99% of AI use is making you less efficient, not more.
You open ChatGPT or Claude and ask “What are some things I can do with AI for my business?”
Then you spend three hours going down rabbit holes, testing random prompts, and convincing yourself you’re being productive.
You’re not. You’re procrastinating with a fancy tool.
Here’s what most people miss: AI without a use case is just expensive distraction. You don’t need to know what AI can do.
You need to know what problem you’re trying to solve.
Then-and only then-you go to AI with that specific problem.
Come with the use case. Know the problem. Skip the “show me what’s possible” phase entirely.
Otherwise, you’re just burning time pretending busy work is leverage.
And that’s exactly why I had AI expert Rick Mulready on this week’s episode of The Expert Edge.
Rick’s not a surface-level AI guy posting ChatGPT hacks. He shut down a million-dollar mastermind three years ago to go all-in on this. He built a custom app with an entire AI team trained on his IP. His wife uses Claude better than most developers (and she just talks to it like a normal human).
In this conversation, Rick breaks down what’s actually working with AI for online business owners-not the hype, just the stuff that moves the needle.
Listen now: Episode 314 | How to Actually Use AI in Your Business (Without the BS) w/ Rick Mulready
Here’s what we unpack and how to apply it immediately:
1. AI agents > AI assistants (this is where the real leverage is)
An assistant answers questions. An agent takes action. Rick built an AI team app with roles like CMO, email writer, offer optimizer-each one trained on his IP and designed to DO the work, not just advise on it. That’s the shift: from “help me think” to “do this for me.”
2. The best AI output comes from talking to it like a human
Rick’s wife Amy only uses Claude. No fancy prompts. No frameworks. No “projects” or “agents.” She just talks to it clearly. And she gets better output than most people who spend hours engineering prompts. The secret? She clearly articulates what she wants. That’s it. That’s the whole game.
3. A coaching chatbot isn’t just your course dumped into AI
Anyone can upload course material and let students ask questions. That’s not valuable-that’s lazy. A real coaching chatbot asks follow-up questions. It adapts to the person’s specific situation. It coaches, not just regurgitates. That’s where the value is. That’s what separates “meh” from “holy crap this is useful.”
4. Your IP fears are valid-but you’re solving the wrong problem
People are terrified to give their course material to AI because “that’s my IP!” But here’s the truth: AI is only as helpful as the information you give it. If you want to create something genuinely valuable for your students, it has to be based on your knowledge. The solution isn’t to withhold-it’s to build on platforms where you control access and turn off data training.
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines with AI because you don’t know where to start or you’re worried about IP theft or you think it’s just overhyped nonsense…
This episode will change that.
To building AI teams that actually work,
Colin “Deep Winter Color Palette” Boyd
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