Running a business means your brain is always full – cashflow, hiring, sales follow-ups, proposals, investor updates, and a never-ending inbox. Microsoft 365 Copilot is like giving yourself a smart digital co-founder inside tools you already use: Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint.
In this blog, let’s look at 10 practical prompts every founder should save and reuse. These are not fluffy “write a poem” prompts. These are best microsoft copilot prompts for business owners who care about cashflow, deals, and time.
We’ll also quietly build your skills so you can treat this as your own set of microsoft 365 copilot tutorials for beginners—in simple, founder-friendly language.
1. Cashflow Snapshot from Excel
“You are a virtual CFO. Look at this Excel sheet and give me a simple cashflow summary for the last 3 months:
- Total inflows vs outflows
- Biggest expense categories
- Cash runway in months at current burn
Explain it in plain language for a founder.”
Use this inside Excel with Copilot on your finance sheet. Instead of scrolling through rows, you get a clear answer in a paragraph you can forward to your co-founder or investor.
2. Monthly Founder Finance Review
“Using this workbook, create a 1-page ‘Founder Finance Review’ for this month: key numbers, 3 risks, 3 opportunities, and one action item for sales, marketing, and operations each.”
This turns raw numbers into a mini board-report. It’s one of the best microsoft copilot prompts for business owners who don’t have a full-time CFO yet but still want structured thinking.
3. Proposal Draft for a New Client (Word)
“Draft a business proposal for [client name], a [industry] company, who is interested in [your service]. Use a consultative tone. Include:
- Problem statement
- Our approach
- Timeline & deliverables
- Pricing options (good / better / best)
- Why choose us (3 points).”
Open Word, type this prompt with a few details, and let Copilot create a solid first draft. You just refine the pricing and tone. Perfect for busy founders who want microsoft 365 copilot tutorials for beginners that directly impact revenue.
4. Rewrite Proposal in Simpler English
“Rewrite this proposal in simple, clear English suitable for a non-technical decision maker. Keep it professional but easy to understand.”
Paste your existing proposal content in Word and let Copilot simplify it. Great when you’re dealing with owners, family businesses, or non-technical stakeholders.
5. Job Description for a New Role
“Create a clear, practical job description for a [role, e.g., ‘Sales Development Representative’] in a growing [industry] company. Include:
- About the company
- Key responsibilities
- Must-have skills
- Good-to-have skills
- KPIs for success in 6 months.”
This prompt helps you quickly move from “we need to hire someone” to “we have a proper JD ready to post.” You can then tweak it for Naukri, LinkedIn, or your careers page.
6. Onboarding Checklist for New Hire
“Based on this job description, create a 30-day onboarding plan for this role: what they should learn, whom they should meet, and what success looks like after 30 days.”
Now your new hire doesn’t just join — they hit the ground running. Copilot becomes your HR assistant without you having to start from a blank page.
7. Smart Email Reply to an Unhappy Client (Outlook)
This is where ai email writing in Outlook with Copilot really shines.
“Write a polite, empathetic reply to this email from a client who is unhappy about delays.
Goals:
- Acknowledge their frustration
- Take responsibility where needed
- Explain what we’re doing to fix it
- Offer a next step and realistic timeline
- Keep it under 200 words and professional.”
Highlight the incoming email in Outlook, invoke Copilot, and use this prompt. It will draft something emotionally balanced that saves you from reacting in frustration.
8. Turn a Long Email Thread into Action Items
“Summarize this email thread in 5 bullet points and list clear action items with owners and deadlines. Format it so I can paste it into a task manager.”
When your inbox is chaos, this is one of the best microsoft 365 copilot tutorials for beginners to try. Start with real emails you already have and ask Copilot for summaries, decisions, and next steps.
9. Draft a Follow-Up Email After a Sales Call
“Write a follow-up email after a discovery call with [client name].
Include:
- Thank you note
- 3 key points we understood about their needs
- Our recommended next step
- A clear call to action to schedule a proposal review call this week.”
This prompt is perfect for founders who do their own sales. Again, ai email writing in Outlook with Copilot ensures you send timely, consistent follow-ups instead of delaying it.
10. Weekly Founder Summary from Teams / Notes
“Act as my chief of staff. From these meeting notes and chats, create a weekly founder summary with:
- Wins
- Issues / blockers
- Decisions made
- Items waiting on me
- Top 3 priorities for next week.”
Paste your Teams notes or OneNote content, and Copilot will help you step back from the daily noise and see the bigger picture. This is founder mental clarity on demand.
How to Get the Most Out of These Prompts
To really benefit from the best microsoft copilot prompts for business owners, keep a simple “Prompt Library” in OneNote, Notion, or Word:
- A section for cashflow & finance
- A section for sales & proposals
- A section for hiring & HR
- A section for email communication
Whenever you discover something that works, save it, refine it, and reuse it. Over time, you’ll build your own playbook of microsoft 365 copilot tutorials for beginners that are 100% tailored to your business.
The goal is simple: let Copilot handle the first draft, the first analysis, the first reply — so you, the founder, can focus on judgment, relationships, and growth.
