Welcome to the Launch of our brand new AI Company, Smarter Living!
Each week, we send over 3000+ readers an AI tool or tip to solve problems in your day to day life.
What's Inside:
The Problem: Why 53% of executives hide their AI use
The Data: What separates the 5% who succeed from everyone else
The Fix: 3 prompts that work in under 5 minutes
The System: How to organize your AI chaos
Your competitor caught a customer complaint on Reddit at 2am. By breakfast, they'd offered a solution. You woke up to a cancellation email worth $50K annually.
This actually happened. We found the confession on r/smallbusiness with 2,100 upvotes. The CEO now "religiously checks Reddit, industry forums, and review sites daily."
That's exhausting. And it's exactly what AI monitoring tools were built to replace..
After analyzing hundreds of CEO confessions across forums, LinkedIn, and Reddit, we found something interesting: 53% of executives hide their AI use from colleagues. They delete the ChatGPT tab before screen-sharing. Clear the browser history. Mute themselves to test prompts before unmuting.
They're not bad at AI. They're just embarrassed to admit they're still learning.
An executive at a company ranked as the top AI firm in America still hasn't upgraded to ChatGPT Plus. The $20/month is apparently too much commitment. A friend at one of the world's biggest consulting firms texted me in September 2025 after his first AI workshop: "This is going to change everything I do." This person advises Fortune 500s on AI strategy.
If they're still figuring it out, you're not behind.
Last month, an executive asked where to download ChatGPT for her laptop. She didn't know there was a website (she thought it was just an app on her phone.) Another asked for a "cheat sheet" of redirect phrases to use when AI comes up in meetings.
"Let's circle back to how this scales across our departments" buys you 60 seconds. "Walk me through the timeline" sounds thoughtful while you Google "latest OpenAI models" under the table.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Here's what we know:
95% of AI projects in large companies fail
The average CEO works 62.5 hours weekly
At $600/hour, that's nearly $1 million in annual capacity
61% of that time could be automated (38 hours per week)
AI-powered campaigns deliver 439% higher conversion rates
Companies that get it right see $16.7 million average annual impact
You're not losing money. You're losing opportunities while you're stuck in your inbox.
Tired of hunting through 47 scattered ChatGPT conversations to find that perfect prompt from last month? Smarter Solutions gives you organized, ready-to-use AI tools built specifically for executives who are done pretending and ready to work smarter.
Three Prompts That Change Everything
You don't need a strategy yet. You need to see what AI can actually do for your specific job. These three prompts create that realization:
1. Draft the Tough Email (30 minutes → 2 minutes)
Instructions:
Copy the prompt below
Fill in the brackets
Paste into ChatGPT
Hit enter
Read once, adjust sign-off, send
What you get: A diplomatic email that preserves relationships while delivering tough news
You are drafting a sensitive business email on behalf of a CEO.
SITUATION:
We need to reduce our order volume with [Vendor Name] by 15% next quarter due to rising commodity costs. They've been our vendor for [X years]. We want to preserve the relationship.
YOUR TASK:
Write a concise email (5-7 sentences max) that:
TONE REQUIREMENTS:
- Direct but warm (don't bury the news in corporate speak)
- Acknowledges the partnership value
- Frames this as temporary, not permanent
- Leaves door open for future increases
STRUCTURE:
1. Open with appreciation (1 sentence)
2. State the reality clearly (1-2 sentences)
3. Propose the path forward (1-2 sentences)
4. Close with commitment to partnership (1 sentence)
AVOID:
- Over-apologizing ("we're so sorry, we feel terrible...")
- Vague language ("challenging times," "difficult decisions")
- Making promises you can't keep
CONTEXT TO INCLUDE:
- Vendor name: [Insert vendor name]
- Years of partnership: [Insert number]
- Specific reason (if you want to share): [Optional - e.g., "steel costs up 23%"]
- Re-evaluation timeline: [Default: 6 months, or specify]This replaces writer's block, four drafts, and that awkward feeling when you hit send.
2. Catch Complaints Before They Cancel (5-minute setup)
Step 1: Get Keywords (2 minutes)
Copy the prompt
Add your competitors' names
ChatGPT gives you 5 monitoring phrases
Step 2: Set Alerts (3 minutes)
Go to Google Alerts (free)
Enter each phrase
Choose "as-it-happens" delivery
Optional Step 3: Monitor Reddit
Use F5Bot.com
Same keywords
Instant Reddit alerts
You are a competitive intelligence analyst specializing in early warning systems.
THE PROBLEM I'M SOLVING:
Customers complain online before they cancel. Competitors monitor these complaints and poach unhappy customers. I need to catch these conversations early.
YOUR TASK:
Generate 5 highly specific keyword phrases I can use in Google Alerts or Reddit monitoring tools to catch:
- Customer complaints about my competitors
- Product failures or service issues
- Pricing frustrations
- "Switching away from [Competitor]" discussions
REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH KEYWORD:
- Specific enough to avoid noise (not just "Company A problems")
- Natural language people actually use when complaining
- Includes competitor name + pain point indicator
- Works on Reddit, industry forums, and review sites
FORMAT YOUR OUTPUT LIKE THIS:
**Keyword 1:** "[exact phrase]"
*Why this works:* [1 sentence explaining what conversations this catches]
INFORMATION NEEDED:
**Competitors:**
1. [Company A] - [Their main product if known]
2. [Company B] - [Their main product if known]
3. [Company C] - [Their main product if known]
**Our industry:** [Your industry - e.g., "SaaS project management" or "commercial HVAC"]
**Optional - Our advantage over them:** [What we do better - helps generate better keywords]You'll know about customer complaints before they become cancellations.
3. Build Real AI Skills in 21 Days
Setup (2 minutes):
Copy the prompt
Be specific about what you don't know
ChatGPT creates your daily plan
Block 1 hour daily in your calendar right now
You get:
21 one-hour lessons using your actual work
Daily proof of progress
No theory, just practice
You are an executive coach creating a personalized AI crash course for a CEO.
CLIENT PROFILE:
- 20 years experience in [Your Industry]
- Works 60+ hour weeks
- Needs practical wins, not theory
- Learning time: 1 hour/day maximum (usually early morning or late evening)
KNOWLEDGE GAPS TO CLOSE:
1. [Gap 1 - e.g., "What ChatGPT can actually do for my specific role"]
2. [Gap 2 - e.g., "Writing prompts that don't suck"]
3. [Gap 3 - e.g., "Knowing if an AI vendor is bullshitting me"]
YOUR TASK:
Create a 3-week learning plan (21 days total, 1 hour each day).
STRUCTURE EACH WEEK LIKE THIS:
**WEEK [X]: [Gap Being Closed]**
**The Goal:** [One specific capability they'll have by Friday]
**Monday-Friday Daily Format:**
- **Day X: [Specific skill]**
- Read/Watch: [One specific resource with link or search term]
- Try This: [One hands-on action item they do with their actual work]
- Success Check: [How they know it worked - specific evidence]
**Weekend Reality Check:**
[One question they should be able to answer confidently by end of week]
CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Every "Try This" must use THEIR actual work (not generic examples)
- Resources must be under 20 minutes (these are busy people)
- "Success Checks" must be concrete ("I saved 30 minutes" not "I understand better")
- No coursework, no certifications, no "foundations"
- Include at least 3 "holy shit" moments where they realize AI can do something they didn't know
START THE PLAN:Three weeks from now, you'll be quietly competent instead of quietly confused.
The Smarter Way: Your Executive AI Assistant
After a month of using these prompts, you'll have a new problem. That perfect prompt from last week? Buried in conversation #47. Every task starts from scratch. Your ChatGPT history looks like a digital junk drawer.
Some executives organize everything with custom GPTs. All their prompts in one place. Categorized by function. Industry examples built in. No more hunting through old conversations.
The three prompts above work great on their own. But if you want the complete system with 25+ executive prompts organized and ready to use, check out our Executive AI Assistant. Part of the Smarter Solutions toolkit.
Time to Choose
53% of executives are hiding their AI use right now. The consultants teaching AI transformation? They just started learning in October 2025. Half the "AI-native" companies haven't even upgraded to paid ChatGPT.
Everyone's figuring this out together. Some people are just doing it instead of waiting.
AI was novel in 2023. Smart in 2024. Today it's table stakes. By next year, not using AI will be like not having email.
The companies seeing $16.7 million in gains? They started with simple prompts like the ones above. Not with grand strategies. Not with consultants. Just by trying something today.
Those three prompts are sitting right there.
See you next Tuesday.
~ Ryan & Max
PS - Share this with one other leader who needs to stop hiding their ChatGPT tab. They'll thank you.