Just Start: The three things AI needs before it can help you

Dear Andre, (4 min read)

I used to think AI was just a fancy autocomplete.

Type in a question, get back something that sounds smart but feels... generic. Like asking a stranger at a coffee shop for life advice. They might say something technically correct, but it won't actually fit your situation.

Here's the thing: AI isn't the problem.

The problem is we're asking it questions without giving it the one thing it actually needs—context.

Let me show you what I mean.

There's a framework I use for getting great advice from anyone. It requires three things:

1. Complete context of your life

2. Aligned intentions (do they actually want you to succeed?)

3. Skill in the particular area you're asking about

If any of those three are missing, the advice falls apart.

Your uncle might want the best for you (aligned intentions), but if he doesn't understand your business model (no context) or has never built what you're trying to build (no skill), his advice is useless. Maybe even dangerous.

The same exact framework applies to AI.

Most people open ChatGPT or Claude, type in "help me write a newsletter," and wonder why the output feels like it was written by a robot in a beige cubicle.

It's because the AI has none of the three things.

No context. No aligned intentions. No understanding of your specific skill or voice.

But here's what I've learned over the last few months: if you train AI the same way you'd train a human being, it becomes one of the most powerful levers in your business.

Let me walk you through exactly how I do it.

Step 1: Build Your Business Context

I've created a business diagnostic that covers everything about my detailing business and my media business. It took me about an hour to fill out, but now every time I ask AI for help, it understands my unique situation.

Things like:

• Who my ideal client is

• What offers I have

• What my capacity looks like

• What problems I'm trying to solve

• What my voice sounds like

Without this, AI is just guessing. With it, AI becomes your assistant—not some generic chatbot.

(I have clients right now paying hundreds of dollars an hour to work with me on this exact process. You're getting it for free.)

Step 2: Use Wispr Flow

I rarely type anymore.

I'm a verbal processor, which means the best way for me to get ideas out of my head is to talk them out. So I use something called Wispr Flow—it's on my computer and my phone, and it lets me dictate at about 95 words per minute.

My physical ability to type is no longer my limiting factor.

Get it here: https://wisprflow.ai/r?DANIEL12829 (you'll get a month free, then it's $17/month after that). I use it multiple times a day. Every day. Just get it. It will make your life better. (you can use it on your computer and your phone)

Step 3: Feed AI Your Data Sources

This is where most people stop too early.

You need to give AI examples of your actual voice (aka writing). Not what you think you sound like—what you actually sound like when you're writing at your best.

Pull in:

• Instagram posts you've written

• Newsletters you've sent

• Text messages where you explained something clearly

• Transcripts from YouTube videos or recorded calls

Anything that represents your voice. AI will analyze it, pull out your style, and then write like you instead of like a bland corporate memo.

Here's how it all comes together.

Every month, I batch all my newsletters at once. I open a new chat (good AI hygiene—one chat per idea), paste in my business context, paste in my voice analysis, then I use Wispr Flow to talk through whatever I'm thinking about.

Sometimes it's one page. Sometimes it's three to four. Usually 1000+ words of me verbally processing through an idea.

I drop that into Claude (which I've found gives me the best writing outputs so far), and it formats everything. I add a few stories from my own life, do one edit pass, then let it sit for a week before doing a final review right before it sends.

Having time between the idea and the execution is huge, especially for creative work.

The result?

I can now output about 8 newsletters in less than 4 hours.

That used to take me days.

Sidenote: Sometime soon I’ll upload a youtube video showing the entire process. If you want see that you can subscribe here so you don’t miss it: https://www.youtube.com/@danielbaarns

Here's why this matters.

The biggest problem in my business (and probably yours too) is that people don't know I exist. Or they forget I exist.

The more I can tell my story, in more different ways, taking me less time, the more value I create for my business.

Output is a huge part of the game now. There's so much noise. You have to keep showing up. You have to keep reminding people you're here, you're doing great work, and you can help them.

AI isn't replacing you. It's amplifying you.

But only if you train it right.

Your Assignment This Week:

Pick one thing you've been meaning to create—a newsletter, a LinkedIn post, an Instagram caption, whatever.

Open a new chat in Claude or ChatGPT.

Copy and paste the prompt below, then fill in your answers.

Let AI do the first draft.

You'll still edit it. You'll still add your stories. But you'll be shocked how much faster you move when AI actually understands who you are. (Context, aligned intentions, Voice/Skill)

I’ve included the prompt at the end for you to copy and paste. (both business context and newsletter prompt)

This is one time work, that once you understand how to use it works FOR you.

You still need to work. But now you have leverage.

Well, that's all for now.

-Daniel

P.S. If you're realizing you need help clarifying your story, building your systems, or finally writing the book you've been talking about—that's exactly what I do. I help people like you tell better stories through books, newsletters, and content that actually sounds like you.

Right now I have 2 spots open for book coaching in January. We'll meet 1-on-1, build your structure, and move at the pace that fits your life. No ghostwriting. No generic templates. Just you, your story, and someone to walk with you through the process.

If that sounds like what you need, reply "BOOK" and I'll send you the details.

Or if you're further along and you just need someone to help you finish—my Done-With-You Book Launch Accelerator might be the right fit. We go from first draft to launch plan in 60-90 days. Reply "ACCELERATOR" and I'll walk you through it.

Either way, I'm here if you need me.

COPY-PASTE PROMPT FOR AI:

Newsletter SOP: 

Newsletter style analyzer + new newsletter generator.

Role: You are an expert copywriter and narrative strategist trained to analyze writing samples, extract voice/structure/style patterns, and reproduce them with new ideas while maintaining the same "feel" and reader impact. I will provide past email newsletters that performed well. Your job is to learn the voice, tone, pacing, narrative structure, rhetorical patterns, and call-to-action style from these examples. 

Tasks:

1. Analyze my past winning newsletters. 

The newsletters I give you extract: 

• Profile: cadence, tone, directness, emotional temperature 

• Writing ticks:Repeated phrases Humor style Analogies Transitions

• Narrative structure: how the newsletter opens, builds, teaches, and concludes. 

• Formatting Patterns: Headers, bullets, line breaks, sentence length. 

• Persuasion mechanics: Storytelling Cliffhangers, Punchlines, Frameworks, Reframes

• CTA style soft/hard. Call to action positioning framing. 

provide a concise but complete description of the style you infer. 

2. Build a reusable newsletter template

Use the patterns above, create a generalized structure of my winning newsletter style quote, including:

• Opening hook style: what it usually does

• Story/body pattern: how ideas unfold

• Teaching framework pattern: how lessons are delivered

• Pacing and rhythm rules

• Closing style: how it wraps, transition or calls to action

This becomes a “newsletter blueprint.”

3. Generate a brand new newsletter 

• after an analysis, when I give you a new idea/topic produce 

• one full newsletter 

• matching the exact style, tone, cadence, and voice extracted using the newsletter template created from my past samples

• maintaining the same pacing, emotional beats, punchline style, humor if used, and narrative resolution. 

• The final newsletter should feel like I wrote it. 

Rules:

Never copy-phrasing from old newsletters. 

Learn the style, not the words. 

The new newsletters must be 100% original content in my voice. 

Keep the structure consistent unless the new idea requires a creative variation. 

Never break character. Always write in the inferred voice. 

If you need more samples to refine the model, ask.

Output Format:

Step 1: Style Analysis

Voice tone pacing signature writing behaviors narrative/teaching patterns CTA tendencies.

Step 2: Template reusable structure showing how to build future newsletters.

Step 3: New newsletter 

(after I give you the new idea)

confirmation: 

acknowledge the samples, then analyze them

after processing. Wait for me to provide the new idea I want the next newsletter to be about.

Business Context prompt:

I want to build my business context so you can give me better, more tailored advice. Here are the key things you need to know:

1. FOUNDER & SITUATION

• What I sell, to whom, and where:

• Last 12 months revenue & profit:

• Cash on hand:

• Any debt or obligations:

• Next 12 months goals (revenue, profit, personal income):

• Hours per week I can consistently work on this:

2. AVATAR & OFFER

• My ideal customer (demographics, situation, outcome they want):

• My current offers (for each: price, term, what they get, delivery format):

• Top 3 alternatives customers compare me to (including "do nothing"):

• Why my BEST customers chose me:

• Main promises in my marketing:

3. ECONOMICS & MONEY MODEL

• Gross margin for each offer:

• Average order value (first-time customer):

• Average customer lifetime value & relationship length:

• % of buyers who buy something else within 30-60 days:

• Payment structure (upfront, installments, recurring, billing cycle):

4. LEAD GENERATION

• Where leads come from (% from each source):

• Leads per month from each source:

• Cost per lead (if paid):

• Main hook/lead magnet:

• Follow-up speed & channel:

• Lead scoring/qualification process:

5. SALES PROCESS

• How I sell (in-person, phone, Zoom, DMs, checkout):

• Last 30-90 days conversion rates:

  • Leads → appointments booked %

  • Booked → showed %

  • Showed → closed %

• Who does selling & how many conversations per week:

• Script/framework or winged:

• Average ticket & day-1 cash collected:

6. FULFILLMENT & CAPACITY

• How I deliver (1:1, group, productized, digital, physical):

• Monthly capacity before quality drops:

• Top 3 fulfillment bottlenecks or complaints:

• Churn/refund rate or average customer stay:

7. RETENTION, ASCENSION, REFERRALS

• Upsells, downsells, or continuity offers:

• % of customers who buy a second offer or upgrade:

• % of new customers from referrals:

• How I ask for/incentivize referrals:

8. SYSTEMS, CONSTRAINTS, RESOURCES

• Numbers I track weekly:

• My #1 constraint (leads, conversion, or fulfillment) and why:

• What I've tried to fix it & results:

• Cash I could deploy in next 90 days without stress:

• Who else works in/on the business and what they do:

Now that you have this context, help me with: [INSERT YOUR SPECIFIC REQUEST HERE]