Stop Treating AI Like Google in 2010
What one missing jar of pumpkin pie spice taught me about building smarter businesses.
The Pumpkin Pie Spice Problem
💌 Know a founder still using free AI like it’s Google in 2010?
Forward this. It might save them hours—and a few pies.
This week, I tore my kitchen apart.
I was baking three pumpkin pies for an event. Each recipe called for a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Easy. I was sure I had plenty.
But when I reached for the jar, it wasn’t there.
Not under P for pumpkin. Not behind paprika. Not wedged between the cumin and coriander.
Why is it that pumpkin pie spice multiplies like rabbits in April but disappears the moment October hits?
So I went systematically—cardamom, cayenne, chili, cloves—each label perfectly in place, every jar full. Except the one I needed.
No pumpkin pie spice. And these pies demanded three whole tablespoons.
When the cupboard is empty
What would you do?
Give up?
Toss in some cinnamon and nutmeg and hope for the best?
Run to the store?
Or would you ask AI?
I did. It’s 2025, after all. Why wouldn’t I?
Prompt:
You are a professional baker who specializes in small-batch spice blends. Write a simple, precise recipe for exactly three tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice. The flavor profile should be warm and sweet with a subtle bright background note. Include exact measurements in teaspoons. No fluff.
Seconds later, AI handed me the perfect blend—balanced with a pinch of black pepper (who knew!?), measured to the teaspoon, ready to mix. No leftovers.
(Because no one deserves to deal with pumpkin pie spice in April.)
That’s when it clicked.
This isn’t just what AI does for bakers.
It’s what it does for business owners:
AI speeds up the process, helps you master things quickly, and adds a hint of unexpected spice.
Free AI vs. Paid AI
Free AI is the quick fix—the last-minute recipe that gets you through the bake.
But paid AI builds the system, so you never run out again.
It’s the difference between reacting and preparing.
If you’re still debating the $20 subscription, here’s what I tell every founder I work with:
Invest in a paid AI subscription. It’ll become your business’s #1 employee. Here’s why:
1. It flattens your learning curve
This is the kind of spice every business owner needs.
Paid AI turns every day into a personal accelerator.
Instead of losing hours to research and guesswork, you get an intelligent partner that ‘thinks’ with you.
Picture this: you’re outlining your first online course.
With free ChatGPT, you’ll get decent advice—but you’ll spend hours editing and telling it about your business that it won’t remember.
With the paid version, you can upload your draft, ask it to flag gaps, research other courses in your industry, rewrite for clarity, and ensure your brand tone is matched.
You go from scattered effort to near-expert execution in one sitting. This is the spice I’m talking about.
2. It multiplies your capacity
Your paid account makes everything faster.
Paid AI doesn’t just write or brainstorm.
It manages, documents, and systematizes your operations.
Think of your business as four departments: marketing, operations, product, finance.
Normally, you’d need specialists for each.
With GPT-5 or Claude Pro, you can:
Build a financial model from your real numbers.
Draft onboarding emails that sound like you.
Write clear SOPs for your team.
Summarize industry news into strategy briefs.
If AI saves you even thirty minutes a day across three areas, that’s 7.5 hours weekly.
At $100 an hour, that’s $3,000 a month of reclaimed time—from a $20 subscription.
What would you do with an extra 7.5 hours a week? Me? I make pies, apparently.
3. It gives you early advantage
Learning AI now will make you a master in your field.
Mastering AI now puts you ahead of 90% of your competitors.
Most founders are too busy to figure out how to use AI. Others are scared of it. Still others misuse it.
Early adopters learn how to delegate, generate, and build intellectual property with the help of AI.
Trust me, if you’re in it for the long term, your future employees will know how to use AI, and you’ll want to use it alongside them.
If you start now, mastering AI, you’ll be ahead of your competition. And who knows where that will take you.
The full jar principle
By the time my pies came out of the oven, I was thinking about systems—the things we invest in now so we don’t panic later.
Running a business without paid AI in 2025 is like baking three pies and hoping the spice jar isn’t empty.
You might pull it off. No one would know.
But wouldn’t it be easier—and smarter—to know it’s always full?
If this made you smile—or made you open your ChatGPT settings, forward it to a founder friend.
You’ll both look clever.
And you’ll never run out of pumpkin pie spice again.
—Sonya
Smart systems. Protected businesses. More life in between.
P.S. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend to my fellow Canucks.
P.P.S. Despite my apparent obsession in this essay, I still can’t stand the smell or taste of pumpkin pie spice. The pies weren’t for me.
P.P.P.S. Next week, I’ll continue the series on AI and tell you exactly how I use my paid ChatGPT subscription in my business.