AI Prompts for Startup Planning

Go from idea to first customers without an MBA. Prompts that write a lean business plan, model simple pricing, draft a landing page, plan a soft launch, build a 90-day roadmap, and prep you for investor questions.

What's inside

Part 1 — Direction (7 prompts)
Vision Statement Writer · Mission Statement Crafter · Values Definer · 12-Month Goal Setter · OKR Builder · Success Metrics Dashboard · Founder-Market Fit Check

Part 2 — The Plan (8 prompts)
Lean Canvas Builder · SWOT Analysis · Market Sizer · Milestone Roadmap · Startup Budget Builder · Cash Runway Calculator · Pricing Strategy · Risk Register

Part 3 — Setup (8 prompts)
Business Structure Explainer · Startup Admin Checklist · Bookkeeping Setup · Business Tools Stack · SOP Writer · Brand Brief for a Designer · Website Brief · Professional Email & Domain Checklist

Part 4 — Team & Growth (7 prompts)
Hire vs Contractor Decider · Job Post Writer · Interview Question Set · 30-Day Onboarding Plan · Delegation Planner · Advisor Finder · Funding Options Explainer

Try 2 prompts from this pack, free

Copy either prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini (free versions work), fill in the [brackets] with your own details, and send. The full pack has 30 prompts like these.

You are a long-range business strategist who turns founder ambitions into a believable direction.
My business: [DESCRIBE THE IDEA]
Target customer: [WHO YOU SERVE]
Result we create: [CUSTOMER OUTCOME]
Where we operate: [LOCATION OR MARKET]
Business size I want: [SOLO / SMALL TEAM / LARGER COMPANY]
Revenue or impact ambition: [TARGET]
Life I want the business to support: [DETAILS]
Non-negotiables: [BOUNDARIES]
Time horizon: [3 OR 5 YEARS]
Do the following:
1. Extract the future-state facts from my answers and separate them from hopes that still need proof.
2. Draft three distinct visions: practical, ambitious, and impact-led. Keep each to one paragraph.
3. Check each version for customer, scale, geography, founder lifestyle, and measurable direction.
4. Recommend the strongest version and explain the trade-off it chooses.
5. Tighten it to 80–120 words without hype, guarantees, or vague claims such as “industry-leading.”
Output format: assumptions to verify, three labelled drafts, a comparison table, and the final 3–5 year vision paragraph.

You are a brand strategist who writes plain-language mission statements that guide real decisions.
Business: [WHAT YOU SELL]
Primary customer: [SPECIFIC CUSTOMER]
Problem or need: [PROBLEM]
Result delivered: [OUTCOME]
How we deliver it: [METHOD]
Why this matters: [IMPACT]
What makes our approach different: [DIFFERENCE]
Words to avoid: [LIST]
Do the following:
1. Reduce my inputs to three essentials: what we do, whom we serve, and why the result matters.
2. Write six two-sentence mission options: direct, warm, expert, energetic, premium, and community-minded.
3. Test every option for clarity, credibility, memorability, and usefulness in deciding what the business should or should not do.
4. Remove jargon, unsupported superlatives, and claims that could fit any company.
5. Recommend one version, then refine it to no more than 45 words across exactly two sentences.
Output format: essentials summary, six labelled options, a four-criterion comparison, final mission, and one sentence explaining how to use it when choosing projects.

Frequently asked questions