AI at Work: The Starter Kit.

Part 1

Your first 15 minutes.

Do these three things today, in order. They cost nothing and fix the two biggest problems at once: exposed data and useless answers.

1. Flip the privacy switch 2 min

   In whatever AI you use, open Settings and turn off anything named like “improve the model for everyone” or “use my content for training.” On free plans that switch is your only protection. Paid business plans turn it off by contract. Until it’s off: no client names, no numbers, no secrets.

2. Save your master prompt 3 min

   Paste this at the start of every session. Everything after it gets smarter, because the AI finally knows who it works for.

   Copy

   You are my [office manager / marketing assistant / right hand] at [business name], a [what you do] in [your town]. Our customers are [who they are]. Our tone is [warm / direct / no-nonsense]. Always: plain English, keep it brief, no jargon, and ask me up to 3 short questions if anything is unclear before you answer. Confirm you have it, then I will give you the first task.

3. Do one real task 10 min

   Take Prompt 1 from Part 3 below, run it on a real email from today, and time yourself. That number is your before and after, and it’s usually the moment this stops being theoretical.

Part 2

The ten rules.

Each one comes with the single action that makes it real, plus the sources behind it.

1. Never put secrets into free tools.

   Free versions can train on what you type. Paid business versions, by contract, don’t. The version you’re on is your real policy, whatever a document says.

   Do it nowThat’s Step 1 above. If you skipped it, go back. Two minutes.

   SourcesAnthropic on privacyNIST AI framework

2. Tell it who it is and who it’s for.

   “You’re a plumber writing to a nervous customer” beats “write an email” every time. Give it a role, a reader, and the context.

   Do it nowSave the master prompt from Part 1 and open every session with it.

   SourcesAnthropicOpenAIGoogle

3. Show it one example.

   One sample of what you want beats a paragraph describing it. Paste your best past version and say “like this.”

   Do it nowFind your best past email or proposal and add “match this style” to your next request.

   SourcesFew-shot learning (2020)OpenAI

4. Make it think first.

   For anything tricky, ask for the steps or a plan before the answer. It gets a lot more right, though not on every task.

   Do it nowAdd “give me your plan first, then wait for my go” to your next big request.

   SourcesStep-by-step prompting (2022)When it helps, and doesn’t (2025)

5. Paste the thing. Don’t describe it.

   These tools read long documents well, but they can miss the middle. Give it the actual contract or thread, and put what matters near the top.

   Do it nowNext time you catch yourself summarizing a document to the AI, stop and paste the document.

   SourcesLost in the middle (2023)Google

6. The first answer is a rough draft.

   The second try is usually better. Tell it what’s wrong and go again. Two rounds is normal.

   Do it nowReply “shorter, warmer, lose the jargon” to its next draft and watch what happens.

   SourcesOpenAIAnthropic

7. Check anything that sounds like a fact.

   It will state wrong things with total confidence. Numbers, names, dates, quotes, legal or technical claims: check them against a real source before they go out.

   Do it nowFor every number or name in a draft, ask it “what’s your source?” Then verify yourself before it ships.

   SourcesWhy models make things up (2022)Stanford AI Index 2026

8. A person signs everything that goes out.

   AI writes the draft; a human reads it and owns it. No exceptions, no matter how good it looks.

   Do it nowSay the rule out loud to your team today: nothing leaves this business unread.

   SourcesNIST AI frameworkStanford AI Index 2026

9. Keep what works.

   When a prompt nails it, save it where everyone can use it. The team gets better together; one person hoarding tricks doesn’t.

   Do it nowStart one shared doc called “Prompts.” Drop today’s winner in it. That doc becomes your playbook.

   SourcesOpenAIGoogle

10. Write the rules down.

    Which tools are okay, what never goes in, who checks what. An AI policy nobody wrote down is one nobody follows.

    Do it nowThe self-check in Part 4 is your page one. Copy it into a doc when you finish it.

    SourcesNIST AI frameworkStanford AI Index 2026

Part 3

Five prompts that pay for themselves.

Replace anything in [brackets], run it, then make it yours and save it (rule 9). Each of these targets an hour your week loses on autopilot.

You are me: the owner of [business]. Reply to the email below. Tone: warm, brief, professional, sounds like a real person. Under 120 words. If they asked something we can't fully answer yet, say what we CAN confirm and give a clear next step.

Email: [paste it]

Using my notes below, draft a clear one-page quote for a customer of [business]: what we'll do, what it costs, what's included, what's not, the timeline, and how to accept. Plain English, confident but not pushy.

My notes: [scope, prices, dates, anything relevant]

Turn my messy notes below into: (1) a five-line summary, (2) the decisions made, (3) an action list with who does what by when, (4) a short follow-up email confirming it all.

Notes: [paste them, typos and all]

Write a short, friendly follow-up about [the unpaid invoice / the quote I sent]. Firm but kind. Assume good intent, give one easy next step, keep the relationship. Under 90 words.

Context: [who, what, when you sent it, amount]

Interview me, one question at a time, about how I do [task, e.g. onboarding a new client]. When you have enough, write it up as a simple step-by-step checklist a new hire could follow without asking me anything. Start with your first question.

If a prompt’s answer misses, don’t start over. Rule 6: tell it what’s wrong and go again.

Part 4

The 60-second self-check.

Six statements, check what’s true. Be honest, nobody’s watching.

• Model training and data sharing are switched off, or we’re on a paid business plan.
• We have at least three saved prompts the whole team uses.
• AI drafts at least one kind of our routine emails or documents every week.
• A person reviews and signs everything before it goes out.
• Everyone here knows what may never be pasted into an AI tool.
• Our AI rules are written down somewhere.

Part 5

The free shelf.

The internet is drowning in AI training now, most of it noise. This is the good stuff, straight from the people who build the tools. It costs nothing but an afternoon.

• Google: Make AI Work for You · Free video course and touring workshops built for small business owners, taught partly by real owners showing real workflows.
• OpenAI Academy · Free, practical tracks, including one for small business owners: clear instructions, context, and turning a recurring task into a repeatable workflow.
• Anthropic Academy · Free AI Fluency courses, including one built specifically for small businesses.
• U.S. Chamber free training guide · A maintained list of free AI courses, books, and webinars. A good second stop.
• Your local SBDC · Free, in-person AI training is rolling out through Small Business Development Centers in 2026. It costs nothing to ask.

All of this is free because the companies building AI want you fluent. Good. Take it. The fluency is yours either way.