A guy in one of my workshops last month said something that's been rattling around in my head since. He'd been running his business for 18 years. Successful. Respected in his industry. And he said, "Everyone I know who's actually good at AI is 25 and doesn't run a business. Who's doing this at my level?"
I've heard some version of that question probably 50x’s now, from restaurant owners, contractors, agency owners, real estate teams. And every time my answer's the same.
Wrong question.
Here's the real one: what did you actually get good at, over those 15 or 20 years?
Probably a lot. You know your industry better than that 25 year old.
Buuuuuutttt…. AI already knows more about your industry than you do, technically speaking, and it doesn't get tired at 4pm on a Friday. Of course, it didn’t built the reputation and relationships that you have, AI can’t replace that part. But the idea that AI knows so much about your industry without having worked a day in it? That scares people.
But there's a third thing you built that nobody's talking about. Judgment. Twenty years of reading a room, sensing when a client's about to walk, knowing which corners you can cut and which ones will sink you. A 25-year-old with a ChatGPT subscription doesn't have that. AI doesn't have it either. It just executes whatever judgment you hand it.
So stop trying to out-type the kid on the AI subreddit. That's not your game and it never was.
Here's the move. Pick one decision you make by gut feel every week, pricing a job, sizing up a hire, deciding what to say no to, and write down the actual factors you weigh before you decide. Feed that list to ChatGPT or Claude as a decision framework. Now you've got an assistant that thinks with your judgment, not some 22-year-old's.
That's the system. Not "learn more prompts." Build the thing only you could build. Use AI to map out HOW you make decisions, then you can give it to any of your employees, whether they are AI or human.
Your business AI guy,
Matthew Brenner
Ready For More?
If this newsletter helped you, I'd love to keep sharing practical AI strategies every week.
P.S.
If you're ready to go beyond weekly tips and build AI systems tailored to your business, my coaching programs are designed to help you implement practical AI without the overwhelm
