Day 11: Building My Own GPTs – Wins, Roadblocks, and Real Talk

Running a business can feel like a constant juggling act: planning, content creation, tracking metrics, meeting deadlines… it never ends. That’s when I decided to build my own AI assistants, custom GPTs for marketing and project management, to lighten the load. If you’ve ever wondered whether AI can make your work life easier (spoiler alert: it can), here’s the why, the how, and a few hiccups I ran into along the way.

Part 1: Why I Needed a Custom GPT (And Why It’s Been a Game Changer)

Here’s the truth: handling all the moving pieces of marketing and project planning takes serious bandwidth. So, I created two GPTs—one for marketing, one for project management. My marketing GPT helps brainstorm content ideas, draft ad copy, and keep me on top of trends. My project management GPT, or PM GPT, makes sure I’m on track with timelines and milestones.

Here’s how I made it happen:

1. Start with a Clear “Job Description”: I defined specific roles for each GPT. The marketing GPT needed to be creative, quick, and up-to-date with digital trends, while my PM GPT needed to think in terms of deadlines and priorities.

2. Fine-Tune Prompts for Consistency: Prompt engineering became a bit of an art. Clear, specific instructions helped me get the best out of my GPTs. “Generate a new campaign idea with a lighthearted tone” yields way better results than “Give me a campaign.”

3. Test, Adjust, Repeat: Fine-tuning takes a little patience. These AI helpers work best with refined guidance, and while they’re incredibly useful, they sometimes need reminders of the “big picture.”

Learning the Limits of AI: As efficient as they are, even the best GPT can’t replace intuition. Some creative calls need a human touch—GPTs don’t have instincts, and that’s okay. They free up time, letting us humans focus on the big decisions AI just isn’t ready for.

Part 2: When Automation Isn’t So Automatic: Real-World AI Hiccups

Automation is supposed to make things easier, but I’ve learned firsthand that it comes with its own set of quirks.

Instagram’s Audio Loop of Doom
Case in point: boosting a post on Instagram. I picked a trending audio track, only to have Instagram reject it. “No problem,” I thought, “I’ll pick a different one.” And I did—except Instagram forgot my new choice and looped me right back to the start. If patience is a virtue, then AI marketing makes saints of us all!

Google’s Mysterious Indexing Issue
After going through the process of indexing my website, Google flagged it as “potentially misleading”—with no additional info. Despite reviewing the content, the structure, and the policies, I couldn’t find anything that seemed off. AI is great, but sometimes a little clarity would go a long way.

Part 3: AI in Business Tasks and The Human Check Factor

I’ve even explored using AI to help with tenant checks, aiming to save time on verification processes. But here’s the thing: AI can’t “double-check” something that seems off—it executes instructions, but it doesn’t pause to question. And sometimes, that human instinct is exactly what’s needed.

Conclusion: AI Plus Determination for the Win

AI has been a game-changer for my workflow, but the reality is that automation still needs a bit of human tenacity. These tech tools can organize, suggest, and create, but they can’t replace grit or creativity. So, maybe all these small automation hiccups are a sort of test—reminding us that it’s our persistence, creativity, and adaptability that give us an edge.

If you’re thinking about building your own GPTs, go for it! Just know that in the end, there’s still one thing they can’t automate: a good, old-fashioned human touch.