Use AI to Design a Business You’ll Never Want to Pivot Away From
A detailed prompt to design your product ladder, brand ecosystem, and long-term vision — all based on what makes you uniquely valuable
You know what’s worse than not starting a business?
Starting one that you hate three months in.
You went all in. Bought the domain. Wrote the emails. Maybe even launched something.
And then — crickets.
Or worse, you start getting traction… and realize you built yourself a content prison: you have to keep pretending you’re a productivity guru, even though you’re dying to talk about creativity, philosophy, or a weird obsession with Stoic memes and spaghetti code.
This happens all the time.
Why?
Because most creators build their business backwards.
They start with tactics. Offers. Products. Hooks.
Instead of asking: What kind of business do I actually want to wake up to every day?
And if you’re reading this, I’ll bet you want more than just money. You want a business that feels aligned — with your creativity, your values, your story.
You want to monetize from your core values, your “Ikigai.”
Monetizing your writing feels like navigating a jungle blindfolded
Look, monetizing your content isn’t a new idea. But turning your writing into a real business is where most people freeze.
The internet makes it sound like you need to:
Nail your niche
Build a product suite
Design a funnel
Grow a list
Start a newsletter
Make lead magnets
Host webinars
Launch courses
Build a community
Learn SEO
Post on 3 platforms
And maybe sacrifice a goat under a full moon
No wonder most creators just… don’t.
So they keep posting. Building a following. Writing week after week with no real strategy. And then what?
They hit burnout. Or worse: they look successful from the outside, but inside are frustrated because nothing’s converting.
And when they finally do try to monetize, they get swallowed by a black hole of business advice:
“Do high-ticket coaching!”
“No, just build a low-ticket funnel!”
“Wait, make a $27 tripwire, upsell a mini-course, email daily...”
It’s overwhelming. Paralysis sets in. Or worse — you just copy what’s working for someone else and end up hating the thing you built.
You actually only need 3 things to start
Here’s the truth that no guru will tell you (because then they can’t sell you a $2,000 blueprint):
You don’t need to get it all right at the start.
Most creators think they need the whole business planned before they launch. But business is a living system — not a final exam. You don’t “pass” or “fail.” You iterate, grow.
In fact, when you're just starting out, you only need to nail down 3 core things:
What are you selling? (Your offer)
Who is it for? (Your audience)
How will they find it? (Your content strategy)
That’s it.
Everything else is optional complexity you can layer in later.
But even knowing that, most people still get stuck. Because figuring out those 3 things requires clear thinking, experimentation, and time!
Time is expensive. Mentors are expensive. Courses are expensive.
And your attention is the most expensive of them all.
So what’s the play here?
Use AI as your business thinking partner
That’s where AI comes in.
NOT as A shortcut, but as an intellectual sparring partner. A sort of second brain that stimulates the first.
It’s not a genie that you can ask “just tell me what to do.” It’s a clarity coach who helps you think faster, deeper, and more strategically.
Let’s walk through it.
Step 1: Define your ikigai (quickly)
Forget random niches. Start here.
If you haven’t already gone through my full guide on using AI to discover your Ikigai, that’s your first stop. I walk you through how to use AI not just for bullet-point brainstorming — but for deep conversational discovery that mirrors the way a coach would pull clarity out of you.
👉 Read it here: AI-Augmented Ikigai Brainstorming for Writers Who Want More Than Just Views.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll already have a sense of what drives you, where your unique value lies, and how your passions intersect with real market needs.
Step 2: Build your offer and product ladder
Now that you have your direction, ask AI to help you flesh out what you can sell — and how each piece can naturally lead into the next.
Before running this prompt, gather your complete Ikigai direction document (from the previous discovery exercise). This will include your values, core interests, key skills, market needs, and monetizable angles. The clearer the input, the better the output.
Then, go one step further: tell AI about your actual business constraints and resources. Things like:
How much time per week you can dedicate to building and running your business
What kind of audience you already have (email list, social following, etc.)
Whether you’ve collected any testimonials or case studies
Your current content capacity (e.g. can you write weekly? create video? teach live?)
Here’s a sneak peak of the final prompt:

You will then have a long, in-depth conversation with AI. It’ll prompt you on important questions, gather your answers, and suggest better paths or ways of thinking.
At the end of it all, it’ll give you a modular business structure.
Not someone else’s funnel. Yours. One that reflects your actual strengths and values.
Now you have a real path to monetization. You know what you're building toward, and can shape your content accordingly.
Step 3: Map your brand ecosystem
You’ve got the ideas. You’ve got the offers. But how do people discover your work? How do you keep them coming back?
This is where your ecosystem comes in: your newsletter, your content channels, your lead magnets, your flagship idea.
Ask AI to help map it out:

ATTENTION: A necessary mindfulness check
Before you go too far down the AI rabbit hole, pause for a second. Breathe. Check back in with yourself.
Just because AI gave you an idea doesn't mean it's your idea.
Here are a few gut-check questions to make sure you're still building something that's aligned with your real values — not just chasing clever prompts:
Does this business direction excite you or just sound impressive?
If no one clapped, would you still want to create it?
Does this model leave room for the kind of life you actually want?
Are you choosing based on your strengths, interests, or desires, or what you think the algorithm will reward?
Do your offers reflect what you really want to help people with?
If you’re feeling even 5% off, take a beat. Think deeply about things, then adjust, regroup. This is your business — not your AI’s.
A business you don’t want to quit
This isn’t about letting AI “build your business for you.”
It’s finally thinking clearly enough to build the business you actually want.
The one that grows with you, not against you.
The one that fits your weird mix of skills, stories, and obsessions.
The one you don’t pivot away from every 3 months because it never felt right in the first place.
Just remember — AI should be used to stimulate, enhance, and organize your thinking. Not replace it. That’s how you maintain your humanity.
The mindfulness check above is a great way to stay grounded. But even now, as you wrap up this session, ask yourself: Am I still building something true to me? Or just following whatever sounds smart?
So go open ChatGPT. Plug in the prompts, and start sketching. Your aligned business is only a few questions away.
PS. Your business profile is one piece of the puzzle for your hypercustomized writing assistant. With this prompt, you’re one step closer to creating a powerful writing assistant that thinks and writes like you. I talk about that in my ebook, Authentic AI.
I launched it last Monday, July 7, and is currently 50% off.
Wonderful, helpful, grounded advice for creatives who want to keep their soul and their flow alive while being successful at building their business! “Maybe sacrifice a goat under a full moon” sent me—the sentiment is too relatable! 😂