or just rode the wave.
  Include ‘Follow-up’ questions to dig deeper if they give a vague answer.”

Category 5: Customer Service & Crisis Management

Handle difficult situations with grace and speed.

9. The “Angry Customer” De-Escalator

• The Prompt:
  “I received this angry email from a client: [Paste Email].
  They are upset about a missed deadline. It was our fault.
  Draft a response using the ‘LEAF’ framework (Listen, Empathize, Apologize, Fix).
  Goal: De-escalate the situation and propose a specific solution [e.g., a 10% discount on next month].
  Tone: Humble, professional, zero defensiveness.”

10. The “FAQ” Builder

• The Prompt:
  *”Here is a list of the last 20 support tickets we received: [Paste list/summary].
  1. Cluster them into the top 5 recurring themes.
  2. Draft a clear, step-by-step FAQ article for each theme to be added to our Help Center.
  3. Suggest a ‘One-Liner’ canned response for our chat agents to use for each theme.”*

Advanced Tip: The “Persona” Layer

To get the best results, always wrap your prompt in a “Persona.”

• Bad: “Write a marketing plan.”
• Good: “Act as a CMO with 20 years of experience in B2B SaaS who specializes in Product-Led Growth. Write a marketing plan…”

By assigning a persona, you unlock specific vocabulary and mental models within the AI’s training data.

Advanced Tip: The “Chain of Thought”

For complex tasks, force the AI to think before it answers.

• Add this line to your prompts: “Before answering, think step-by-step. Outline your logic first, then provide the final output.”
• Why: This reduces hallucinations and logical errors significantly.

FAQ: Using AI Prompts

Q: Can I copyright the output of these prompts?
A: In most jurisdictions (like the US), pure AI output cannot be copyrighted. However, if you edit it significantly, you can claim ownership of the final work.

Q: Which AI model is best for these prompts?
A:

• GPT-4 (OpenAI): Best for logic, strategy, and complex reasoning (Prompts 1, 2, 5, 6).
• Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic): Best for writing, tone, and empathy (Prompts 3, 4, 9).
• Gemini (Google): Good for real-time data and creative brainstorming.

Q: Is it safe to put my business data into these prompts?
A: Be careful. If you are on a “Free” plan, your data might be used to train the model. If you are on an “Enterprise” or “Team” plan, your data is usually private. Always anonymize sensitive names/numbers before pasting (e.g., change “John Smith” to “Client A”).