Five founders share the AI prompts that actually work

Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek are only becoming more prevalent in the workplace.

But getting the most out of those artificial intelligence tools requires the right know-how and prompting skills.

SmartCompany asked local founders which prompts they use to extract maximum value from their preferred AI chat tool.

Aamir Qutub, CEO and founder, Enterprise Monkey:

You are an expert marketing strategist with deep experience in Australian menswear e-commerce. In a moment, I’ll ask you to create a marketing plan for my business. Before you do that, interview me to understand my organisation, my goals, and the context you need to get it right.

A little pre-prompting can go a long way, says Aamir Qutub, founder and CEO of web and app development company Enterprise Monkey.

Smarter business news. Straight to your inbox.

For startup founders, small businesses and leaders. Build sharper instincts and better strategy by learning from Australia’s smartest business minds. Sign up for free.

By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Asking an LLM to assume a specialist persona before giving it further information “completely changed my prompting game,” said Qutub.

The self-professed AI enthusiast said simple questions, like “give me a marketing plan for a fashion e-commerce business”, produce useful but generic responses.

“Now, I always give the AI a role, explain my situation, and ask it to interview me before it responds,” he said.

Janhvi Sirohi, CEO and co-founder, Outread:

Sample your internal thoughts with diverse verbalised rationales.

Asking AI tools to show their working can lead to higher-quality responses, according to Janvhi Sirohi, CEO of Outread, which itself uses AI technology to summarise academic papers.

Sirohi pointed to recent research on ‘mode collapse’, a phenomenon where LLMs may learn to produce a particularly compelling output to a given prompt, over and over again, to the detriment of other useful responses.

Asking LLMs to produce a list of responses to a given prompt, and the probability of returning each specific response, may help LLMs avoid ‘mode collapse’.

Put simply, this means adding a phrase like “Sample your internal thoughts with diverse verbalised rationales” to ordinary prompts can expose where LLMs may be taking shortcuts.

“We’ve found it useful across different tasks — analysing earnings calls, market analysis, risk assessments, and more,” she said.

Sabri Suby, founder, King Kong:

Act as my Chief Strategy Officer. Challenge my assumptions and stress test this
plan. What am I missing?

Sabri Suby, founder of digital marketing agency King Kong, says successful AI users don’t treat LLMs as simple answer machines.

“Most people write prompts like they’re ordering a sandwich,” he said.

“The founders who win are the ones who use AI as a thinking partner, not a vending machine.”

Suby uses this prompt alongside lengthy voice notes, giving the LLM the information it needs to critique any proposed course of action.

Shivani Gopal, CEO and founder, Elladex:

What are the real jobs to be done for this customer? Are we genuinely solving their most important problems?

Describing a clear customer archetype can help LLMs generate useful feedback, according to Shivani Gopal, CEO of digital mentor marketplace Elladex.

Once the AI tool has a solid handle on those archetypes, and common problems and complaints, it can reflect on what could be done better.

And just like Suby, Gopal said AI tools can highlight areas for improvement:

Based on my strategic plan and what I’ve shared about the business this year, where have my blind spots been? Where have I executed well, and where have I fallen short?

With the right prompting, LLMs can produce “a real year-in-review, not a highlight reel,” said Gopal.

Follow-up prompts and additional context can help those tools produce even more detailed responses.

Phoebe Netto, founder and managing director, Pure Public Relations:

You are a sceptical buyer. List every objection, hesitation or silent concern you would have about this offer — including the ones people are unlikely to say out loud.

Phoebe Netto, founder of Pure Public Relations, agrees that AI tools can provide frank and firm advice to those who need it.

More specifically, she says users should “ask AI to destroy you”.

“AI is an excellent facilitator for this kind of thinking because it has no ego, no attachment to ‘how things have always been done’, and no incentive to protect your feelings,” she said.

She recommends using LLMs as a hard-hitting sparring partner, instead of a tool to polish rough drafts or provide sycophantic support.

“If you only ask AI to support your ideas, you’ll reinforce your blind spots,” she said.

“If you ask it to challenge you, you’ll build stronger strategies, sharper messaging, and more resilient businesses.”

Source

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today