The Claude Starter Kit
Everything I set up for clients who want Claude working like a co-worker instead of a chatbot: the Instructions template, ten prompts for real business tasks, and a first-week plan. All copy-paste, all free.
Step 1 · The highest-leverage five minutes
Your "Instructions for Claude" template
Before anything else, give Claude a standing brief about you. It loads into every conversation automatically, so you stop re-explaining your business every time. Open Claude's Settings, find Instructions for Claude in your profile settings, and paste this in — then replace every bracket.
The "Do NOT" list is the most useful part. Banning a habit works better than describing the ideal — and every time Claude gets something wrong in a way that'll come up again, add one line. It compounds fast.
I run [business name], a [what you do] serving [who you serve] in [city/region]. I'm not technical — explain things in plain English and skip the jargon.
When you write for me: keep it direct and concrete, lead with the answer, and match a warm but no-nonsense tone. Use real numbers and examples over vague claims.
Tools I use: [your email], [your calendar], [your CRM or client list], [your website platform], [your accounting software].
Do NOT: use corporate buzzwords ("leverage," "synergy," "best-in-class"), over-promise, write in choppy three-sentence bursts, or pad word count. If you're guessing, say so. Step 2 · The prompt library
Ten prompts for real business tasks
Not "50 mind-blowing AI hacks" — ten tasks small businesses actually repeat, written so Claude asks before it guesses. Copy one, fill in the brackets, paste your real material where marked.
01 · Answer a customer email in your voice Any time a reply needs more than two sentences
Here's an email from a customer, and below it three examples of replies I've written before. Draft a reply that sounds like me — same warmth, same directness, same level of detail. Ask me anything you need to know before drafting. [paste customer email] [paste 2–3 of your past replies]
02 · Turn your inbox FAQs into a real FAQ page Once — then it feeds your website and your replies forever
Here are a bunch of emails/messages where customers asked questions. Pull out the 10–15 questions that come up most, then draft a plain-English FAQ page answering each one. Use my actual answers where I gave them. Flag any question where you'd be guessing. [paste a pile of customer emails or notes]
03 · Write a service page that AI engines can quote One per service you offer
Draft a web page about my [service name] service. Structure: answer "what is it and who is it for" in the first 150 words, then what's included, then pricing (I'll give you the range), then 3–5 FAQs about this service. Plain English, no hype, specific over general. Here's what I know: [describe the service, price range, who it's for].
04 · Summarize a meeting into actions After any call with notes or a transcript
Here are my rough notes from a meeting. Write: (1) a 5-line summary, (2) a list of action items with who owns each, (3) anything that sounded like a decision, stated as one. If something is ambiguous, list it under "worth confirming" instead of guessing. [paste notes]
05 · Draft a quote or proposal from past examples Every quote, once you've saved 2–3 good past ones
Attached are examples of past proposals I've sent. Draft a new one for this job: [describe the job, the customer, rough scope]. Match my format and voice exactly. Use my past pricing as a guide, but flag any number you're unsure about rather than inventing one.
06 · Write your Google Business Profile post Every few weeks — engines reward the pulse
Write a short Google Business Profile post (under 100 words) about [a recent job / a seasonal reminder / a common customer question]. Plain, useful, no hashtags, no exclamation-point cheerleading. End with one clear next step for the reader.
07 · Make sense of a spreadsheet When the numbers are there but the answer isn't
Here's a spreadsheet export of [what it is]. Answer three questions: What changed most compared to the previous period? Where am I losing the most [money/time]? What's the one number I should watch monthly? Show your reasoning so I can check it. [paste or attach the data]
08 · Draft the blog post you keep not writing Monthly, 30 minutes with editing
Draft a short blog post (500–800 words) answering this customer question: "[the question]". Lead with the direct answer in the first paragraph. Use my business specifics: [a real example, your pricing range, your area]. I'll edit for voice — prioritize being correct and concrete over being polished.
09 · Prep for a difficult conversation Price increases, firing a client, a refund request
I need to [describe the situation — e.g., "tell a longtime client their rate is going up 15%"]. Draft what I should say: honest, direct, kind, no corporate padding. Then list the 3 most likely responses I'll get and how to handle each one.
10 · Turn a project into a reusable checklist After you finish something you'll do again
Here's everything that happened on a recent [type of project] — notes, emails, invoices, whatever I've pasted. Turn it into a step-by-step checklist I can reuse next time, with rough time estimates per step and the mistakes to avoid based on what went sideways this time.
Step 3 · The first week
Five days, under two hours total
The goal of week one isn't mastery — it's running enough real tasks that you can feel where this fits your business. Small, real, and daily beats one ambitious Saturday.
Day 1 — 20 minutes
Create your account, install the desktop app, and paste in your Instructions (template above, filled in). This one step improves everything that follows.
Day 2 — 15 minutes
Run the customer-email prompt on one real email. Edit what comes back and send it. Notice what you changed — then add one line to your Instructions so next time it's closer.
Day 3 — 30 minutes
Run the FAQ prompt on a pile of old customer emails. You now have the draft of the most valuable page on your website.
Day 4 — 20 minutes
Create a Project called "My Business." Upload your price list, a couple of past proposals, and your new FAQ draft. Everything you draft inside it now starts from your real details.
Day 5 — 30 minutes
Pick the one task from the prompt library that matches your biggest time sink, and run it for real. That's the habit — one real task at a time, each one a little more delegated than the last.
Common Questions
Do I need the paid Claude plan?
The free plan is fine for trying the prompts. The paid plan (starting around $20/month) is where the co-worker features live — Projects, higher limits, and the desktop app's working modes. Start free; upgrade when you notice you're hitting limits on real work.
Will this work with ChatGPT instead?
Mostly, yes. The prompts are model-agnostic and ChatGPT has equivalents of Instructions (Custom Instructions) and Projects. I write for Claude because it's what I use to run my own business — including building this website.
Is it safe to paste customer emails into Claude?
Treat it like a contractor: be deliberate. Remove details that don't need to be there (account numbers, health information), and check your industry's rules — medical and legal practices have specific obligations. On paid business plans, review the data settings so conversations aren't used for training.
What's the biggest mistake beginners make?
Delegating the judgment along with the keystrokes. Claude executes a clear request well and a vague one badly. Decide what good looks like, give it real examples, and edit what comes back — the thinking stays yours.
Beyond the starter kit
Want a roadmap for your specific business?
A Strategy Session is 90 minutes where we map what to set up, what to skip, and in what order — for your tools, your team, your customers. You leave with a prioritized plan, not a slide deck.
Book a Strategy Session →Get new prompts and guides by email
When I add prompts to this kit or Claude ships something worth knowing about, I'll send a short note. No fluff, no spam.