Your Business Growth Kit

You're going to be my business partner. I've never used AI or anything with code before, so please:

- Talk to me in plain words, like a friend would. If you have to use a tech word, explain it in one sentence.
- Do ONE step at a time. Wait for me to say "done" before you give me the next step.
- When I need to click around on a website, tell me exactly what to click. If I get lost I'll paste you a screenshot.
- NEVER buy anything, spend money, post anything publicly, or message a customer without asking me first and waiting for me to say "yes".
- Never make up prices, reviews, numbers, or claims about my business. If you don't know, ask me.
- Save everything you make into this folder, so we can pick up where we left off on any day.

Here's what you know about my business so far:

- Nothing yet. Ask me everything in step 3.

Your job right now:

1. Create a file called CLAUDE.md in this folder. Put the rules above in it, plus everything you know about my business. Keep it updated whenever we learn something new.

2. Make these folders: photos, website, operations, marketing, plan.

3. Ask me these questions ONE AT A TIME and save my answers into CLAUDE.md. Skip any that are already answered above.
   - What's my business called, and what town is it in?
   - What do I sell or do?
   - Am I just starting, already running it, or trying to grow it?
   - How do customers find me and buy from me right now?
   - Do I have a website, a Facebook or Instagram page, or a Google listing? Paste the links.
   - How do I take payments now? (Square, Shopify, Clover, cash, Venmo, something else?)
   - About how much does it cost me to make or deliver one sale? A guess is fine.
   - How many hours a week can I give to growing it, and how much a month can I spend on tools or ads?
   - What would a great month look like? A number is fine.
   - What's the one thing about the business that frustrates me most right now?

4. Pick my PATH. If my path is already listed above, confirm it with me instead of asking. Choose the one that fits best and tell me why in two sentences:
   - PRODUCTS: I make or sell physical things. I need an online store plus shipping and/or local pickup.
   - FOOD & DRINK: I need online ordering for pickup, using the payment system I already have if I can.
   - APPOINTMENTS (salon, photographer, trainer, tutor, and so on): I need a website, online booking, and reminders.
   - TRADES & HOME SERVICES (contractor, repair, cleaning, landscaping, and so on): I need a website, quote requests, and Google reviews.
   - SOMETHING ELSE: tell me what fits and why.

5. Write my path into CLAUDE.md. Then write plan/ROADMAP.md with:
   - the tools you recommend for my path
   - what each one costs per month (look up current prices, start with free options, and say what would make me outgrow the free version)
   - one sentence each on what Prompts 2 to 6 will do for me

6. Give me a short, encouraging summary of where I stand. Then tell me to paste Prompt 2.

Read CLAUDE.md and plan/ROADMAP.md first. Same rules as always: plain words, one step at a time, wait for "done", and ask me before anything costs money or goes public.

Today we build my ONLINE HOME. That's the place customers find me, see what I offer, and buy, book, or order.


STEP 1: LOOK BEFORE WE BUILD. If I already have a website or online shop, open it with me first. Decide together whether to fix it or replace it. Don't rebuild something that works.

STEP 2: CONNECT YOURSELF. Check whether you can connect to the tool we're using. On claude.ai, go to Settings, then Connectors (Shopify is one, for example). If you can connect, do the setup work yourself and keep everything as a draft until I approve it. If you can't, walk me through it click by click.

STEP 3: BUILD IT FOR MY PATH.

- PRODUCTS: Set up my online store. Use Shopify unless my roadmap says otherwise. Look for any intro deal, tell me the real price before I sign up, and no yearly plan yet. Then:
  - getting paid to my bank
  - a free theme in my colors
  - products with real photos, prices, and stock counts, so it can say "only 2 left"
  - collections
  - local pickup
  - policies
  - the Facebook & Instagram sales channel
  - one test order

- FOOD & DRINK: Set up online ordering for pickup through the payment system I already use, if it offers ordering (for example Square Online, Toast, or Clover). If it doesn't, recommend the simplest option and tell me what it costs. Then:
  - my full menu with real prices and photos
  - item options (sizes, add-ins)
  - pickup times
  - my hours and days off
  - a "sold out" switch I know how to use
  - one test order

- APPOINTMENTS: Build a simple website with online booking. First check whether my payment system already has booking (for example Square Appointments). If not, recommend a free or cheap booking tool and tell me what it costs. Then:
  - my services, with real prices and how long each takes
  - deposits and a no-show policy, if I want them
  - automatic reminders
  - one test booking

- TRADES & HOME SERVICES: Build a simple website with:
  - my services and the area I cover
  - photos of my real work
  - a tap-to-call button
  - a quote request form that emails or texts me
  Then test the form.

- SOMETHING ELSE: Follow what my roadmap says.

STEP 4: FOR EVERY PATH.
- Use my real photos, prices, and words. Never make up reviews, prices, or claims.
- Most customers will see this on a phone. Check every page on a phone screen with me.
- Add an About page (my story, in my words), a Contact page, and any policies my path needs.
- Web address: check whether my business name is available, tell me the yearly price, and buy only if I say yes.
- Do one full test as a customer would, start to finish, and fix anything that's confusing.
- Keep website/NOTES.md with what we set up and where things are. No passwords in that file.

When we're done, tell me to paste Prompt 3.

Read CLAUDE.md, plan/ROADMAP.md and website/NOTES.md first. Same rules: plain words, one step at a time, ask before spending money.

Today we make the day-to-day run itself as much as possible, so more customers don't bury me. Follow my PATH:

- PRODUCTS:
  - packaging
  - weighing a few real orders
  - shipping prices that don't scare people off: a flat price, free shipping over an amount you figure out from my prices, and free local pickup
  - printing discounted labels from the order page
  - automatic tracking emails and "ready for pickup" messages
  - a packing routine, with a thank-you card that has a discount code for their next order

- FOOD & DRINK:
  - how orders reach me (phone alerts, a tablet, or a printer), and which one fits my counter
  - prep-time settings
  - pausing online orders when I'm slammed
  - "your order is ready" messages
  - marking items sold out
  - holiday hours

- APPOINTMENTS:
  - automatic reminders by text or email
  - deposits and a cancellation policy
  - an intake form, if my service needs one
  - a "time to rebook" message
  - a review request after each visit

- TRADES & HOME SERVICES:
  - a simple path from quote request to quote to follow-up to invoice to paid
  - templates for my quotes and follow-ups
  - scheduling jobs
  - taking before/after photos on every job for my website
  - a review request when the job is done

- SOMETHING ELSE: whatever keeps my day-to-day from eating my time.

For every path:
- Make sure I get a phone notification for every new order, booking, or quote request. Help me install the right app.
- Set up one simple place where I can see what's coming up.
- Write templates for the 5 messages I send customers most often, in my voice. Save them to operations/MESSAGES.md.
- Test every automation with me so we KNOW it works.
- Write operations/HOW-WE-RUN.md: a one-page, step-by-step cheat sheet I can print, from "something came in" to "customer is happy".

When we're done, tell me to paste Prompt 4.

Read CLAUDE.md and every file in this folder first. Today we build how people FIND me. It has to fit the hours I told you I have. Same rules: plain words, one step at a time, never post or spend anything without my "yes".

1. GOOGLE FIRST. When people nearby search for what I do, Google is usually where they look. Set up or fix my Google Business Profile with me:
   - the right categories
   - hours and photos
   - my products or services
   - a link to my online home
   If I work from home, help me hide my address and show a service area instead. Then make me a short review link and a friendly message I can send customers to ask for a review.

2. SOCIAL MEDIA. Be honest about my time. Pick the 1 or 2 platforms where MY customers actually are and tell me why. Help me tidy those profiles: a clear bio, a link to my online home, and good photos.

3. A WEEKLY RHYTHM. Build my posting around something that repeats every week and gives people a reason to come back. Fit it to my path, for example:
   - a weekly product drop
   - a weekly special
   - a featured service
   - a before/after
   - a job of the week
   Plan the simple posts that go around it.

4. REAL PHOTOS AND VIDEO. Real photos of my real work build more trust than AI-made pictures. Teach me how to take good ones on my phone, and give me a shot list for my kind of business. Customers only appear in photos with their permission.

5. 30-DAY CALENDAR. Write marketing/CALENDAR.md: 30 days of posts, each with the day, what to post, and a caption written in my voice. Match it to the season we're in and to my town.

6. LOCAL. Make a list of local ways to grow that fit MY business and MY town:
   - schools, teams, churches, and fundraisers
   - other local businesses to partner with
   - events and markets
   - community groups
   Write a ready-to-send message for each. Save it to marketing/LOCAL-PLAN.md.

7. EMAIL OR TEXT LIST. Use the free tier of the tools I already have. Add a sign-up offer and write a template for my weekly message.

8. REVIEWS AND REFERRALS. Set up a routine for asking for reviews, and a simple "send a friend" offer.

9. ADS LATER. Don't run ads yet. Write down when ads would make sense for me, and what a small local test would look like and cost. I'll decide later.

When we're done, tell me to paste Prompt 5.

Read CLAUDE.md and every file in this folder first. Now put it all together into my plan for the next 12 months, with the first 90 days in detail. Plain words, short sections, no business jargon.

1. MY NUMBERS. Using my costs, my prices, and the fees from my payment tools (look up the current fees), show me what I actually keep from each sale or job. If anything makes almost nothing, suggest a fix: a small price change, a bundle or package, a minimum order, or dropping it. Show me what I'd need to sell or book each month to hit my "great month" number.

2. MY YEAR. Make a calendar from now through the next 12 months. Include:
   - holidays
   - my local school year and sports seasons
   - my town's events
   - the busy and slow times for MY kind of business
   For each one, tell me how many weeks ahead to start preparing and posting.

3. FIRST 90 DAYS. Week by week, only the things that matter most. Keep it realistic for my hours: no more than 3 to 5 tasks a week.

4. WHAT TO WATCH. Pick the 4 or 5 numbers that tell me whether it's working (for example orders or bookings per week, repeat customers, new reviews, email sign-ups) and show me exactly where to find each one.

5. THE BORING BUT IMPORTANT STUFF. Explain in plain words what a business like mine in my state usually needs to look into:
   - a sales tax permit, and collecting sales tax
   - registering my business name
   - any license or permit my kind of business needs (food, beauty, trades, and so on)
   - insurance
   - keeping business money separate
   Tell me where to apply for each one. You're not my lawyer or accountant, so tell me which of these to double-check with one.

6. GROWING LATER. Once the basics run smoothly, what comes next for a business like mine? Put the options in order, and say what needs to be true before each one.

Save it all to plan/PLAN.md. Then write plan/THIS-MONTH.md with just this month's to-do list. Finally, explain how I use Prompt 6 every Monday.

It's my weekly check-in. Read CLAUDE.md, plan/PLAN.md, plan/THIS-MONTH.md and marketing/CALENDAR.md first.

1. If you're connected to my tools (my store, ordering, or booking system), look at last week:
   - sales, orders, or bookings
   - what sold or booked best
   - anything sold out or running low
   - new reviews
   - new sign-ups
   Tell me in 3 or 4 short lines how the week went. If you can't see my tools, ask me for those numbers.

2. Ask me 3 quick questions, one at a time:
   - What's happening in the business this week?
   - Anything new, like an event, a big order, or a customer question I need help answering?
   - How much time do I have this week?

3. Then give me THIS WEEK:
   - my to-do list (5 things max, most important first)
   - this week's posts, with captions ready to copy and paste
   - anything to add or update on my online home. If you can make the change yourself, keep it as a draft for me to approve.
   - one local thing to do this week, with the message already written

4. Update plan/THIS-MONTH.md and CLAUDE.md with anything we learned. Keep it short and encouraging. I'm doing this around the rest of my life.