I Run a Business With AI (and No, It Hasn’t Replaced Me)

Michelle de Villiers
Aug 18, 2025
4 min read

I’m a Millennial founder with a calendar full of sales calls, proposals, emails, and “can-we-hop-on-a-quick-call?” requests. I use AI every day—for research, drafting comms and marketing, and especially for proposals. Honestly, I can’t imagine going back.

My before/after (aka why my Thursdays are mine again)

Here’s my real workflow:

I record the client meeting with an AI notetaker.
I drop the notes into ChatGPT, upload a couple of past proposals, and ask it to draft a new one tailored to the conversation.
I do one or two focused review rounds to tighten scope, language, and pricing.

Result: what used to take a day (or two) now takes about two hours—and I still ship a proposal I’m proud of. I do the same with emails and campaign copy: I decide what I want to say; AI helps me say it faster and cleaner. It’s not a replacement; it’s a power tool.

Does the research back this up?

Yes. Multiple studies find that AI support for knowledge work:

Cuts time on writing-heavy tasks by roughly 30–40% while improving quality.
Helps teams complete more tasks, faster, with higher-rated output when the tasks are within AI’s strengths.
Speeds up everyday office work—searching, summarising, catching up on meetings, and first-draft creation—often by double-digit percentages.

What are people using AI for most at work?

Across surveys, the top everyday use cases are:

Research (finding and organising information)
Editing written content (clarity, tone, grammar)
Drafting content (emails, proposals, reports)Add in meeting summaries, email triage/search, and first-draft decks and you’ve got a solid “weekday autopilot.”

How you can use AI today to boost effectiveness (beginner edition)

Sales — start here (5 easy prompts)

Turn notes into a tidy summary“Summarise these meeting notes for CRM. Include: problem, impact, budget (if mentioned), timeline, people involved, and next steps. Notes: [paste notes]”
First-draft proposal (fast)“Write a simple proposal for [Client] based on these notes. Sections: goals, what we’ll do, timeline, price (leave a placeholder if unsure), and next steps. Notes: [paste notes]”
Friendly follow-up email“Draft a polite follow-up email to [Name] recapping our call and confirming next steps. Keep it under 120 words and add one clear call to action.”
Quick objection replies“Give me three short replies to this objection: ‘[objection]’. Keep each answer to 2 sentences and end with a question to keep the conversation going.”
Personalised outreach (1st touch)“Write a short outreach email to [Job Title] at [Company] referencing this trigger: [news/post note]. 80–100 words, one benefit, one CTA.”

Management — start here (5 easy prompts)

Roll up the week“Turn these meeting notes into a weekly update. Include: decisions, owners, deadlines, risks, and 5 bullet ‘to-do’ items. Notes: [paste notes/transcripts]”
AI use policy (starter)“Draft a simple ‘AI at Work’ policy for a [size/industry] team. Include: what’s okay, what’s not, data/privacy basics, keep a human in the loop, and who to ask for help. Max 200 words, plain language.”
Goals → simple metrics“Convert these goals into three priorities with one metric each and what ‘good’ looks like. Goals: [paste goals]”
Meeting agenda that saves time“Create a 30-minute team agenda with timings, desired outcomes, and 3 questions to decide quickly. Topic: [topic].”
Project plan from a list“Turn this task list into a 2-week plan with owners and deadlines. Flag dependencies and risks in one line each. Tasks: [paste list]”

Intern — start here (5 easy prompts)

Explain it like I’m new“Explain [topic] in 150 words for a newcomer. Give 3 analogies and 3 pitfalls to avoid.”
Quick research brief“Create a one-page brief on [topic] with 3 credible sources, 3 key stats, and a short ‘what people disagree on’ section.”
Clean meeting notes“Turn these rough notes into clean minutes: decisions, owners, deadlines, and questions. Notes: [paste notes]”
Posts from a blog“Write 3 LinkedIn posts and 3 short social posts (X/Threads) from this article. Vary the angle (insight, stat, question). Article: [link or paste]”
Polite info request email“Draft a friendly email to [Name/Team] asking for [thing you need] by [date]. 90–110 words, clear subject line, and a thank-you.”

Marketing (solo business owner) — start here (5 easy prompts)

One-line value prop“Write one sentence that explains what [business] does for [ideal customer] and the main result they get. Offer: [product/service]. Tone: clear, human.”
30-day simple plan“Create a 30-day content plan for [goal e.g., leads/sales] using LinkedIn + email + one blog per week. Give weekly themes, 3 post ideas per week, and 1 simple CTA per piece.”
Landing page outline“Draft a landing page for [offer] aimed at [audience]. Sections: headline, sub-headline, 3 benefit bullets, social proof, what’s included, price/CTA, and FAQs (5). Keep it skimmable.”
Ad ideas to test“Give me 5 headline ideas and 5 primary texts for an ad about [offer] to [audience]. Keep each headline under 35 characters; each text under 90.”
Welcome email“Write a short welcome email for new subscribers who downloaded [lead magnet]. Include: quick win, what to expect next, and one CTA.”

Confidence boosters (when the answer isn’t right)

“Make it shorter/longer/friendlier/more formal.”
“Use South African English.”
“Give me two options.”
“Add bullet points.”
“Keep only the essentials in 100 words.”

Try one prompt today, tweak it once, and you’re off.

Conclusion

The world isn’t going to pause while we catch up. AI is already baked into how work gets done—and if you don’t start using and learning it now, you’ll feel the gap fast. This isn’t about replacing you; it’s about removing the drag so your judgment and creativity show up sooner.

Start small: pick one workflow (proposal, email, meeting notes), copy one of the beginner prompts, and give yourself 20 minutes. Measure the time you save this week. Do it again next week. The people who build these habits today won’t just keep up—they’ll set the pace.