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The ceramicist behind Vines & Vessels, a small LA business making wall-hung vases, first used ChatGPT to price pieces from the time and materials that went into them. Later the artist shared longer-term goals and had it break each into steps, which they say gave them guidance when self-doubt crept in.
I make [PRODUCT] by hand. One piece takes about [HOURS] hours and [MATERIALS COST] in materials, and I'd like to pay myself [HOURLY RATE] an hour. Work out a price that covers costs and my time, show the maths, and suggest a sensible range. Then help me with this goal: [E.G. SELL ONLINE BY SPRING]. Break it into small, practical steps for the next [WEEKS] weeks.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Write down your real costs for one piece, including your time.
- Ask ChatGPT to show the pricing maths step by step so you can check it.
- Share one bigger goal and ask for a short, ordered list of next steps you can tick off.
More small business use cases
Spot your customers’ hidden problems in old emails with Claude
One business owner fed six months of client emails into Claude and asked it to find patterns. It surfaced three problems his clients were having that he hadn't noticed, and he built a solution for each.
Here are [NUMBER] months of customer emails with names and contact details removed: [PASTE OR UPLOAD]. Find the recurring questions, complaints and requests. Group them by theme, say how often each comes up with a short paraphrased example, and suggest one practical fix or new offer for each of the top three.
Plan an efficiency upgrade for a client as a tradesperson with ChatGPT
A one-person plumbing and installation business looking after a community pool spotted wasteful manual processes but had never used AI. He asked ChatGPT questions about the pool system and how to automate it, got a parts list and a plan, and with the previous installer made changes expected to save the pool thousands of euros. He now uses it several times a day for practical problems.
I'm a [TRADE] and one of my clients has [SYSTEM, E.G. A POOL PUMP AND HEATING SETUP] that is run manually: [DESCRIBE HOW IT WORKS NOW]. I think it wastes energy because [REASON]. Explain the options for improving or automating it, the parts I'd likely need, the rough costs and savings, and the questions I should check with the manufacturer or a specialist before proposing it to the client.
Brainstorm shop slogans and product descriptions with ChatGPT
A ZDNET writer set up a print-on-demand Etsy shop in under a week, using ChatGPT to brainstorm slogans, product names and descriptions that he then edited heavily. He's candid that sales were poor and ChatGPT didn't help with Etsy SEO.
Write 20 [TONE, E.G. WITTY] slogans for a shop called [SHOP NAME] that sells [PRODUCTS]. Then write a product description for [PRODUCT] covering [MATERIALS, SIZES, CARE] in a [STYLE] voice, under 150 words.
Reference: Worklife