BREAKING: AI can now build business plans like a McKinsey consultant (for free).
Here are 10 insane Grok prompts that replace $50K strategy consultations: (Save for later):
1/ The Complete Business Plan Generator
Stop paying consultants $50K for a business plan. Use this:
"You are a senior strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company. I'm building a [BUSINESS TYPE] in the [INDUSTRY] space targeting [TARGET MARKET].
Step 1 β Executive Summary:
β One-paragraph business description a VC would read in 30 seconds
β The core problem you're solving and why now
β Revenue model in one sentence
Step 2 β Market Analysis:
β Total addressable market (TAM), serviceable addressable market (SAM), serviceable obtainable market (SOM) with reasoning
β Market growth rate and key trends driving demand
β Top 5 competitors with their estimated revenue, funding, and key weakness
Step 3 β Value Proposition & Moat:
β Why customers choose you over alternatives
β Defensibility: network effects, switching costs, data advantages, or brand
β One-sentence positioning statement
Step 4 β Business Model:
β Revenue streams ranked by potential size
β Pricing strategy with reasoning and competitor benchmarks
β Unit economics: CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC ratio, payback period
β Path to profitability timeline
Step 5 β Go-to-Market Strategy:
β Customer acquisition channels ranked by cost efficiency
β First 90 days launch plan with specific milestones
β Partnership opportunities that accelerate growth
Step 6 β Financial Projections (Year 1-3):
β Revenue forecast with assumptions clearly stated
β Cost structure breakdown: fixed vs variable
β Break-even analysis
β Funding requirements and use of funds
Step 7 β Risk Analysis:
β Top 5 risks ranked by likelihood and impact
β Mitigation strategy for each
β Kill criteria: What signals tell you to pivot or shut down?
Format with clear headers, tables for financials, and flag every assumption explicitly. Be brutally honest about weaknesses."
This alone replaces a $50K strategy engagement.
2/ The Competitive Intelligence Report
McKinsey charges $30K just for competitive analysis. Use this:
"You are a competitive intelligence analyst at Bain & Company. Analyze the competitive landscape for a [BUSINESS TYPE] entering the [INDUSTRY] market.
Step 1 β Competitor Mapping:
β Identify top 10 competitors (direct and indirect)
β For each: estimated revenue, funding raised, employee count, founding year
β Categorize into tiers: market leaders, challengers, and emerging threats
Step 2 β Porter's Five Forces Analysis:
β Threat of new entrants (high/medium/low with reasoning)
β Bargaining power of suppliers
β Bargaining power of buyers
β Threat of substitutes
β Competitive rivalry intensity
β Overall industry attractiveness score
Step 3 β Competitor Deep Dive (top 3):
β Business model and pricing
β Key strengths and vulnerabilities
β Customer sentiment (what people love and hate about them)
β Recent strategic moves (launches, pivots, acquisitions, layoffs)
Step 4 β Gap Analysis:
β What are competitors NOT doing that customers want?
β Underserved segments or geographies
β Feature gaps and pricing gaps
Step 5 β Strategic Recommendations:
β 3 specific opportunities to differentiate
β Which competitor is most vulnerable and why
β Recommended positioning to avoid head-to-head competition
Use tables for comparisons. Cite reasoning for every assessment. Be specific, not generic."
After 2 years of using AI for research, I can say these tools have revolutionized my workflow.
So here are 15 prompts across Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity that transformed my research (and could do the same for you):
1/ LITERATURE REVIEW β Claude Sonnet 4.5
"Analyze these 30 papers on [TOPIC]. Find contradictions, research gaps, and emerging debates. Prioritize findings that challenge consensus."
Why Claude: 200K context window = reads entire papers, not just abstracts.
2/ RESEARCH QUESTION REFINEMENT β ChatGPT 4o
"My broad interest: [TOPIC]. Generate 10 falsifiable research questions. For each: explain methodology, expected contribution, and why current literature can't answer it."
Why 4o: Extended reasoning catches scope creep and logical gaps.
You can now run full competitive market analysis using Claude.
Here are the 10 prompts I use instead of hiring consultants:
1/ LITERATURE REVIEW SYNTHESIZER
Prompt:
"Analyze these 20 research papers on [topic]. Create a gap analysis table showing: what's been studied, what's missing, contradictions between studies, and 3 unexplored opportunities."
I fed Claude 47 papers on AI regulation.
It found gaps 3 human researchers missed.
2/ COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE SCANNER
Prompt:
"Visit [competitor websites]. Extract: pricing tiers, feature comparisons, positioning strategy, target audience, and gaps in their offering we could exploit."
Saved me 12 hours of manual competitive analysis.
Claude even caught pricing they buried in FAQ pages.
After 3 years of using ChatGPT, I can say that it is the best technology that has revolutionized my life the most, along with the Internet.
So here are 12 prompts that have transformed my day-to-day life and that could do the same for you in 2026:
1. Personal trainer for any skill you want to master
"Goal: {specific outcome} in 90 days. Build me a daily practice system: what to do each week, how to measure progress, when to increase difficulty. Make it sustainable but aggressive enough to see real results."
2. Startup advisor who's built $10M+ businesses
"I'm building {idea}. You've taken 12 startups from 0 to $10M+. Walk me through: validation strategy, early monetization, distribution channels, and common failure points. Give me the 90-day playbook."