AI guy is now Boring Business AI. Why?

Hi TechOptimists,

We started by sharing the latest AI news and breakthroughs, but we quickly realized there was a huge gap between the hype and reality. The real question isn't what's cutting-edge—it's what actually works in practice.

That's why we're shifting our focus from "The AI Guy" to "Boring Business AI."

We hope you'll join us on this journey to explore how AI becomes truly accessible when applied to everyday challenges.

Here's what we've discovered: the real AI revolution isn't happening in Silicon Valley boardrooms or splashy product launches. It's happening in ordinary businesses automating ordinary tasks…the unglamorous work that actually keeps companies running.

Customer follow-ups. Inventory management. Invoice processing. Optimized service scheduling. Quote to cash…

That's where the actual ROI lives.

And here's what's exciting…

While everyone else chases AI hype, we're not just sharing ideas here but also building a community focused on real business owners sharing actual use cases and step-by-step playbooks.

Our team combines SMB experience with technical AI skills, but more importantly, we’re tapping business owners and documenting their real world use cases to uncover AI that’s actually driving results.

If you want to actually use AI instead of just reading about it, this newsletter and community is for you. We're keeping it free for a limited time while we build something genuinely useful.

Come steal what's working, share your wins, and help us document the real AI advantage—the boring one that's making businesses money.

Today in 5 minutes or less:

✔️ How a dad created a custom children's book to solve his toddler's soccer resistance

✔️ Which AI models you should actually be using (and when) for 10x productivity

✔️ The "voice transformation" hack that turns any written content into professional audio

They Made a Custom Children's Book in 45 Seconds (No Coding Required)

We are still shocked at what people AREN'T doing with these tools...

This recent image generation model from ChatGPT and then Google’s Veo/Flow release is a huge change. Like, game-changing huge. I watched someone create a custom children's book for their 2-year-old in literally 45 seconds.

Not 45 minutes. Not 45 hours of design work. 45 SECONDS.

While that’s exciting for families, this easily translates to business use cases.

Meanwhile, most businesses are still manually creating content like it's 2010.

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"But my son doesn't want to play soccer..."

Ever had that moment when your kid just won't participate in something you know they'd enjoy?

We were talking with Richard in Las Vegas who took his 2-year-old to soccer practice.

The kid absolutely refused to participate. Wouldn't even try.

Classic toddler stubbornness.

But the kid was obsessed with Clifford the Big Red Dog — watches the show, reads the books, the whole deal.

So Richard had this brilliant idea. He pulled up Google's AI Studio (note: not Gemini directly, but their experimental image generation model in AI Studio—also check out video creation tool, Flow, in Google labs), and typed in a prompt for a story about a red dog who initially doesn't want to participate in soccer practice but discovers he really likes it.

In 45 seconds, he had an 8-page children's book with illustrations that looked remarkably similar to the Clifford style (without copyright issues since he called the character "Ifford").

The story showed the dog hesitant at first, watching the ball roll by, then eventually trying to kick it, and discovering he loved it.

Richard hasn't given it to his son yet — ironically, the hardest part is downloading and printing the images, not creating them. But he's confident it'll work because "he's not picky about the quality of illustrations, and he's just going to eat it up."

This isn't some Silicon Valley tech wizard. This is just a dad who found a creative way to solve a parenting challenge using AI.

Why This Matters for Your Business (Beyond Children's Books)

Think about what Richard actually did from a business perspective:

1. Identified a specific resistance point (his son's soccer reluctance)

2. Understood his audience's emotional triggers (obsession with Clifford)

3. Created personalized content that bridged the gap between problem and solution

4. Used visual storytelling to make the message more compelling

Now imagine applying this to your business challenges:

• Client onboarding resistance? Create a custom visual guide featuring scenarios specific to their industry

• Product adoption struggles? Generate personalized success stories showing customers like them achieving results

• Sales objections? Develop visual case studies addressing their exact concerns

Check out the full story here:

Deep Dive: The Complete SMB AI Visual Toolkit

Let's break down three specific AI techniques that can transform your business today — not in some hypothetical future:

1) Custom Content Generation with Visual AI

The children's book example above is just the tip of the iceberg. Think about what this means for your business:

• Sales teams can create custom visual proposals for each prospect

• Marketing can generate custom visuals for different audience segments

• Customer success can create personalized how-to guides

Here's exactly how to do it:

1. Go to Google AI Studio (not regular Gemini)

2. Use their image generation experimental model

3. Structure your prompt like: "Generate a story about [subject] who [problem/situation] but [resolution]. One sentence per frame. Story should be about 8 pages long."

4. Run it and watch as it generates both text and matching visuals

5. Bonus: Bring it to life with the Google’s latest release this week VEO 2 in ”Flow Google” and stitch together an AI film but careful, rate limits hit faster than a cheetah pouncing.

The applications go far beyond children's books. Imagine creating custom visual explanations of your complex product features, personalized welcome guides, or even quick marketing materials without a designer.

What makes this particularly powerful is the emotional connection. The dad in our example isn't just creating generic content — he's creating something perfectly targeted to his son's specific interests and challenges.

2) Google Veo 2 + Flow: From Static to Dynamic

What it does: Transforms static images into professional video content.

Business applications:

• Product demos: Turn product photos into engaging demonstration videos

• Testimonial content: Create animated customer success stories

• Explainer videos: Convert complex processes into visual narratives

• Social media ads: Generate eye-catching video content for paid campaigns

Pro tip: Start with ChatGPT image generation, then use Veo to bring your visuals to life. This combination gives you complete control over your brand's visual story.

3) Voice Transformation: From Text to Professional Audio

Richard also demonstrated another AI product his company makes — a text-to-speech model that brings natural, customizable voices to any content.

The practical applications here are massive:

• Turn your blog posts into podcast episodes

• Create professional voiceovers for videos

• Build phone systems that sound human and natural

• Enable accessibility options for your content

But here's where it gets really interesting... He's not just using the technology as designed. He's hacking it together with Claude to create something even more valuable:

1. He has Claude generate a fun intro explaining why he's "not on the podcast today"

2. The AI reads his blog post in a voice that matches the content's tone

3. He has Claude generate a critical analysis of his own writing to conclude the episode

This creates a much more engaging audio experience than just a robotic reading of text. It's like having a mini-podcast production team built entirely from AI.

The takeaway? Combine AI tools in creative ways to get results none of them could achieve individually.

BONUS: Strategic Implementation: Which AI Model When?

Here's something almost nobody understands: different AI models are designed for fundamentally different types of thinking.

Richard explained the difference between OpenAI's standard models (like GPT-4o) and their reasoning models (like o1 and o3-mini):

• Standard models are great for creative writing, summarization, and general information

• Reasoning models excel at step-by-step problem solving, coding, and analytical tasks

He demonstrated this with a fascinating example. When asked "When was the last US presidential election not in a leap year?" the standard model struggled, while the reasoning model correctly arrived at 1900 by working through the leap year rules step-by-step.

This distinction is crucial for your business. Here's when to use each:

Use standard models for:

• Marketing copy and creative content

• Summarizing documents or meetings

• General research and information gathering

• Customer service responses

Use reasoning models for:

• Financial analysis and forecasting

• Technical troubleshooting

• Coding and development tasks

• Complex decision-making with multiple variables

Most businesses we consult with are using the wrong model for their specific tasks, dramatically reducing their effectiveness. This simple switch can yield immediate improvements in your results.

🧠

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Boring Business AI Poll

Liz’s Corner:

The Small Business Owner's Guide to Getting 10x Better AI Results

_{(Without Being a Prompt Engineer)}

After helping 50+ small businesses implement AI workflows, I've noticed the same pattern: most entrepreneurs are getting mediocre results from AI because they're asking the wrong questions in the wrong way.

Here's what's really happening: You read about someone creating a custom children's book in 45 seconds (like Richard's story in the main article), try it yourself, and get generic garbage. The difference isn't luck or some secret AI tool—it's understanding how to have the right conversation with AI.

The difference between "meh" AI outputs and game-changing results isn't the tool you're using—it's how you're talking to it. And more importantly, it's knowing when to combine different AI approaches for exponentially better results.

The 3 Prompt Mistakes Costing You Money

Mistake #1: The Vague Ask ❌ Bad: "Write me some marketing copy"
✅ Good: "Write a 150-word email subject line and preview text for my furniture restoration service targeting homeowners aged 35-55 who care about sustainability. Focus on transforming worn furniture into family heirlooms."

Mistake #2: No Context Setting ❌ Bad: "Create a social media post about my business"
✅ Good: "You're a social media manager for a local bakery that specializes in gluten-free options. Our audience is health-conscious parents. Create an Instagram post announcing our new Wednesday kids' decorating classes."

Mistake #3: Single-Shot Prompting ❌ Bad: Expecting perfect results on the first try
✅ Good: "Give me 3 different versions, then I'll tell you which direction to refine"

The SPARK Framework (That Actually Works)

After testing hundreds of prompts across different businesses, I developed this framework that consistently delivers better results:

S - Specific Role: Tell the AI exactly who it should be
P - Purpose: Define the exact outcome you want
A - Audience: Describe who will consume this output
R - Requirements: Set constraints (length, tone, format)
K - Knowledge: Provide relevant context and examples

SPARK in Action: Real Business Example

Let's say you need product descriptions for your online store:

S: "You're an expert copywriter specializing in e-commerce product descriptions"
P: "Write a product description that converts browsers into buyers"
A: "Target customers are busy professionals who value quality and convenience"
R: "Keep it under 100 words, conversational tone, include 3 key benefits"
K: "This is a premium coffee grinder, stainless steel, quiet motor, $299 price point"

Result: Focused, compelling copy that speaks directly to your customer's needs instead of generic product features.

The AI Conversation Hack

Here's the secret most people miss: AI works better as a conversation, not a one-and-done request.

Step 1: Start with your SPARK prompt
Step 2: Review the output and say "That's good, but make it more [specific improvement]"
Step 3: Keep refining until it's exactly what you need

Real Example:

• First attempt: Generic business proposal

• After "Make it more specific to a restaurant client": Better, but still broad

• After "Focus on reducing food waste and increasing profit margins": Perfect, actionable proposal

This conversational approach is exactly what Richard demonstrated in the main article when he created that children's book. He didn't get a perfect story on the first try—he refined the prompt until it matched his son's specific interests and situation.

The Multi-AI Strategy (That Most Business Owners Miss)

Here's where things get interesting. The businesses getting the most dramatic results aren't using just one AI tool—they're orchestrating multiple AI systems together.

The Power Combo Approach:

1. Use a reasoning model (like o1 or o3-mini) for the strategy

   • "Analyze my customer complaints and identify the top 3 operational improvements"

   • "Break down this complex pricing decision into decision factors"

2. Use a creative model (like GPT-4o or Claude) for the execution

   • "Write customer service scripts addressing the operational issues identified"

   • "Create marketing copy that addresses the pricing concerns"

3. Use specialized tools for the final output

   • Image generation for visuals

   • Voice synthesis for audio content

   • Automation platforms for delivery

Real Business Example: A client wanted to improve their customer onboarding process:

• Step 1 (Reasoning AI): Analyzed 200 customer support tickets to identify where new customers got stuck

• Step 2 (Creative AI): Created personalized email sequences addressing each friction point

• Step 3 (Specialized AI): Generated custom welcome videos using text-to-speech for each customer segment

• Result: 40% reduction in support tickets and 25% increase in customer activation

Most business owners try to do everything with ChatGPT. That's like using a Swiss Army knife to build a house—it'll work, but you're missing enormous opportunities.

The Emotional Resonance Multiplier

Remember how Richard's children's book worked because it connected with his son's love of Clifford? That's not just good parenting—it's brilliant marketing psychology that you can apply to every piece of AI-generated content.

The 3-Layer Emotional Framework:

Layer 1: Surface Problem (What they say they want)

• "I need better product descriptions"

Layer 2: Deeper Need (What they actually want)

• "I want customers to feel confident buying from me"

Layer 3: Emotional Core (What drives the decision)

• "I want to build a business my family can be proud of"

SPARK Prompt Example Using All 3 Layers:

S: You're a customer psychology expert who understands family business values

P: Write product descriptions that make customers feel confident and proud of their purchase decisions

A: Target customers who care about supporting small businesses and want quality they can trust

R: 150 words max, warm and trustworthy tone, emphasize craftsmanship and family values

K: This is a handmade wooden toy business run by a father-daughter team, focusing on safety and imagination

This approach turns generic product descriptions into compelling stories that resonate at an emotional level—just like that children's book resonated with a 2-year-old's specific interests.

Thanks for reading! Stay AI-some!

^{Boring Business AI}

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