How to use ChatGPT to kickstart your business, side hustle, or website

Starting a business, side project, or personal website can be an exciting journey, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all the moving parts. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone. AI is here to help you turn your ideas into reality—faster and easier than you might think!

With tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, you can simplify the process of brainstorming, planning, building, and marketing your project. ChatGPT is free and easy to use. So, whether you’re launching an online store, setting up a side hustle, or sharing your passion through a blog, this powerful tool can help you get started. Let’s see how you can use it to kick off your journey! But first, let’s explore the concept of prompts.

Note: While this article focuses on ChatGPT, there are many other AI tools available.

• Understanding prompts: get the most out of AI
• How can AI give you a head start?
• 1. Brainstorming ideas with AI
• 2. Naming and branding your project with AI
• 3. Building your website with AI
• 4. Creating and optimizing content with AI
• Marketing and organizing your project with AI
• Final Thoughts

Understanding prompts: get the most out of AI

To make the most of AI, it’s essential to understand how to interact with it using prompts. Prompts are the questions or instructions you give to ChatGPT to generate a response. Think of a prompt as a conversation starter: you ask ChatGPT something, and it responds based on the details you provide. The quality of the AI’s answers is directly linked to the clarity of your prompts—the more specific and detailed your prompt, the better and more accurate the response.

Examples of Effective Prompts:

• General Prompt: "Give me 5 business ideas related to photography."
• Improved Prompt: "Give me 5 creative business ideas related to photography that require little startup capital."

The improved prompt is clearer, allowing AI to give more focused and useful suggestions. Throughout this article, you'll see examples of how to use prompts to maximize the benefits of AI. You can be as detailed as you want with your prompts. Think of prompts as your side of the conversation with AI. 

How can AI give you a head start?

AI can be your brainstorming partner, content creator, and marketing assistant. It’s an all-in-one tool, available 24/7. ChatGPT is designed to make it simple for you to take the first steps toward building something new, with no tech skills required. Some examples:

• Brainstorming ideas: get project concepts based on your passion or skills
• Naming and branding your project: get names and tagline suggestions tailored to your concept
• Content creation tailored for you: leverage AI for websites, blogs, or social media
• Marketing advice: get tips on how to promote your business or side project

Whether you want to launch a full business or a simple website to showcase your hobbies, ChatGPT is a great tool. Let’s dive into how it works!

1. Brainstorming ideas with AI

Sometimes, coming up with the right idea is the hardest part. Or maybe it’s all about refining one you already have. Whether you're dreaming of a new business, thinking of a side project, or just want to share your hobbies online, ChatGPT can help get those creative juices flowing. Just share your interests or goals, and let AI suggest tailored, creative ideas based on those interests as well as different paths you might want to explore.

Try something like this: “I’m passionate about food, I have decent photography skills. I want to start a side project. Suggest some ideas.”

ChatGPT might suggest options like:

• Starting a food blog or recipe website
• Offering virtual cooking classes
• Creating a downloadable cookbook for beginners

Take it a step further: “I’m passionate about food, I have decent photography and writing skills, and I want to start a side project. Ask me 3 questions in order to suggest tailored and personalized ideas.”

ChatGPT will ask you something like this:

• What aspects of food are you most passionate about- cooking, food culture, nutrition, or something else?
• Are you more interested in creating content (like a blog or social media) or selling products or services? (like food photography, recipe books, etc)
• Do you have a specific audience or niche in mind, such as home cooks, foodies, or people with dietary restrictions? (e.g. vegan, gluten-free, etc. )

The more detailed your prompt, the more accurate and relevant the AI's suggestions will be. Think of it as a conversation, where the AI helps you organize your thoughts into a coherent project.

2. Naming and branding your project with AI

Turning an idea into a successful project starts with a solid brand. Whether you’re launching a business, a side project, or a personal website, two essential elements are a catchy name and a memorable tagline.

Business/Domain Name: Creating a name that reflects your project’s personality and purpose can be tricky. With ChatGPT, you can ask for creative suggestions based on your niche, target audience, or specific themes.

Taglines: A tagline is a short, punchy phrase that sums up what your business or project is about. It helps grab attention and makes your brand memorable.

Visual Branding Ideas: If you’re unsure what style or look to give your brand, ChatGPT can also offer ideas for color schemes, logo inspiration, and design elements.

Prompt Examples:

• "Can you help me come up with a fun name for a personal blog about photography?"
• "Suggest a catchy tagline for my handmade jewelry business focused on sustainability."
• "What color scheme would work well for a food blog aimed at beginners?"

These building blocks—name, tagline, and branding style—are the foundation of your project’s identity and can set you up for success. ChatGPT offers tons of ideas that you can refine until you find the perfect combination that reflects your vision.

Important: Before finalizing a name or tagline, always check for potential copyright or trademark infringement to ensure your brand is unique and legally protected.

3. Building your website with AI

Using ChatGPT or other AI tools: You can use ChatGPT to guide you through website planning, offer advice on platforms, plan your website pages, and even help generate content.

Using WHC’s AI-Powered WordPress Site Builder:
If you prefer an integrated solution, WHC’s Web Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting include an AI-powered website builder for free. It uses ChatGPT to help you generate both the structure and content for your site. This builder creates your website on WordPress, one of the most powerful and customizable platforms available, which is a huge advantage.

This will save you time and effort, allowing you to focus on growing your business or project.

4. Creating and optimizing content with AI

ChatGPT can help you create all types of content, from blog posts and product descriptions to an entire “About Us” page. Simply provide a few details, and the AI will generate content tailored to your style and goals.

If you choose WHC’s AI-powered WordPress site builder, you can do even more. Not only does it generate text, but it also creates images that align with your brand, ensuring everything fits seamlessly into your business or personal project. From blog posts to homepage text, the builder makes content creation fast, efficient, and high-quality.

Examples of Prompts for Content Creation:

• Homepage Introduction: "Write a friendly, welcoming homepage introduction for a website about handmade candles. Mention that the candles are eco-friendly and crafted in Canada."
• AI Response Example: "Welcome to [Brand Name], where eco-friendly candles are handcrafted with love right here in Canada. Our candles bring warmth, comfort, and a touch of nature into your home, with sustainable ingredients and unique scents inspired by the great outdoors."
• Product Descriptions: "Create a short, engaging product description for a set of organic skincare products, highlighting their natural ingredients and benefits for sensitive skin."
• AI Response Example: "Pamper your skin with our Organic Skincare Set, made from 100% natural ingredients. Gentle, nourishing, and perfect for sensitive skin, these products hydrate and rejuvenate without harsh chemicals."
• Blog Post Ideas: "Suggest 3 blog post ideas for a new online store that sells pet supplies."
• AI Response Example:
  1. "Top 10 Must-Have Pet Accessories for New Dog Owners"
  2. "The Benefits of Organic Treats for Your Cat’s Health"
  3. "How to Set Up a Cozy Space for Your Small Pets: Tips & Tricks"

By using WHC’s AI-powered WordPress site builder, you can effortlessly bring these ideas to life on your website, saving you time while delivering polished, high-quality results.

Marketing and organizing your project with AI

Beyond website creation, ChatGPT can help you organize and market your project by creating to-do lists, offering social media strategies, and advising on how to grow your audience. Whether you need help planning a launch or figuring out how to reach more customers, AI can provide useful, actionable insights.

Examples:

• Create a Social Media Strategy: "Create a simple social media strategy for a new online store selling artisanal coffee. Focus on Instagram and Facebook."
  • AI Response Example:
    1. Goal: Increase brand awareness and drive traffic to the website.
    2. Content Ideas: Share daily coffee recipes, behind-the-scenes photos of the roasting process, customer testimonials, and educational posts about coffee varieties.
    3. Posting Schedule: Post 4-5 times per week on Instagram, including Reels and Stories. Share 2-3 posts per week on Facebook, with links to blog content and product pages.
    4. Engagement: Host a weekly Q&A about coffee, run a giveaway campaign, and respond to all comments within 24 hours.
• Promotional Campaign: "What are some effective ways to promote a new ebook on productivity for freelancers?"
  • AI Response Example:
    1. "Create a limited-time discount and share it across your social media channels."
    2. "Run a Facebook ad campaign targeting freelancers and remote workers."
    3. "Partner with influencers in the productivity niche to review and promote the ebook."
• Project Management To-Do List: "Help me create a to-do list for launching a new podcast about small business success stories."
  • AI Response Example:
    1. "Define the podcast format, episode length, and target audience."
    2. "Create a list of potential guests and reach out for interviews."
    3. "Design the podcast cover art and set up a hosting platform."
    4. "Develop a content calendar for the first 10 episodes."
    5. "Record and edit the first 3 episodes for the launch."

Final Thoughts

Nowadays, starting a business, side project, or personal website doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. With the support of AI tools like ChatGPT, you can streamline every step of the process, from brainstorming ideas to creating engaging content and developing effective marketing strategies.

Whether you’re working with ChatGPT on its own or leveraging WHC’s AI-powered WordPress site builder, you can access a powerful set of tools to help bring your vision to life. The combination of AI-driven suggestions and user-friendly integration makes it easier than ever to launch and grow your online presence, no matter your level of expertise.

Ready to get started? Explore WHC’s AI-powered solutions today and see how quickly you can turn your ideas into reality!