When Pete Srodoski meets with a new executive coaching client these days, he can do more in-depth work more quickly, thanks to ChatGPT.
Srodoski, who founded the coaching firm Roll With the Punches in 2021, used to spend hours with clients discussing what should be included in strategic documents. Now, he uses ChatGPT to draft those documents alongside his clients in about 10 minutes.
With AI handling the initial framework, Srodoski and his clients can jump right into fine-tuning strategic plans and key job descriptions.
“That allows us to go deeper, go further, actually take those plans and make actionable items,” he tells Business Insider.
Srodoski is one of three solopreneurs who spoke with Business Insider about how they’re using AI to streamline mundane decision-making — like writing initial drafts, formatting emails, or editing social media posts. The time and mental energy saved allows them to focus on the most critical decisions for their businesses and their clients, they say.
“We want to make the most impact for our time,” Srodoski says — and AI can help.
Increased output and more family dinners
Georgia Fort, founder of Stories by Georgia Fort, is an independent journalist in Minnesota who started using AI about 18 months ago. She uses ChatGPT to format her newsletters and social media posts, and OpusClip to edit videos for social media.
She estimates that using those services has freed five to ten hours in her workweek — time that she can now apply to the in-depth reporting she’s known for.
Ultimately, “the biggest impact is increased output,” Fort says. With AI assistance, she’s able to post more content on social media and release newsletters regularly, something she struggled with in the past.
An added bonus, she says, is that utilizing AI makes it just a bit easier to find the work-life balance that many solopreneurs struggle with.
“If nothing else, it’s a meal I get to sit down and have with my kids,” Fort says.
Prioritizing high-level decisions, with less worry about details
Dusti Arab, owner of The Reinvention Co., a boutique marketing firm, says AI is integrated into nearly every aspect of her workday. Because of that, “I don’t think I’ve put up so much high-quality content, ever,” she says.
For Arab, who has ADHD, managing the constant decisions that a solopreneur must make was draining. She would often worry about missing a small detail, which distracted her from higher-level thinking.
Now, she uses Wispr Flow to take voice notes throughout the day on topics like client communications and content ideas. Then, she imports those into Notion AI, which combines access to Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT to help her turn her notes into briefs.
“If you use AI to process the brain dump first, the deliverable comes out way better,” Arab says.
Her efforts with AI and being vocal about how she uses it are also paying off in a different way — clients now reach out to her specifically for advice on how to use it. She often guides them in using AI to delegate more effectively.
“Once the raw notes exist, you can use AI to turn the brain dump into a clear brief, a task list, and a handoff that someone else can actually execute,” she says.
Leaders need to know when their personal touch is needed
Like Arab, Srodoski is often the one to introduce his clients to AI, specifically ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, the platforms he uses. Often, the response is “awe,” he says.
Last week, for example, a client shared that the time involved with pricing jobs had become a major roadblock in his business. Using ChatGPT, Srodoski guided him in creating a price book based on the previous three years’ sales data.
“He was smiling ear to ear, saying that this would have cost him a few thousand dollars and a few weeks of labor time to get this pulled off,” Srodoski says.
While clients are often enthusiastic about AI, part of Srodoski’s coaching is now emphasizing the decisions that leaders shouldn’t outsource to AI.
Recently, he had a client who wanted to confront an underperforming vendor. The client was planning to draft an email using ChatGPT, but Srodoski stopped him.
“Get on the phone. See how they respond,” he recalls saying. During the phone call, Srodoski’s client was able to explain himself, empathize with the vendor, clarify a misunderstanding, and create a solution.
“That’s a leadership decision you can’t do with ChatGPT,” Srodoski says.
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