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Use ChatGPT to learn contracts, grants and licenses in your first year, translate with workers and suppliers, and price your inventory

who Brandon "Yella" Hensley, co-owner of Seoul Foods, an Asian grocery store in North Mankato, Minnesota, in the Minnesota Star Tribune

The problem

Hensley and his wife Sook Nam opened Seoul Foods in 2025 and, he said, he couldn't find any mentors in the area to help them learn to run a business.

What happened

Hensley said AI helped them learn how to run a business during a turbulent first year, and likened his ChatGPT subscription to David's slingshot against corporate Goliaths. The ChatGPT-made ad images drew criticism from some local customers; one told the paper she hasn't been back since those posts. He has been posting fewer AI-generated images lately, which he puts down to the store struggling to survive. No figures were given. Self-reported.

Quoted in the source: Brandon "Yella" Hensley, co-owner, Seoul Foods. Source: Minnesota Star Tribune: AI use is straining customer loyalty. It's playing out in a local grocery store. (Jp Lawrence) (2026-09-11) · Added 2026-10-20.

How to set it up yourself

1. What Seoul Foods does: per the Star Tribune, the co-owner uses ChatGPT to learn about contracts, grants and licenses, to translate between Spanish-speaking delivery workers and Chinese-speaking suppliers, and to scan inventory and suggest prices.
2. For contracts and licenses: paste the document or the agency's requirements page into ChatGPT with the prompt below and ask what each part means and what to ask a lawyer, accountant or the agency.
3. For translation: open the ChatGPT app's voice mode, tell it the two languages, and keep sentences short. Confirm quantities, prices and dates in writing afterward.
4. For pricing: photograph or upload your supplier invoice and ask for a price per unit at your target margin. Compare its numbers against the invoice before you put a tag on anything, and keep customer-facing photos real; the article reports local backlash against AI ad images.

Copy-paste prompt

I run a small {STORE TYPE} in {CITY, STATE} and I'm new to this. Here is {A CONTRACT / A LICENSE OR GRANT REQUIREMENTS PAGE}: {PASTE TEXT}. Explain in plain English: (1) what I'm agreeing to or what I must do, with deadlines and fees; (2) anything unusual or risky; (3) the questions I should ask {MY LAWYER / ACCOUNTANT / THE AGENCY} before I sign or apply. Quote the exact sentence for each point. If something depends on local rules you can't confirm, say so instead of guessing.

Tools used

Some tool links may be affiliate links. Disclosure

Checked prices: ChatGPT: from Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (verified 2026-10-20)

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