Welcome back to Bite Sized Bots — and welcome to 2026.
If AI is on your list this year, you're not alone. But most small business owners are using it at the lowest-value level:
"Write this email." "Draft this caption." "Summarize this meeting."
Helpful? Yes. Strategic? Not yet.
Here's the shift that changes everything:
Stop asking AI to complete tasks. Start briefing it to support your business goals.
The difference is one simple template — and you can start using it today.
The 2026 Goal-First Briefing Template
Copy this into ChatGPT, Claude, or whichever AI tool you already use:
Business Goal:
Audience:
Context:
Constraints:
Desired Outcome:
Success Looks Like:
What AI Should Avoid:
Where Human Judgment Is Required:
That's it -10 minutes and eight fields that turn "write this email" into "help me drive 20 qualified leads next month." This is the difference between using AI to move faster — and using it to move the business forward.
Here's how it works in practice:
Before & After: Lead Generation
Task-Level Prompt
"Write an email I can send to potential leads."
→ Result: one email. No plan.
Goal-Level Brief
Business Goal: Generate 20 qualified leads next month, convert 5 into clients
Audience: Problem-aware service business owners
Context: Warm list only, low ad spend
Constraints: Gmail setup, 10 hours/week capacity
Desired Outcome: Simple lead-gen funnel
Success Looks Like: 5+ discovery calls booked
What AI Should Avoid: Cold outreach tactics, aggressive sales language
Where Human Judgment Is Required: Final email approval, call qualification
→ Result: AI designs a complete funnel: outreach email, follow-up sequence, lead magnet angle, CTA recommendations, weekly metrics, and suggested timing.
When you shift from 'write this' to 'help me drive this result,' AI stops acting like a typing assistant and starts behaving more like a strategic teammate.
Before & After: Customer Retention
Task-Level Prompt
"Write an onboarding email."
Goal-Level Brief
Business Goal: Reduce early client churn by 30%
Audience: New clients in first 30 days
Context: Many feel overwhelmed after signing up
Constraints: Gmail + Google Drive only
Desired Outcome: 4-part onboarding sequence
Success Looks Like: 90% of clients complete Week 1 deliverable
What AI Should Avoid: Too much information upfront, technical jargon
Where Human Judgment Is Required: Personal check-ins, custom adjustments
→ Result: A retention system, not a one-off message. 4-part sequence that reduces overwhelm, sets expectations, and delivers a quick win in 72 hours.
Download the Full Template Pack
I've created a free downloadable template pack that includes:
The 8-field Goal-First Brief Template
4 filled-in examples: lead gen, sales, retention, execution
Forward this to one colleague who's trying to use AI more strategically this year.
Your First Action Step for 2026
1. Download the template pack
2. Choose one business goal you care about this year
3. Fill in the 8-field template
4. Paste it into your AI tool
One small shift. A completely different level of support.
You don't need more AI in 2026. You need better direction.
Human-First AI means you set the strategy. AI just helps you move faster — without losing control, clarity, or trust.
Reply and tell me one goal you want AI to support this year. I'll help you turn it into a brief that actually works.
Talk next week!