The Claude setup guide

Everything you need to set Claude up properly — even if you've never used it before. Built for business owners who don't want to read a 40-page manual. Pinky promise it's painless.

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👋 New here? Read this first.

What this actually is

Claude is an AI assistant — like ChatGPT but better at writing, planning, and not making things up. This is a step-by-step guide to setting Claude up properly so it actually works for your business, not just answers questions in a chat window.

Honest note Setting Claude up takes maybe an hour total. Spread it over a week if you want. Each tab is one step. You can do them in order or skip around — your progress saves automatically.
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The 6 steps, in plain English:

01
🪪 Profile Tell Claude who you are once, so it stops treating you like a stranger.
02
💼 Projects Like folders for different jobs. One for content, one for clients, one for admin.
03
🔌 Connectors Plug Claude into your apps (Calendar, Gmail, Drive). This is where it gets useful.
04
✨ Skills Pre-trained shortcuts for things you do over and over.
05
⚡ Prompts Ready-to-paste questions. Copy, paste, run. Six to start with.
06
✅ Checklist Tick things off so you can see what's done and what's next. Saves automatically.
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🤖 Coming from ChatGPT?

You can bring your existing setup across. You don't need to start from scratch. Here's exactly where to click and what to copy:

  1. Step 1 — Copy your Custom Instructions
    "Custom Instructions" is what ChatGPT calls the box where you tell it about yourself. It's the same idea as Claude's Profile. Where to find it: Open ChatGPT → click your name/profile picture (bottom-left or top-right depending on device) → Settings → Personalization → Customize ChatGPT. What to do: You'll see two boxes — "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?" and "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?". Highlight the text in each, copy it (Cmd+C / Ctrl+C), paste it into a notes app for a sec. You'll use it in the Profile tab here.
  2. Step 2 — Copy your saved memories (only if you use them)
    "Memory" is the bit where ChatGPT remembers things you've told it across conversations. If you've never enabled it, skip this step. Where to find it: Settings → Personalization → Memory → click Manage memories. What to do: You'll see a list of things ChatGPT has saved about you. Copy the ones still true. Skip outdated ones. These go into the "What Claude should always know about you" field on the Profile tab.
  3. Step 3 — (Optional) Export everything
    "Export" means ChatGPT emails you a downloadable file with every chat you've ever had. Useful if you want to find old prompts that worked, or you just want a backup before switching tools. Where to find it: Settings → Data controls → Export data. What you get: An email arrives within a few minutes with a download link. Inside is a folder of files (mostly HTML and JSON — which you can open in a browser to read). Hunt for "conversations.html" — that's the one with all your chats.
  4. Step 4 — Paste what matters into the Profile tab here
    Don't paste it all in. Translate and trim. Claude rewards specifics, not stuffing.

Translation cheat sheet (ChatGPT → Claude):
ChatGPT "Custom Instructions" = Claude "Profile"
ChatGPT "GPTs" = Claude "Projects" + "Skills"
ChatGPT "Memory" = Claude "Profile" (the always-know-this field)
Same ideas, different names. Don't worry about it.

🫶 Never used any AI tool before?

Also fine. Skip the ChatGPT bit above. Just go to the Profile tab and start there. If a word doesn't make sense, hover or just keep going — context fills in. You're not behind. Most people doing this for the first time already.

Start with Step 01 → Profile
Step 01 · The Foundation

Tell Claude who you are

This is the single thing that changes how every conversation feels. Skip it and Claude treats you like everyone else. Do it and it actually starts sounding like a real assistant.

Start here Fill these fields in honestly, then hit Generate. A formatted block of text will appear at the bottom — that's your Profile. Copy it, then paste it into Claude (instructions below). Takes 10 minutes total.

Where to paste it in Claude: Open Claude (claude.ai), click your initials/avatar in the bottom-left corner → Settings → Profile. There's a big text box labelled "What personal preferences should Claude consider?" Paste the whole generated block in there. Save. Done.

Step 02 · Containers for Your Brain

Build three projects

Projects = separate rooms in Claude's brain. Different context, different rules, no leaking between them. Below are 3 starter projects pre-written for you. Edit, copy, paste into Claude.

Quick definitions before you start:

  • Project: a workspace inside Claude. You make a new one for each big "area" of your work (writing, client work, admin). Conversations inside a project remember each other; conversations in different projects don't bleed across.
  • System prompt: the rules you set for the project. It's just a block of text. Claude reads it before every conversation in that project, so you don't have to repeat yourself. You'll see one below for each project — copy it as-is or edit it.
  • Knowledge base: files you upload to a project so Claude can read them (voice samples, brand guidelines, contracts, etc.). Optional but powerful.

How to actually create one: In Claude, click Projects in the left sidebar → New Project → name it → in the "Project Instructions" box, paste the system prompt from below → save. Drag any knowledge base files in.

Start here Build the Content & Writing one first. You'll feel the difference immediately when you ask it to draft something.
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✍️Content & Writing

For blog posts, captions, newsletters — anywhere your voice matters.

💼Client Work

Per-client conversations without context leaking between them.

⚙️Admin & Ops

SOPs, calendar wrangling, inbox triage, meeting notes, follow-ups.

Step 03 · Let Claude Touch Your World

Connect your actual tools

Connectors = Claude can read and act in your apps. This is where it stops being a chat window and starts being useful. Turn them on one at a time so you understand what you're letting in.

Start here Calendar + Gmail first. They unlock the daily wins you'll feel within 24 hours — calendar audits, inbox triage, follow-ups that don't feel like work.
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Step 04 · Your Personal Shortcuts

Build your skills library

Skills = saved sets of instructions Claude follows automatically when a topic comes up. Like a shortcut for the things you do over and over.

Quick definitions before you start:

  • Skill: a named instruction set. Once built, Claude uses it automatically whenever the topic comes up — you don't have to remind it.
  • Trigger description: the short sentence that tells Claude WHEN to use this skill. E.g. "use when I'm drafting any email to a client". If your message matches the trigger, the skill kicks in.
  • Skill instructions: the actual steps Claude follows when the skill is triggered. This is where you write the rules.

How to actually create one: In Claude, click Skills in the left sidebar → New Skill → paste the trigger description in the "When to use" field → paste the skill instructions in the main body → save. Skills work across all your projects.

Start here Writing Voice is the highest leverage one. Build it this week. Edit the banned-phrases list to match the words YOU would never say.
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✨Writing Voice

Triggers when you're drafting, editing, or rewriting anything you'll publish.

🔄Content Repurposer

Triggers when you've made a long thing and want it broken into formats.

📧Client Email Drafter

Triggers when you need to write or reply to a client email.

Step 05 · Copy & Run

Starter prompts

Six ready-to-go prompts. Copy, paste, edit the bits in [brackets]. No setup needed.

Start here Brain Dump to Plan. Try it once. It's the difference between staring at a list and actually moving.
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0 of 0 done · just getting started
One per session is plenty You can come back anytime
✨ You did it. Look at you go.
Step 06 · The Ladder

Tick things off as you actually do them

Don't try to do this all in one sitting. One section per session. Save state lives in your browser — close the tab, come back tomorrow.

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