April 2025 Mastermind Recap

This month’s group couldn’t stop talking about how much time AI is saving them, especially ChatGPT. Whether it’s rewriting employee handbooks, generating blog posts in minutes, or helping create newsletters and social captions, AI is helping hardware marketers recapture 1-2 hours EVERY day for themselves and sometimes their team, too.

If you’ve ever delayed a social media video or got overwhelmed with inventory because it felt too time-consuming, AI is the time-saving tool that is freeing up your peers and allowing them to do these things in minutes, not hours.

One of the most powerful use cases we heard this month wasn’t flashy—it was practical: AI is helping one family of stores maintain a consistent tone and voice in both internal (with misaligned employees that drive you crazy) and external communication (with charming responses that can be used for setting parameters around returns and getting back to folks about charity requests. 

And that’s no small thing.

Tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity can:

• Translate corporate-speak (Ace updates) into something team-friendly in YOUR voice
• Polish communication to the team to keep you aligned with your core values 
• Create a shared, brand-safe voice across all your digital platforms (from Facebook to website and newsletter)

Whether you’re sending out a team-wide update, crafting a customer-facing email, or rewriting your operating procedures, AI can be the sidekick that keeps you on brand every time.

One innovator shared that they have been using Flocksy to offload content creation, branding, and design projects. 

Here’s why it stood out:

• It’s like adding a creative team to your toolbox—without hiring full-time staff.
• You don’t have to be a tech whiz. Unlike some AI tools that require prompting, formatting, and endless editing, Flocksy’s team handles the execution. 
• Flocksy can free up your time and mental energy by tackling tasks like:
  • Social media graphics and captions
  • Website and email content
  • Posters, flyers, banners
  • Landing pages
  • Blogs

Flocksy is a great middle ground for marketers who want the time-saving benefits of AI but need the human guidance and hands-on help to actually execute their campaigns.

One innovator raised a critical concern: if you’re using AI-generated content, are you putting your search rankings at risk? While AI can speed up writing, Google has made it clear that quality and originality still matter. Using AI without a strategy could mean blog posts that never rank.

Another innovator recommended leaning on trusted SEO experts (like Neil Patel) to guide prompts and AI content planning.

AI is powerful, but don’t skip the strategy.

For many GMs and owners, the dream isn’t just to delegate—it’s to leave the store for a few days (or weeks) and know it’ll still run like clockwork. That’s where AI is making a surprising impact by taking everything in your head and putting it into clear, easy to learn instructions.

Several leaders in this month’s Mastermind shared how they’re using ChatGPT to create or clean up SOPs, training docs, and store playbooks—the kind of behind-the-scenes tools that keep operations running smoothly without constant oversight.

“If you want to go to Tahiti and not worry about the store,” an innovator joked, “you need good SOPs. AI helps you get there.”

AI isn’t just a time-saver. It’s becoming a tool for freedom. If your goal is to eventually step back, scale, or take a stress-free vacation, this is where you start.

One innovator shared their experience moving two stores from Epicor Eagle to Propello, a more modern, web-based POS system. While the transition came with its challenges (especially around install logistics and IT support), the long-term benefits are already showing. Propello is easier for employees to learn and use, allows remote access without jumping through hoops, and dramatically reduces time spent on tasks like pulling invoices. 

Even with a $20,000 upfront cost for both stores, the switch is expected to help them save $2,000 per month, alongside the operational wins being realized immediately.

As long-time in-aisle experts retire, some stores are losing floor knowledge that used to be second nature. You know the type—the retired tradesman who could answer any question without looking it up, recommend the right part the first time, and explain why in plain English.

Those employees were more than helpful—they were a big draw for loyal customers, and a key differentiator in a world of self-checkout lanes and big-box indifference.

The innovators were excited about the promise of Fast Query, a new AI integration tool that gives employees immediate access to information about every product in their store. Think of it as a digital version of the old hardware guy who knew everything!

​​Several leaders shared how they’re using AI not just for operations, but for something often harder to pull off when your patience is being tested: internal communication.

From delivering hard feedback to sending encouraging team updates, ChatGPT is becoming a go-to assistant for crafting messages that point to organizational values that resonate with your team while holding them accountable to the processes you’ve set in place.

Several GMs mentioned they use prompts inspired by Kim Scott, Brene Brown, or Simon Sinek—asking ChatGPT to rewrite messages in a tone that’s direct but empathetic, values-driven, and human.

Want to try it? Here’s a sample prompt:

“Rewrite this update with a tone inspired by Kim Scott’s management philosophy in Radical Candor—direct but caring. I want the message to motivate my team without sugarcoating the facts.”

When communication reflects culture, morale improves, which is one less job posting, interview, and onboarding process that you have to worry about. Imagine if you reduced turnover by 2 employees? That could net you over 80 hrs of time. Ahem, Tahiti?