I put AI on everything. A month's work, down the pan.
The AI wasn't the problem. It knew nothing about my business.
I know what it feels like to go all in on AI and end up with nothing to show for it.
If you've tried ChatGPT and got something generic, or you've explained your business to it for the fifth time this week, this one's for you.
I went all in
I run a compliance business. When I moved from chatting with AI to automating with it, I didn't start small. I built an AI worker for every task and automations for everything, all switched on at once.
It fell over at the first hurdle. Too much, too soon.
But that wasn't the bigger problem.
Every chat started from zero
Ten years of technical knowledge lived in my head. (I know, how old-fashioned.) My workers had none of it.
So every chat started from zero. I explained the same things again and again. It only got better one correction at a time. It was slow and painful, and that is where the month went.
The AI wasn't the problem. It knew nothing about my business.
You may know the feeling. You paste some context into a chat and the answer gets a bit better. Then you open a new chat and you're explaining your business all over again. As one owner put it: "It takes longer for me to tell AI what to draft, and then check it, than to just draft it myself."
So I wrote my business down. Once.
I started again, business first this time. I took everything out of my head, and it went into two places.
How I work. My technical know-how, my processes and the way each job gets done. That became my Knowledge Vault.
How I sound and who I sell to. Who buys from me and why, my voice (yes, I really am this dry) and my offers. That became my Brand Brain.
They do different jobs, so I keep them apart. Your Brand Brain knows how you sound. A Knowledge Vault knows how you work.
It took longer than I expected. But you only do it once. After that, every worker reads it first, and nothing starts from zero again.
Then, and only then, the AI
I rebuilt one job at a time, starting with the documentation for my compliance work. Today one worker drafts it from my know-how, a second worker checks it, and they go round until it meets the bar. Then it waits for me. I sign it off, and the workers learn from what I change.
If I'm honest, it was the single biggest thing that I could have done to help my business not only become faster, but more accurate.
What it looks like for you
It doesn't feel like technology. It feels like staff who were properly briefed.
You message your team in the morning. The Website and back office desk says two enquiries came in overnight, and both replies are drafted in your voice, with your prices. The Content desk says this week's article is ready. Nothing goes out until you say yes.
Your first job: write it down
You don't need a single AI tool for this part. You need a notepad and an hour.
- Write down the three questions customers ask you most, and how you answer them.
- Write down why your best customers picked you, in their words. Your reviews and old emails are a good place to look.
- Write down one job you know inside out, step by step, the way you'd explain it to a new starter.
- Note your prices and the rules you use without thinking. "Rush job, add this." "Over this size, quote per metre."
That's the start of your Brand Brain (points 1, 2 and 4) and your know-how (point 3).
What to hand over, what to keep, how to check it
Hand over the writing up. Getting it out of your head is the slow part. In a Digital Home, that starts with Foundations. I interview you and write your Brand Brain from that and from real customer research, in plain files you own. If your business runs on know-how, a Knowledge Vault holds that side.
Keep the last word. You know what's true. You read it, correct it, and it only counts once you've said it sounds like you. The same goes for every piece of work afterwards. Nothing goes out without your yes.
Check it with a fresh chat. Open a new chat, give it what you wrote down, and ask it a question a customer asked you last week. If the answer sounds like you, with your facts, it works. If you find yourself explaining again, something is still in your head. Write that down too.
Where to start
Don't start where I did, with AI on everything before it knew a thing about my business.
Start with a free Faff Check. It's a 20-minute call about where your week goes. Tell me about last Tuesday. If AI won't help, I'll say so.
How it's built and what it costs: The Digital Home. For know-how-heavy businesses: Knowledge Vault.
Frequently asked questions
Why does AI keep giving me generic answers?
Because it doesn't know your business: your prices, your voice, your customers or how you do the work. Better prompts help a little, but you're still starting from zero in every chat. Write it down once and every worker reads it first.
What's the difference between a Brand Brain and a Knowledge Vault?
Your Brand Brain knows how you sound: who buys from you and why, your voice and your offers. A Knowledge Vault knows how you work: your know-how, processes and the steps behind each job.
Will it send things to my customers on its own?
No. Nothing goes out without your yes. Automatic replies, like the first answer to an enquiry, are templates you approve before they switch on.
I've already got a website. Do I have to start again?
You can keep it. Foundations gives you one enquiry form that works on any website, so every enquiry lands in your back office. I'd recommend a rebuild from your Brand Brain, though, so the site speaks in your voice.
