The small business owner’s guide to ChatGPT (no tech skills required)

You’ve probably tried ChatGPT. You asked it something, got an answer, thought “that’s clever”, and then never used it again. Sound about right?

That’s because most people use ChatGPT like a search engine. They type a vague question and get a vague answer. But ChatGPT isn’t a search engine - it’s a writing assistant, a brainstorming partner, and an admin tool rolled into one. You just need to know how to talk to it.

First things first: set up Custom Instructions

This is the single most important thing you can do, and 90% of people skip it. Custom Instructions tell ChatGPT who you are and how you want it to respond. Without them, it’s guessing.

How to do it:

1. Open ChatGPT, click your profile icon, then “Customise ChatGPT”
2. In the first box (“What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?”), write something like:

“I run a small estate agency in Manchester with 3 staff. I handle sales, marketing, and client relationships. I’m not technical. I want practical, actionable advice - no jargon. British English always. My clients are homeowners looking to sell and landlords managing rental properties.”

3. In the second box (“How would you like ChatGPT to respond?”), write something like:

“Keep responses concise and practical. Use plain English. Give me specific steps I can follow, not theory. If I ask for an email or document, match my professional but friendly tone. Don’t use American spellings.”

Now every conversation starts with ChatGPT already understanding your context. The difference in quality is enormous.

The 5 tasks every business owner should use ChatGPT for

1. Email drafting

Instead of staring at a blank screen, paste the context and let ChatGPT write the first draft:

“Write a follow-up email to a client who viewed a property yesterday. They liked the garden but were worried about the kitchen size. Professional but warm tone.”

You’ll get a polished email in 10 seconds that would have taken you 10 minutes. Tweak it, personalise it, send it.

2. Meeting preparation

Before a client meeting, give ChatGPT the context and ask it to help you prepare:

“I’m meeting a landlord who owns 4 rental properties in South Manchester. They’re unhappy with their current agent’s communication. Help me prepare talking points for winning their business.”

You’ll get a structured list of talking points, potential objections, and suggested questions to ask. In 30 seconds.

3. Content creation

Blog posts, social media captions, newsletter content, property descriptions - ChatGPT handles all of these. The key is being specific about what you want:

“Write 5 Instagram captions for an estate agent. Mix of: just-listed property, market update, tip for first-time buyers, behind-the-scenes, and a sold celebration. Friendly, professional tone. Include hashtags.”

4. Document templates

Proposals, contracts, onboarding guides, FAQ pages - tell ChatGPT what you need and it’ll create a first draft you can refine:

“Create a client onboarding checklist for new landlords joining our property management service. Include everything they need to provide and the steps we take in the first 30 days.”

5. Problem solving and brainstorming

This is where ChatGPT is genuinely underrated. Use it as a thinking partner:

“I’m losing deals to online-only agents who charge lower fees. I have 3 staff and cover central Manchester. What are 10 ways I can differentiate my service to justify higher fees?”

You won’t use all 10 ideas. But 2 or 3 of them will be genuinely useful, and they’ll arrive in 15 seconds instead of rattling around your head for a week.

Common mistakes to avoid

Being too vague. “Help me with marketing” gives you generic advice. “Write 3 Facebook ad headlines for a Manchester estate agent targeting first-time buyers aged 25–35” gives you something useful.

Not giving context. ChatGPT doesn’t know your business unless you tell it. The more context you provide, the better the output. Paste in your website copy, your previous emails, your competitor’s messaging - whatever helps.

Using it once and giving up. The first output isn’t always perfect. Say “make it shorter”, “make it more friendly”, “add a specific example about [X]”. Treat it like a conversation, not a one-shot tool.

Trusting it blindly. ChatGPT makes things up sometimes, especially with facts and figures. Always check the output, especially for anything that goes to clients. Use it for drafting, not for final copy without review.

Free vs. Plus: which do you need?

The free version is fine for getting started. It’s slower, has usage limits, and uses an older model, but it’ll still save you hours.

Plus (£20/month) gets you the latest model (faster, smarter), no usage limits during peak times, and access to features like image generation and file uploads. If you’re using ChatGPT more than a few times a week, Plus pays for itself in the time you save.

Start free. Upgrade when you notice yourself hitting the limits.