Mistake #02 of 50

Don’t underestimate what AI can do for you.

Use it to brainstorm, write, rewrite, build offers, write headlines and critique your work. You no longer need a marketing department to get started.

What it costs you

The blank page wins again.

You know you should send the email. Write the thank-you note. Follow up on that quote.

But it’s 9 o’clock at night. You’ve been working since 6.

You open a blank screen, stare at it for ten minutes, and close it.

Nothing goes out.

You don’t have to stare at a blank page anymore.

Emails, letters, follow-ups, referrals, reviews: they’re all free. The only thing they cost is time. AI gives you most of that time back.

A real example

Ten minutes on a Sunday night

A hair salon owner knows she should email the clients who haven’t been in for a while. She’s been meaning to do it for six months.

One Sunday night, she opens an AI tool and just talks to it, like she’s talking to a friend.

“Some of my clients haven’t been in for three or four months. I want to tell them we miss them, without sounding desperate. Book by the end of the month, and they get a free deep-conditioning treatment.”

Ten seconds later, she has a draft. She changes a couple of words so it sounds like her. She adds one line about the new stylist.

She hits send.

By Wednesday, the book is filling up.

Putting it off6months, and not one email sent.

Letting AI type10minutes, start to finish.

Same email. Same owner. The only difference is who did the typing.

Why it happens

Why it still doesn’t get written

“I don’t have time to write.”AI writes the first draft in ten seconds.

“It’ll sound like every other ad.”Tell it four things, and it won’t.

“The first draft wasn’t right.”Don’t start over. Tell it what to fix.

“I hate typing.”Don’t type. Talk.

It never gets tired, and it never gets offended.

Do this instead

AI writes the draft. You hit send.

A good ask has four parts: who you are, who it’s for, what you want them to do, and how it should sound. “I own an auto repair shop in Wichita. Write a short, friendly note from me to customers who haven’t been in for a year. Offer a free safety inspection before the end of the month. Under 100 words.” Four parts in, a usable draft out.

The job	What to ask for
The “we miss you” email	A short note to customers who haven’t been back, with an offer and a deadline.
The follow-up	A friendly check-in on a quote that went quiet.
The thank-you note	A few warm lines you’ll copy out by hand.
The review reply	A kind answer to a great review, or a calm one to a bad review.
The post	A before-and-after, a tip, a customer story, a slow-week offer.
The line	Twenty lines for your next pen, magnet or T-shirt.
The referral card	The words for “one for you, one for a friend.”
The plan	A 90-day marketing calendar, week by week.

You’re still the owner. Before anything goes out, read it out loud, cut a third, and add one real thing only you would know. Check every price, date and name. Never let AI make up reviews, quotes or results. AI writes the draft. You hit send.

Do this today

Cost: $0Time: 20 minutes

1
Pick the one thing you’ve been putting off because you “don’t have time to write it.”
2
Ask AI for a 90-day marketing calendar: one small thing a week, mostly free.
3
Put the first two weeks on your real calendar, like appointments.
4
Have AI draft week one. Read it out loud, make it sound like you, and send it.

The blank page doesn’t get to win anymore. AI does the typing. You do the sending.

Stolen from the masters · Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk grew up working in his family’s liquor store in New Jersey. In 2006, before most businesses took the internet seriously, he started a daily video show about wine. Just him, a table and a few bottles. His advice to small business owners is blunt: put out a lot more than you think you need to. And he has a phrase for how to do it without burning out:

“Document, don’t create.”

Don’t try to invent something clever. Share what you already do: the repair you finished, the customer you helped, the question somebody asked today. You tell AI what happened. It does the typing.

From the book