📧 The Russians Used a Pencil, and the Chinese Built DeepSeek

There's an old story I love to tell about doing more with less.

While it's probably fictional, it perfectly illustrates my point, so I'm going to share it anyway.

This story has been on my mind lately as I watch what's happening in the AI space, particularly with smaller businesses.

Sometimes, the simplest solution is sitting right in front of us, wearing a pencil skirt (pun intended!).

Take DeepSeek's recent breakthrough, for example.

Their limited access to advanced chips – unlike giants like OpenAI or Meta – forced them to approach AI model development from a completely different angle.

Here’s the YouTube Short I posted on it earlier this week:

This reminded me of a workshop I attended a few weeks ago promising to teach "how to create a week of social media content in 20 minutes."

I'll admit, I was skeptical, but I paid the $100 to see what insights I could gather for you.

What struck me wasn't the AI tools the presenter shared but how he approached the problem.

Here’s what the host DIDN’T share: a complicated multi-step automation using multiple paid tools to gyrate and machinate AI content into sounding like one of Alex Hormozi’s (or another viral creator's) viral posts. (i.e. OpenAI)

Here’s what he DID share: a focused, repeatable, hyper-focused framework with a few simple prompts using ChatGPT to create an ideal piece of content to target your niche customer. (i.e. DeepSeek)

The result?

A week’s worth of hyper-focused lead-generating content in about 20 minutes.

The investment?

A few hours of deep reflection on the offer, the niche, the pain points, and the outcomes of an ideal client. And a $20 monthly subscription.

This is where I see many business owners stumble.

They get caught up in chasing the latest technology instead of documenting their processes and deeply understanding what makes them successful.

AI can only amplify what you've already figured out.

Here's what I've learned from working with dozens of SMBs on their AI implementation:

The "Pencil Principle" of AI Implementation: Start with what you have.

Today. Right now.

That free ChatGPT account?

It's your pencil.

Those repetitive tasks eating up your Thursday afternoons?

They're your zero-gravity problem.

Three Quick AI Wins You Can Implement This Week:

1. Email Response Templates: Feed your five most common customer inquiries into ChatGPT along with your best past responses.

   Create templates that maintain your voice but can be generated in seconds.

   One client did this and cut response time from 15 minutes to 2 minutes per email.

2. Meeting Summaries: Stop writing detailed meeting notes.

   Record your calls (with permission), transcribe them using Whisper, and let AI create actionable summaries.

   We've implemented this at our agency and save 5 hours weekly.

3. Content Repurposing: That blog post you wrote last week?

   Turn it into 10 social media posts, an email newsletter, and three LinkedIn articles in minutes.

   A physician we work with does this with his weekly podcast and saves 4 hours a week on social media content creation using the simple automation we built for him (send me an email if you’d like a copy of the Make.com template!).

The AI tools don't need to be fancy - they just need to work.

Remember: The best AI implementation isn't always the most sophisticated one.

It's the one that gets done.

-Ed

Got a "pencil solution" of your own?

Hit reply and let me know - I love hearing your stories and might feature them in a future newsletter.

OK. That’s all. Talk to you next week.

Ed Krystosik
Co-founder of RAC Projects AI
An AI Automation Agency for high ROI Business Growth

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