Pick The Problem Before You Pick The Model

Owners keep asking which AI to use, ChatGPT or Claude. The better first question is which problem to fix. Two creators posted on the topic this week, and I read only their titles and descriptions.

The question is everywhere

On October 5, Liam Ottley posted a video titled “I Tested ChatGPT’s New Business Platform. Should You Switch?”. I can’t tell you what he concluded, because I did not watch it. The title shows the question you will hear from your vendor, your accountant, and your nephew.

Start with the problem

On October 4, Sabrina Ramonov posted “Tokenmaxxers Optimize the Wrong Thing”. Her description says to start with the highest-return business problem in front of you, then bring in AI. She says prompt quality and model choice still matter, but they come after you pick a problem worth solving.

That matches what I see. Owners spend a month comparing tools before they can say what the tool is for. A plumber or HVAC owner can start with whatever costs money every week: calls that ring out, quotes that sit, invoices nobody chases.

Write the pass mark before you test anything. For example, every after-hours call gets a text back within a time you set. Then run each tool on last month’s real work instead of a demo, and score it against that line.

If two tools pass, take the cheaper one, the one that keeps your data in your own accounts, and the one someone on your team can fix. Keep your phone number, customer list, and pricing sheet in your name, and switching later costs little.

The model argument will keep running online. A small shop can ignore it and still get the benefit.