94: How To Set Up Your AI Once So It Actually Works Every Time

Episode 94: Set Up Your AI Once So It Actually Works Every Time

Most designers are using AI.

But they’re barely scratching the surface.

And it’s costing them time every week.

In this episode, I break down what I saw at Design Edge and why most designers feel like AI isn’t working for them.

This isn’t about tools.

It’s about setting it up the right way so it actually helps your business.

What You’ll Learn

•  Why AI feels generic or off 
•  The real reason it’s not saving you time 
•  How to use it beyond captions 
•  One simple setup step that changes everything 

Your One Action Step

Set it up properly.

Work Along Workshop

How I Use AI in My Interior Design Business (and How You Can Too)
May 13, 2026 • Live + Replay

You’ll set this up with me in real time.

$47 (price increases May 8)
👉 McClainMethod.com/ai

Final Thought

You don’t need more tools.

You need a better way to use what you already have.

FREE VIDEO TRAINING DIRECT FROM JOHN:

Design feels natural.

The business side doesn’t.

Join this free 39-minute training for interior designers and learn the 3 secrets to building a profitable, stress-free design business without burnout or chaos.

👉 Watch the free training: https://learn.mcclainmethod.com/dsa_webinar_registration

Transcript

Hey y’all. You’re listening to the McClain Method Podcast, episode 94.

Welcome to the McClain Method, the podcast for interior designers who are ready to stop hiding and start shining. I’m your host, John McClain, designer, business mentor, author, and your branding bestie.

This is not about paint colors or pendant lighting. It’s about building a business that’s both visible and profitable. From marketing and messaging to mindset, systems, and visibility, we cover the front stage and the backstage of your design business.

Because your brilliance deserves the spotlight, and your business deserves to run like a dream behind the scenes.

Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode. How are you?

I just got back from Design Edge in Orlando, and I want to talk to you about something that really stood out to me while I was there.

I was speaking on an AI panel, and I asked a simple question.

“How many of you are using ChatGPT?”

Almost every hand in the room went up.

Then I asked, “How many of you are using Claude?”

Two people.

That was it.

And in that moment, I knew exactly what was going on.

Not because one tool is better than the other. That’s not really the point.

What it showed me is that most designers are using one tool, one way, for one thing. And they think they’re using AI.

But you’re barely scratching the surface.

And I don’t say that to call you out.

What I saw in that room wasn’t resistance. It was hesitation.

It was people who had opened it, tried a few things, maybe asked it to write a caption or an email, and then thought:

“I don’t think this is for me.”
 “This doesn’t sound like me.”
 “This feels like more work than it’s worth.”

And then they stopped.

After the panel, the questions I got weren’t about features.

They were:

“Am I doing this right?”
 “Why does it sound so generic?”
 “Is this even worth learning?”

That’s the real problem.

It’s not access. You all have access.

It’s not the tools.

It’s that no one has shown you how to use this inside a real design business in a way that actually makes sense.

So today, I want to change that.

I’m going to walk you through three ways I use AI in my marketing.

Not just captions.

The behind-the-scenes ways that actually make this useful.

And if you take nothing else from this episode, take this:

AI is only as good as how you set it up and what you ask it to do.

Quick note before we get into it.

Yes, there are different tools.

Most of you know ChatGPT.

Very few of you know Claude.

I’ve used all of them, and I still go back to Claude a lot.

I like to say ChatGPT is my science teacher and Claude is my English teacher.

They just think differently.

But this is not about which one is better.

It’s about how you use whatever tool you choose.

Tip number one: stop overthinking the tool and just set it up.

I’m not going to go deep into voice here because I’ve talked about that before.

But I do want to give you something you can actually do today.

If you’re wondering where to start, start here.

Go set up your AI properly.

If you’re using Claude, go into settings.

There’s a section where you can give it context about you.

Most people skip this.

And that’s why everything sounds generic.

So here’s what I want you to do.

Keep it simple.

Write:

Who you are
 What you do
 Who your clients are
 How you typically communicate

That’s it.

You don’t need a novel.

You just need to give it something real to work with.

Because right now, most of you are asking it to help you without giving it any context.

And then wondering why it feels off.

This one step alone will make everything noticeably better.

Not perfect.

But better.

And better is what gets you to actually use it.

Tip number two: stop using AI just for content.

Most designers are using AI for captions.

Maybe an email here and there.

That’s it.

And if that’s all you’re using it for, you’re missing the real value.

The biggest shift for me was using it behind the scenes.

Not just for what people see.

But for how my business runs.

Because the hardest part of marketing isn’t writing.

It’s thinking.

It’s taking a messy idea and turning it into something clear.

That’s where AI helps.

For example, if I’m writing a client email and I know what I want to say but it’s not coming out right, I’ll use AI to refine it.

Not replace it.

Refine it.

Or if I have an idea for content but it feels scattered, I’ll use AI to organize it.

Now I’m not starting from nothing.

I’m refining something.

That removes friction.

And it makes showing up consistently so much easier.

AI should support how you think, not replace it.

Tip number three: build once, then reuse.

This is where the time savings actually come from.

Not because AI writes fast.

But because you stop starting over.

Most of you are opening it every time and starting from scratch.

New prompt. New context. Same frustration.

That’s exhausting.

Instead, go back to previous chats.

Continue the conversation.

Reuse what’s already there.

For me, I have a way I approach emails, content, and messaging.

AI just helps me move faster inside that.

So instead of reinventing everything, I’m refining.

That’s where consistency comes from.

That’s where it starts to feel easy.

But most people never get there because they stay stuck in that start-from-scratch cycle.

If you do nothing else after this episode, do this one thing.

Set it up properly.

That’s where most of the frustration starts.

And if you’re listening to this and thinking,

“Okay, I get it, but I still don’t know how to do this…”

That’s exactly why I created my workshop.

It’s called:

How I Use AI in My Interior Design Business and How You Can Too.

This is not a lecture.

You’re going to open your screen, follow along, and set everything up in real time.

We’ll go through how to get better outputs, how to make it sound like you, and how to use it in your actual day-to-day work.

Emails. Client communication. Content. All of it.

It’s happening May 13th.

If you join live, I’m also giving you the exact prompts I use every day and walking you through them.

It’s $47 right now, and the price is going up soon.

You can register at McClainMethod.com/ai.

If AI has felt confusing or like a waste of time, this will fix that.

You don’t need more tools.

You don’t need to be a tech person.

You just need a better way to use what you already have.

And once you see that, it gets a lot simpler.

Thank you for being here.

And I’ll see you next time.