Getting started · Claude
The 5-minute AI setup I wish every small business started with
Sign up, one real prompt, four facts about your shop or studio. Do this once, before any of the other guides.
I use Claude in my own work the same way I tell clients to: not as a magic trick, as a second brain for the repetitive writing and sorting that eats evenings. This is the whole setup. No coding, no course — five minutes on your phone.
- 01sign up free
Get Claude open on your phone
Go to claude.ai and sign up with the email you actually check — memory and projects are tied to this account. The free plan is enough to start; upgrade later if you hit a wall, not before. Grab the mobile app while you're there so you can use it between customers, not only at a desk.
- 02copy this
Your first real prompt
Most people's first prompt is "write me a caption." Try this instead — it gets Claude asking you questions instead of guessing:
I run a [shop / studio / café / clinic / service business] in Metro Vancouver. My biggest time-sink this week is [the thing — e.g. restocking, follow-ups, Monday numbers, booking confirmations]. Before you suggest anything, what should you ask me first so you actually understand how this business runs?
- 03the real unlock
Teach it four facts about your business
Type "remember that..." followed by a fact, and Claude keeps it for every future chat. Paste these and fill the brackets — two minutes now saves you re-explaining yourself every time:
remember that I run a [type of business] in [neighbourhood / city] with [#] people remember that we are busiest [days / hours] and slowest [days / hours] remember that I already use [Shopify / Square / Jane / Mindbody / spreadsheets / email — whatever is true] remember that I hate long emails — keep replies short and specific
- 04make it stick
Pick one weekly ritual
Most people try AI once and forget it exists. Pick one thing you already do every week and do it with Claude for 7 days. Monday: paste last week's numbers and ask what needs attention. Before a supplier or landlord call, paste the thread and ask what to confirm. Friday: tell it what went sideways and ask what to change. After a week you'll spot your own uses — that's the whole trick.
This gets you comfortable with one tool. It does not tell you which 3–7 tools actually fit how your week runs — or whether you need AI at all versus a clearer view of numbers you already have. That's the assessment: one week, and if it cannot find 5+ hours back, you don't pay.
Start with the AI Tools Assessment
One week. One report. The 3–7 AI tools your business actually needs — and 5+ hours a week found, or you pay nothing.