Your AI Team Setup Guidefor AI BUILD Builders
Step-by-step instructions for setting up Claude, Cowork, your connectors and your plugins — so the AI team you build in AI BUILD works the way your business or practice does.
Let's be honest about something
Most people arrive at a guide like this carrying a quiet uncertainty. Not incompetence — you have built something real and you run it well. But there is a specific kind of unease that comes with genuinely new technology, and AI is that right now. You might be wondering whether you're already behind. Whether this will be complicated. Whether it will actually work for a business like yours.
Here is what I want you to know before you read a single step.
This is not a technology project. It is a business upgrade. Everything in this guide exists to serve one purpose: giving you more capacity for the work that only you can do, while Claude handles the work that shouldn't require you at all. The setup takes one focused session. What it creates is a support system that learns your business, works to your standards, and is there every time you open your laptop — or your phone.
You do not need to be technical. You do not need to understand how AI works under the hood. You need to know your business — and you already do. That is the one thing Claude cannot supply for itself. Everything else, this guide walks you through.
One thing this guide will ask of you: honesty. The more accurately you describe your business, your challenges and your goals, the more useful Claude becomes. Vague input produces vague output. Real input produces a real thinking partner. You will feel the difference from the very first conversation.
By the time you complete the twelve steps that follow, you will have something most business owners don't: an AI that actually knows your business. Not a generic chatbot. A working system, calibrated to you, ready to support you every day.
Let's build it.
By the end of this guide you will have
- A Claude Project that holds your business context — instructions, reference files and project memory, all calibrated to you.
- Cowork ready to carry out real tasks — organise files, triage email, produce daily briefings and financial snapshots.
- Your key tools connected — Notion, Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Stripe, Asana, Apple Notes — live data in your conversations.
- Plugins installed — Small Business, Marketing and Brand Voice: specialised workflows for your everyday work.
- A prompt library, content planner, CRM, SOPs and more — built by Claude, for your business.
About 90–120 minutes in one focused session. Every step builds on the last — complete them in order.
Four things to confirm first
Five minutes here saves three hours of frustration later.
Go to claude.ai → Sign up → use your business email → verify and log in.
Cowork, plugins and scheduled tasks need Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. The Free plan allows up to five Projects and no Cowork. Check under Settings → Billing.
Cowork now runs in the cloud and works on web, desktop and mobile. The Claude desktop app (Mac, Windows or Linux) is what lets Claude reach the folders and apps on your computer. On Windows, you'll need admin rights to install and run it.
Best done in one sitting. Block the time, close your inbox, and build this properly. Skipped steps create gaps you'll feel immediately.
Setup checklist — tick as you go
Build it once, use it every day
Complete Instant Insight Mapping and Discovery
These two tools gather everything Claude needs to know about your business or practice. The time you put in here makes every step that follows more accurate, more specific and more useful. Do it once. Use it for years.
How work actually flows through your business — where your hours go, and where AI will return the most.
About your own business — your goals, customers, offers, voice and how you like to work. It saves a Discovery file that gives Claude a head start on your global instructions in Step 2.
Tip: Rough and honest beats polished and vague. Claude works better with real information than with the version you'd put on a website.
What to do with your answers
- Save them into one document. A Notion page, Google Doc or plain text file. Title it "My Claude Business Context — [Your Business Name]".
- Keep it within reach. You'll paste from it throughout setup and in future sessions. This is your most important reference file.
- Update it quarterly. Your priorities change; your AI context should too.
Set Your Global Instructions
Your global instructions are a short personal brief that Claude reads before every conversation and every task across your whole account — in every Project, every chat, every scheduled task. Write them once, then revisit them now and then.
Understanding the two levels
| Level | Where it lives | What it covers | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global instructions | Settings → Account → Instructions for Claude | You as a person — name, communication style, formatting preferences, a professional summary | Every conversation, every Project, always |
| Project instructions | Inside each Project → Instructions in the right-hand panel | That Project's purpose — business context, goals, voice, method, how Claude should behave | Only inside that Project, on top of your global ones |
Think of briefing a capable new team member. Global instructions are what you tell them on day one — your name, how you like to work, how you communicate. Project instructions are the specific brief for the work they're sitting down to. Claude reads both, every time. You never have to choose.
What belongs in global instructions (under 200 words)
- Your name and how you like to be addressed
- Communication style ("Give me the headline first, context second")
- Formatting preferences ("Keep bullet points out of conversational replies")
- A one-line professional summary
- Language preferences (Australian or British English, for example)
Business-specific detail, client information, offers and pricing belong in Project instructions instead.
If you completed Instant Insight Discovery, add your Discovery file to a new chat and ask Claude to draft your global instructions from it, trimmed to the list above. If not, let Claude write them for you:
I want to set up my global instructions — a short personal brief you'll apply across all my conversations. Interview me: ask one question at a time until you have everything you need. Cover: my name and how I like to be addressed, my communication preferences, my formatting preferences, a brief professional summary, and any language preferences. When you have enough, draft the instructions in under 150 words and ask me to confirm or refine them.
Create Your Claude Projects
The two common mistakes are one giant Project that tries to do everything, or so many Projects that none has enough context to be useful. Five minutes of thinking here saves months of reorganising later.
One main business Project. Everything goes here, rich in context from day one. Add specialist Projects once you know how you actually use Claude.
Best for: owner-operators and solo practitioners — the first three months.
Business Core — strategy, planning, finance. Marketing & Content — campaigns, content, brand. Clients & Delivery — proposals, deliverables, onboarding.
Best for: regular users wanting focused workspaces.
One Project per function — Business Core, Marketing, Sales, Operations — plus individual client Projects.
Best for: teams of three or more, or large client portfolios.
Limits: the Free plan allows five Projects; paid plans have no fixed limit. On paid plans, when a Project's knowledge approaches its context limit, Claude switches on retrieval automatically and can hold up to about ten times more.
How to create a Project
- Click Projects in the left sidebar (or go to claude.ai/projects).
- Click + New project. In Cowork you can also start from an existing folder on your computer, or import a chat Project.
- Name it clearly — e.g. "[Business Name] — Business Core". Claude can't see the name or description; they're for you.
- Your new Project opens empty and ready. Projects carry their own instructions, files, memory and scheduled tasks, and work the same in chat and Cowork, on every device.
Write Your Project Instructions — Claude Drafts Them
Let Claude draft these. Not because it's cleverer, but because it knows the format and language it uses most effectively. Your job is to give it the raw material — and then edit anything that doesn't sound like you.
Five things every set of Project instructions covers
| # | What to cover | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who you are | Name, business, what you do, who you serve, what makes you different |
| 2 | How your business works | Revenue model, key offers, the numbers that matter |
| 3 | Your voice and tone | How you communicate, your phrases, what to keep out |
| 4 | Your method | How you deliver results — your process and philosophy |
| 5 | How Claude should behave | Output length, format defaults, which assumptions to make — and which client data stays out |
I need to write the Project instructions for this Claude Project. Interview me — ask one question at a time — until you have everything needed to write clear, specific instructions that will make every conversation in this Project more accurate and useful. When you've gathered enough, draft the Project instructions in five short paragraphs covering: (1) who I am and what my business does, (2) how my business works and my key offers, (3) my voice and tone, (4) my method or framework, (5) how I want you to behave as my AI partner in this Project, including which client information stays out of it. Keep the total under 500 words. Write in first person, as if briefing a brilliant new team member.
Decide now which tools are approved and which client information never goes into Claude, and say so in your instructions. In AI BUILD that becomes your Team AI Code of Conduct (business owners) or your Client AI Usage Statement (coaches, trainers and facilitators).
Revisit quarterly. If your offers, targets or voice have changed, update them. Stale instructions produce stale output.
Upload Your Key Reference Documents
Files you add to a Project stay there. Claude draws on them in any conversation in that Project without you pasting anything — the more relevant your files, the more specific everything Claude produces becomes.
| What to upload | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Core offer or service guide | Claude describes what you sell accurately |
| Price list or fee schedule | Claude works with your real numbers, not generic advice |
| Your most important SOP | Claude references your actual workflow when building systems |
| A recent proposal or deliverable | Claude learns your output standard and matches your quality |
| Quarterly or annual plan | Claude's suggestions line up with your actual goals |
To upload: open your Project → click + in the knowledge panel on the right → select your file. Then test it: "Tell me the three most important things in the [document name] I just uploaded."
Run Your Business Identity Prompt
Your Project exists and your instructions are in place. This prompt puts that context to work, opens an active working relationship — and lets you check the instructions are landing.
I want to confirm my business context so you can support me well in this Project. Business name: [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] What we do: [1–2 sentences — specific] Who we serve: [Ideal client — industry, size, the problem they have] Revenue model: [How you make money] Current revenue / target: [$] Biggest challenge right now: [Be honest] My role: [Founder / owner / director / practitioner] Team size: [Number] Key tools: Claude, Notion, [ADD OTHERS] From this point, give me grounded, specific advice. I want a thinking partner who knows my business — who pushes back when I'm thinking small and says so when I'm avoiding the obvious.
Install the Desktop App and Open Cowork
Cowork carries out multi-step work — across your files and your connected tools — without you copying and pasting between apps. Sessions run in the cloud, so work keeps going when you close the laptop, and you can check in from your phone.
- Download the desktop app. Go to claude.com/download, choose Mac, Windows or Linux, install and sign in.
- Start a Cowork task. There's one message box for everything. Describe the work you want done, and Claude carries it out across your files and connected tools. (If your app still shows separate Chat and Cowork options, choose Cowork.)
- Choose how Claude checks with you. Use the mode selector in the message box. Manual asks you to allow or deny each action. Auto keeps working and checks each action for safety. Skip doesn't pause at all. Start in Manual for your first tasks, and ask Claude to show you its plan before it acts. Drafts are forgiving. Sent emails and moved files are not.
- Connect a folder. Claude sees no files on your computer until you connect a folder — you'll be asked the first time a task needs one. Start with one focused working folder and add more only as needed. Local folders are reachable only while the desktop app is open.
Brief Cowork on Your Business
Your global and Project instructions already travel into Cowork. This brief adds what's true this week.
I'm setting up my Cowork session for [BUSINESS NAME]. Business: [WHAT YOU DO AND WHO YOU SERVE — 2 sentences] Priorities this quarter: [TOP 3] How I work: [e.g. Tuesday–Thursday delivery / full-time / project bursts] What I need most this week: [DESCRIBE] Folders you have access to: [LIST CONNECTED FOLDERS] Notion is connected. Key pages: [LIST RELEVANT PAGES] Default to doing, then showing — I'd rather see a draft than a list of questions. Make reasonable assumptions and flag them. Show me your plan before you carry out anything.
Connect Notion
- Open Customize → Connectors in the left sidebar (or click + in the message box → Connectors → Manage connectors).
- Click + next to Connectors, find Notion, and connect. Sign in through Notion's own secure authorisation — no passwords are shared with Claude.
- Choose your Notion workspace and allow access.
- Test it: "Can you see my Notion workspace? Tell me the title of any page you can access."
The Notion connector can search, create and update pages and databases — not just read them. That's what makes the CRM build later in this guide possible. Your mode (Step 7) and each connector's tool settings — Always allow, Needs approval, Blocked — decide when Claude asks first.
Connect Your Tools
Connectors are secure links between Claude and the apps you already use, built on the open Model Context Protocol. You authorise once with the app's own sign-in, and Claude can work with what you've permitted. The directory is large and growing — you don't need hundreds, you need the five or six at the centre of your business.
How to connect any tool: Customize → Connectors → + → find the tool → Connect → authorise → test straight away. On Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner may need to add the connector for your organisation first.
Eight recommended connectors
Read Docs, Sheets and Slides in real time — no uploading.
Search your inbox, summarise threads, surface what needs action.
Schedule awareness, meeting prep, protecting deep-work blocks.
The Outlook equivalent — calendar and email together.
A desktop extension for Mac: install it from Settings → Desktop app → Extensions. It works only while the desktop app is open on your Mac.
Task progress, overdue items, project status at a glance.
Revenue summaries, subscription health, payment patterns.
A bridge to thousands of apps that don't have their own connector yet.
Look for the company's own connector first — many publish one you can add by its web address under Customize → Connectors → Add → Custom. If there isn't one, connect Zapier and Claude can reach the app through it; the Small Business plugin's build-connector workflow will set that link up with you.
Install Your Plugins
Connectors let Claude see your data. Plugins bundle skills, connectors and ready-made workflows so Claude can act on it. A plugin you add is saved to your account and works in chat, Cowork and Claude Code.
To install: open Customize in the left sidebar → Plugins → Discover → choose a plugin → Add. Approve the connectors it asks for.
Ready-to-run workflows for running and growing the business — start with /smb-onboard, then try /monday-brief. Anything touching money or customers waits for your approval.
Campaign plans, content drafts, email sequences, SEO audits and performance reports — /campaign-plan, /draft-content, /email-sequence.
Distils your existing materials into brand guidelines Claude applies to everything it writes — so drafts sound like you, whoever is prompting.
Strong Project instructions improve plugin output — plugins work with everything Claude already knows about your business. For precision, open each plugin task with a short context brief. Output sharpens over the first three or four runs as you refine.
Before you run this: Revenue target this month: [$]. Current pipeline: [DESCRIBE]. My main offers: [LIST]. My biggest priority right now: [ONE SENTENCE]. Use this to make your output specific to my business, not generic.
The Pause
Every prompt in this guide was written using one principle. Understand it — it changes every conversation you have with Claude from here on.
Most people approach AI the way they approach a search engine: a few words, a vague question, hope for the best. And they get what that approach deserves — generic output that needs so much editing it barely saves time. The people who get exceptional results do one thing differently. They pause before they prompt, and ask four questions.
- Context — what does Claude need to know? Don't assume Claude knows your industry, remembers last week, or understands the nuance of your situation. Give it the relevant background first — even a sentence or two. Brief it like a brilliant colleague who's new to this specific problem.
- Role — who do you need Claude to be? "Help me with this email" produces a different result from "You are my most trusted business advisor and this email could affect a client relationship worth $20,000." The role sets the quality, rigour and tone of everything that follows.
- Format — what does the output need to look like? A table? Three options? A paragraph you can paste straight into an email? A structured document? Name the format and you get something usable on the first attempt. Leave it out and Claude will choose.
- Tone — how does this need to sound? Warm and personal? Direct? Formal? Conversational and a little witty? Tone is the difference between copy that sounds like you and copy that sounds like a press release. Name it explicitly.
The before and after
| Without the pause | With the pause |
|---|---|
| "Write a follow-up email to a client." | "You are my client relationship manager. I met with [CLIENT] yesterday about renewing their contract. They were positive but mentioned budget pressure. Write a warm, confident follow-up — acknowledge the budget conversation without making it the main focus. Lead with the value they've received. Under 150 words. Write in my voice — direct and warm, never corporate." |
[ROLE] — [CONTEXT] — [TASK] — [FORMAT] — [TONE]
Not every prompt needs all five; most good prompts have at least three. If you wrote a prompt in under ten seconds, you probably haven't given Claude enough to work with.
Setting honest expectations
The best time to set expectations is before they're tested. Knowing both what Claude does brilliantly and where it has limits turns you from a frustrated occasional user into a skilled daily one.
What Claude is brilliant at
- Thinking through complex problems — without fatigue, without ego
- Drafting almost anything: emails, proposals, documents, posts, plans, SOPs
- Making sense of large amounts of text — summarising, extracting, reorganising
- Generating options and perspectives you hadn't considered
- Consistent output for repeatable tasks
- Improving quickly when you give honest, specific feedback
Where Claude has limits
- It has a training cutoff. It can search the web when asked — still, treat factual answers as a starting point and verify what matters
- It can be confidently wrong. Review before you send; verify before you rely
- Outside a Project, it carries only your global instructions and memory between conversations — which is why the Project matters so much
- It can't produce great output from a vague brief — if it feels generic, the prompt needs work
Claude is not magic, and it is not infallible. It is an exceptionally capable thinking and writing partner that performs in direct proportion to how well you brief it. Used with that understanding, it will regularly surprise you.
Test everything
Setup without testing is hope, not infrastructure. Five minutes here saves you from discovering a broken connection at the worst possible moment.
- Project instructions are working. In your Project: "In 2–3 sentences, tell me what you know about my business from your instructions." You should get a specific, accurate summary. If it's vague, return to Step 4.
- Notion is connected. "Can you access my Notion workspace? Tell me the title of any page you can see." A real page title should come back.
- Google Drive is connected (if you connected it). "Can you see my Google Drive? Tell me the name of any recent document."
- Cowork is ready. In Manual mode, give it: "Draft a short email thanking a client for a recent meeting. Show me your plan before you do anything." Review the plan, then stop it — you're confirming the approval flow, not sending anything.
- Plugins are active. Type / in the message box — your plugins' commands should be listed. Run /monday-brief from the Small Business plugin.
Claude, Projects and Cowork: support.claude.com. Connectors: Customize → Connectors — reconnect, and check each tool's permissions. Notion: in Notion's settings, confirm Claude has access to the pages you need. Hitting limits quickly: Settings → Usage.
Your first 30 days
The setup is done. This is where it becomes real. The first thirty days aren't about mastery — they're about showing up consistently until the new behaviour becomes automatic.
I've just finished setting up my Claude Project. Look at my Project instructions and tell me: what is the single most useful thing you could do for my business in the next 30 minutes? Give me three specific options, ranked by immediate value.
I've been using Claude for 30 days. Here's how it's gone: [WHAT WORKED / WHAT DIDN'T / WHAT SURPRISED YOU]. Help me: (1) identify the two or three uses where Claude has added the most genuine value, (2) name one thing I should be using Claude for that I'm still not, (3) suggest what to focus on in the next 30 days. Be honest and specific.
Consistency beats intensity. Ten minutes every day builds a better working relationship than two hours once a fortnight. You're building a habit and a collaboration at the same time.
Weekly routines
Three prompts, about twenty-five minutes a week. Run them by hand at first; once the output is right, any of them can become a scheduled task.
Give me a Monday business pulse for [BUSINESS NAME]. Pull from my Notion and anything I've shared with you. I want: (1) where I stand against my three quarterly goals, (2) any metric that should concern me this week, (3) the single most important thing I should focus on before Friday. Under 200 words — clarity, not volume.
Run a pipeline review. Here is my current pipeline: [PASTE OR DESCRIBE]. Flag: (1) any deal with no movement in 2+ weeks, (2) my most likely close this week and what would advance it, (3) any gap between my pipeline and my monthly revenue target. Give me a 'call these people today' list with one talking point each.
End-of-week debrief for [BUSINESS NAME]. This week I planned to: [LIST 3 PRIORITIES]. What actually happened: [DESCRIBE]. Biggest win: [WIN]. Biggest frustration: [FRUSTRATION]. Help me: (1) identify one pattern worth noticing, (2) improve one system or process before next week, (3) draft my top 3 priorities for next Monday. Keep the answer tight.
Use them when you need them
For the moments that call for specific thinking, fast drafting or precise output. Keep this section bookmarked.
⚡ Daily tasks
Here are my notes from a meeting today: [PASTE NOTES OR TRANSCRIPT]. Turn these into: (1) a summary of what was discussed and decided, (2) numbered action items with owner and deadline where named, (3) any follow-up I need to send. Format for pasting straight into Notion.
Here is an email thread: [PASTE THREAD]. Give me: (1) what this is about in one sentence, (2) what's been agreed so far, (3) what's still open, (4) what I need to do. Under 150 words.
LinkedIn post about [TOPIC]. My audience: [DESCRIBE]. Tone: [DESCRIBE]. Core idea: [ONE SENTENCE]. Write 3 versions — under 100 words, 150–200 words, and one that opens with a hook strong enough to stop the scroll.
Here is something that doesn't feel right: [PASTE TEXT]. My voice: [DESCRIBE — e.g. warm, direct, a little witty, never corporate]. Rewrite it so it sounds like me. Keep the meaning — change how it reads.
Rough bullets for [WHAT IT IS — e.g. a client proposal / project update]: [PASTE]. Turn these into a clean, professional document I can send. Format: [DESCRIBE]. Tone: [DESCRIBE].
I have a call with [NAME / COMPANY] [TODAY / TOMORROW]. Purpose: [DESCRIBE]. What I know about them: [WHATEVER YOU KNOW]. Give me: (1) three things I must accomplish, (2) two questions I should ask, (3) one thing to be careful about. Brief and practical.
I'm deciding whether to [DESCRIBE]. Context: [SITUATION]. I'm leaning toward [CURRENT THINKING] but not fully committed. Help me: (1) identify what I might be missing, (2) name the real risk on each side, (3) tell me the question I should be asking that I'm not. Help me think rather than telling me what to do.
💰 Revenue and sales
Revenue target for [PERIOD]: [$]. Currently tracking at: [$]. Gap: [$]. My read on why: [ASSESSMENT]. Help me: (1) pressure-test my diagnosis, (2) identify the most likely real cause, (3) give me 3 specific actions to close or reduce the gap before the end of the period. Be direct.
Enquiry-to-client conversion: [%] against a target of [%]. My sales process: [DESCRIBE STEPS]. Help me identify the most likely drop-off point and 2–3 specific changes to test this quarter. Practical suggestions only — not sales theory.
⚙️ Operations and systems
Find the operational bottleneck most limiting my growth. My typical week: [DESCRIBE — what takes most time, what shouldn't need you, where things get stuck]. Ask me questions. Then suggest the highest-value fix — a system, a delegation or an automation.
Help me close [MONTH] for [BUSINESS NAME]. Revenue: [$]. Cost categories: [LIST]. Target margin: [%]. Actual: [%]. Help me: (1) identify the biggest variance and its likely cause, (2) flag anything needing attention before next month, (3) write a 3-sentence P&L narrative to keep on file.
👥 Clients and team
Difficult client situation. What happened: [DESCRIBE]. The client: [RELATIONSHIP]. My goal: [OUTCOME WANTED]. Help me: (1) see it from their perspective without losing mine, (2) identify the best response strategy, (3) draft a response if needed. Tone: [professional and warm / firm and clear / other].
Important meeting with [DESCRIBE] on [DATE]. Purpose: [GOAL]. What I know about them: [WHAT YOU KNOW]. Help me: (1) anticipate the 3 most likely objections and how to handle them, (2) structure the meeting for the outcome I want, (3) identify the one thing they should leave knowing.
Let Claude run something real
Complete task sequences — not single prompts. Paste the prompt into Cowork, review the plan, approve it, and watch what gets done.
Run your Cowork identity brief (Step 8) and use Manual mode until you trust the task. Ask for the plan first — read it, correct it if needed, then approve.
🖥️ 1 — Organise your Desktop
Clears the chaos from your Desktop by sorting files into logical folders. Shows you the complete plan before moving a single file. Connect your Desktop folder first.
Organise my Desktop into this structure: — Active Projects (currently working on) — Reference (keep but don't act on daily) — Archive [YEAR] (older than 6 months) — Inbox (not yet sorted) Review every file. Show me your complete plan before you move anything. Flag anything uncertain rather than assuming. Delete nothing: if something looks deletable, move it to a folder called '[YOUR NAME] to Review' so I confirm it myself. Show me the full plan. Wait for my approval before moving a single file.
This is the one-off big sort. To keep it tidy from here on, set up the weekly Desktop Organisation task in the Scheduled Instructions template — it uses the same review folder.
📂 2 — Organise your working files
Takes a specific folder — Documents, a client folder, a project folder — and reorganises it into the structure you define, with a full inventory and plan first.
Reorganise my [FOLDER NAME] folder into this structure: [DESCRIBE — e.g. one folder per client, with subfolders for Proposals / Deliverables / Correspondence / Invoices]. Before you touch anything: 1. Summary of what's currently here — file count, categories, duplicates 2. Complete reorganisation plan showing where every item will go 3. Flag anything you can't confidently categorise Wait for my explicit approval before moving or renaming anything.
☀️ 3 — Daily morning briefing
The canonical first build in AI BUILD. Every morning, Claude pulls your email, calendar and quarterly goals and writes a structured briefing, with replies already drafted. Requires: Gmail or Microsoft 365, Google Calendar or Outlook — and, if you save to Apple Notes, the Apple Notes extension.
The full prompt, the briefing layout and how to schedule it are in one place: Your Daily Briefing in the Scheduled Instructions template. Build it from there, then come back for the end-of-day capture below — it adds to the same note.
🌙 4 — End-of-day capture
Add an end-of-day capture to today's note ('Daily Briefing — [TODAY'S DATE]'). New section at the bottom: 'END OF DAY'.
WHAT GOT DONE: The three most significant things accomplished today
WHAT'S OPEN: Tasks, decisions or conversations that didn't close — needs attention tomorrow
TOMORROW'S HEAD START: Based on my calendar tomorrow, one thing worth preparing before I close the laptop tonight
ONE THING TO ACKNOWLEDGE: Something small from today worth noting — a win, a kind message, something that went well
Add it to the note and confirm.📈 5 — Weekly financial snapshot
Requires: the Stripe connector and/or financial documents shared with Claude.
Run my weekly financial snapshot for the week ending [DATE]. Pull from my Stripe data and financial documents. Write in plain English — no jargon: REVENUE THIS WEEK: Total received, broken down by offer or source where possible REVENUE MONTH TO DATE: Running total against my monthly target of [$] PIPELINE THIS WEEK: New enquiries, proposals sent, or deals progressed ONE THING TO ACT ON: The single most important financial action for next week — specific, not general Save as a note titled 'Weekly Financial Snapshot — [WEEK ENDING DATE]' and confirm.
📥 6 — Clear and prioritise your inbox
Your morning briefing handles the few emails that matter today. Use this one when the inbox has got away from you and needs a full clear-out. Requires: Gmail or Microsoft 365.
Triage my inbox. Process everything from the last 48 hours. Sort every email into one of four categories: ACTION REQUIRED: I need to do something. State what the action is. REPLY NEEDED: I need to respond. Draft replies for the three most important ones — in my voice, warm and direct. Save them as drafts; send nothing. INFORMATION ONLY: Worth reading, no reply. Flag the ones most relevant to my current priorities. ARCHIVE: No action needed. List what you'd archive so I can confirm. Show me the full triage first. Archive, reply or move nothing without my approval on each category.
What Claude can create for you
Cowork runs tasks. Projects build assets. These are complete build sequences — run them inside the relevant Project so Claude has your full context. Brief fully, let Claude ask its questions, and review the structure before the content is written.
📋 Build 1 — Standard Operating Procedure
Create a Standard Operating Procedure for [PROCESS NAME]. Ask any questions you need first, then build. The process as I run it: [DESCRIBE — even roughly. Include what triggers it, the steps you take, tools used, what good output looks like, and what can go wrong.] The SOP must include: — Title and purpose (one sentence) — Who runs it and when — What triggers it — Step-by-step instructions — specific enough for someone doing this for the first time — Tools and resources needed at each step — Common mistakes and how to avoid them — What 'done well' looks like — the quality check — A checklist version at the end Ask your questions first. Then build.
📱 Build 2 — Social media content planner
Build a 30-day social media content planner for [BUSINESS NAME]. Context: Audience: [WHO THEY ARE — situation, pain, desire] Platforms: [LIST — e.g. LinkedIn, Instagram, email newsletter] Offer I most want to promote: [NAME AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION] Posting frequency: [e.g. 3x per week on LinkedIn, daily Stories] Goal this month: [e.g. generate enquiries / grow my email list / build authority in [TOPIC]] Build: — Week 1–4 themes: one overarching theme per week leading the audience toward my offer — Per post: day, platform, theme, format (insight / story / question / result / offer), one-line description — 5 posts written in full — educational, personal story, client result, contrarian take, direct offer — Hashtag and engagement approach for my primary platform Ask me any questions before you build.
🌐 Build 3 — Website brief
Create a complete website brief for [BUSINESS NAME]. Detailed enough to use directly in Claude Design. Business context: [PASTE YOUR WORKFLOW MAP AND DISCOVERY ANSWERS, or describe your business, audience and offer] Include: — SITE GOAL: What this website must achieve (primary conversion action) — AUDIENCE: Who arrives here, and what they need to feel, understand and do — PAGE STRUCTURE: Recommended pages, with a one-paragraph description of what each must accomplish — HOME PAGE IN FULL: Hero, value proposition, services overview, social proof, call to action — with copy direction for each — TONE AND VOICE GUIDE: How the site sounds, what to keep out, any phrases distinctly ours — DESIGN NOTES: Mood, feel, visual references, brand constraints — CALLS TO ACTION: The two or three main actions and where they appear Ask questions before you build. I'd rather answer ten questions than receive a brief that misses the mark.
🎯 Build 4 — Landing page
Write the copy for a landing page for [OFFER NAME]. Context: What it is: [DESCRIBE — what it is, what it costs, what's included] Who it's for: [IDEAL BUYER — their situation, pain, desire] The transformation: [Before state vs. after state] Main objections: [What makes people hesitate?] Proof available: [Testimonials people have agreed to share, results, credentials] One action I want: [e.g. book a call / buy now / register interest] Write the full page: 1. Headline — the single most compelling thing I can say to my ideal buyer 2. Subheadline — what they'll get and why it matters 3. Problem — where they are before finding this offer 4. Solution — what this offer is and how it works 5. What's included — specific deliverables and outcomes 6. Who it's for (and who it isn't) 7. Objection handling — address the top 3 hesitations directly 8. Social proof — where real testimonials will go 9. About — brief, credibility-focused, not a CV 10. Call to action — clear, specific, never 'click here' Use only claims I can back up. Ask questions before you start.
📊 Build 5 — CRM in Notion
Build a simple CRM in my Notion workspace. I'm not a power user — I need something clean and actually usable. My business: [TYPE, how you sell, typical client journey] Build: — CONTACTS DATABASE: Name, company, role, email, phone, how we met, relationship status (lead / prospect / active client / past client / referral partner), last contact date, notes — PIPELINE DATABASE: Deal name, linked contact, stage (Enquiry / Proposal Sent / Negotiation / Won / Lost), value, expected close date, next action — FOLLOW-UP VIEW: Everyone not contacted in more than [X] days, sorted by relationship status — BOARD VIEW: All active deals by stage — DASHBOARD: Pipeline value, deals by stage, who needs follow-up this week — at a glance Show me the proposed structure first. Ask questions. Build once I approve.
Once built, try: "Look at my Notion CRM. Who are the active prospects I haven't contacted in two weeks? Draft a personalised check-in for each one."
🤝 Build 6 — Client onboarding pack
Create a complete client onboarding pack for [BUSINESS NAME], for clients who've just committed to [OFFER / SERVICE]. How I work: [DESCRIBE — what you need from clients, what happens in the first weeks, what a great start looks like] Build four documents: 1. WELCOME EMAIL — warm, confident, under 300 words. Confirms what they've committed to, explains next steps, and reassures them they've made the right decision. 2. ONBOARDING QUESTIONNAIRE — what I need to know before our first session: current situation, goals, how they'll define success, what they've tried before, how they work best. 8–12 questions at most. 3. PROJECT BRIEF TEMPLATE — one page: goals, milestones, success measures, constraints. 4. FIRST SESSION AGENDA — welcome, questionnaire review, goal alignment, working rhythm, and a first action for them to leave with. Ask questions first. These need to sound like me, not like generic templates.
📚 Build 7 — Your business prompt library
Build a custom prompt library for [BUSINESS NAME] — 20 prompts written specifically for my business, using my Project instructions as context. Not generic templates. 4 prompts in each category: 1. CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS — emails, proposals, follow-ups, difficult conversations 2. CONTENT AND MARKETING — posts, emails, campaign briefs, content ideas 3. OPERATIONS AND SYSTEMS — SOPs, process documents, delegation briefs, meeting agendas 4. STRATEGY AND THINKING — decision frameworks, goal reviews, problem diagnosis 5. DAILY TASKS — what I'll use most often, every week For each prompt: a clear title, the full prompt with [PLACEHOLDERS] for the parts I fill in each time, and one line on when to use it. Format the whole library as a Notion page I can save straight to my workspace — so my team and I get consistent output without writing briefs from scratch.
🗺️ Build 8 — 90-day business plan
Create my 90-day business plan for [START DATE] to [END DATE]. Honest and actionable — not aspirational wallpaper. Starting point: [CURRENT REVENUE, team size, challenges, what's working and what isn't] What I want to achieve: [DESCRIBE — specific. If unsure, say so.] Build: — THE 90-DAY HEADLINE: One sentence describing what a successful quarter looks like — THREE GOALS: Specific, measurable, achievable in 90 days — WEEKLY FOCUS AREAS: Which weeks prioritise which goals — THE CONSTRAINTS: What could get in the way, and how I'll handle the most likely obstacles — WHAT I'M STOPPING: At least two things I'm consciously not doing this quarter, to protect focus — THE REVIEW RHYTHM: Weekly pulse, monthly review, 30/60/90-day check-in prompts Ask me questions before you build. Push back if I'm being too ambitious, or not ambitious enough. Be honest.
Keep the system current
Context goes stale, instructions drift, priorities shift. This section is short — and skipping it is the most common reason a strong AI setup slowly becomes an underused one. Run these at the start of each quarter.
We're starting a new quarter. Update your context for [BUSINESS NAME]. Last quarter, the most significant things were: [3–5 POINTS]. My focus has shifted from [OLD] to [NEW]. The context that matters most for Q[X]: [KEY THINGS]. Treat this as your working brief for the quarter.
Open each Project → Instructions → edit → save. Do both: the prompt updates this conversation; the instructions update every future one — including your scheduled tasks.
I need to update your context. Something significant has changed: [DESCRIBE WHAT AND WHY IT MATTERS]. This affects: [WHICH PARTS OF THE BUSINESS]. Update your understanding of [BUSINESS NAME] accordingly and confirm back what's changed, in your own words, so I can check it's landed.
The more specific you are, the more useful Claude becomes. Treat Claude like a brilliant contractor who knows your industry but doesn't yet know your business — brief it the way you'd brief a person. The investment pays back every time you open a conversation.
The floor, not the ceiling
Your Projects, instructions, connectors, plugins and Cowork routines are a working system in their own right. Here is what's there whenever you want to take it further.
Weekly snapshots produced automatically. Monthly client check-ins. Quarterly reviews ready on the first Monday of each quarter. Build the routine once — let it run. Start with the Scheduled Instructions template.
Take any Project Build — website brief, landing page, content plan — into Claude Design for on-brand pages, one-pagers and prototypes; decks go to Claude Slides. Export to PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides or HTML, or send straight to Canva.
The eight in this guide are a starter set. As your confidence grows: HubSpot, Slack, Figma, QuickBooks or Xero, and whichever industry tool sits at the centre of your business.
Turns what you've been doing in conversation into working software — a client intake form that writes to your Notion CRM, a dashboard pulling live from Stripe, your own small tools. You don't need to become a developer; you need to be able to brief it clearly.
Signs it's working
- Claude is part of your daily working rhythm, and the 30-day plan is behind you
- You've run at least three Project Builds and used what they produced
- You've connected five or more tools and used them in real work
- You've run at least one multi-step Cowork task through the approval flow — and scheduled one
- You catch yourself thinking "I wonder if Claude could…" — and finding the answer is yes
In AI BUILD, nothing counts as built until it has survived fourteen days of ordinary work — not fourteen days of testing. When a routine passes that, write it up as an SOP and log it in your Build Journal.
The businesses that thrive won't simply be the ones that adopted AI. They'll be the ones that learned to work with it well — with clarity, intention, and the courage to build rather than just observe.
You've built the foundation. Now let it work for you.