Three copy-and-paste Claude Cowork skills, straight from the system I use to run four businesses solo. No coding, no theory, about 15 minutes of setup.
Get set up ↓Most people use AI like a vending machine. Type a prompt, get generic output, spend 20 minutes fixing it. The fix isn't better prompts. It's teaching Claude how your business works once, so every request after that comes back sounding like you.
That's what skills are: SOPs your AI actually reads. This kit gives you the three I tell every business owner to build first.
You need the Claude desktop app with Cowork. That's it. If you can copy and paste, you're qualified.
Grab the desktop app at claude.ai/download and open Cowork mode. This is the version of Claude that can work in your files, not just chat.
Each skill below has [BRACKETED PLACEHOLDERS]. Replace them with your real business info before you install. Ten minutes, and it's the highest-leverage ten minutes of this whole page.
Copy a skill, then paste it into a new skill in Claude's Settings → Capabilities. Or take the lazy route: paste it into a Cowork chat and say "save this as a skill." Claude will handle it.
Ask Claude to "draft an Instagram caption for my latest offer." If it answers with your products and your voice without you explaining anything, your first employee is on payroll.
In this order. The first two make every future request smarter. The third one puts the system on a schedule.
The foundation. Everything Claude needs to know about your business so you never have to explain it again. Every other skill builds on this one.
--- name: business-context description: Core context about my business. Load this skill for any task involving my business, my content, my offers, or my customers, so outputs reflect how my business actually works. --- # My Business ## What I do [One or two sentences. Example: "I run an online education brand teaching new dog owners how to train reactive dogs. I sell digital courses and a monthly membership."] ## My offers - [Offer 1 name]: [what it is, price, who it's for] - [Offer 2 name]: [what it is, price, who it's for] - [Free lead magnet]: [what it is, where it lives] ## Who I serve [Describe your customer like a real person. Example: "First-time dog owners, mostly women 30-55, who feel embarrassed by their dog's behavior and overwhelmed by conflicting advice online. They want a plan, not more theory."] ## What makes me different [Your honest edge. Example: "I actually foster reactive dogs, so everything I teach has been tested on hard cases, not just easy puppies."] ## My links - Website: [URL] - Main social channel: [URL] - Email platform: [name] ## Current priority [What you're focused on this quarter. Update this as it changes. Example: "Growing my email list and launching my fall course in October."] ## How I like to work - Give me direct answers, not options lists, unless I ask - Draft first, ask questions after, so I have something to react to - Never invent facts, stats, or testimonials about my business
The one that stops your content from sounding like everyone else who uses AI. Be picky filling this out. The banned list does most of the work.
---
name: my-voice
description: My writing voice rules. Load this skill whenever writing anything in my name - emails, social posts, blog posts, product descriptions, captions, or replies.
---
# My Voice
## How I sound
[Three or four honest descriptors. Example: "Casual but competent. I talk like a friend who happens to know a lot. I use short sentences. I'm funny in a dry way, never goofy."]
## Rules
- Write in first person
- Short paragraphs, 1-3 sentences
- No em dashes
- Contractions always: "you're," not "you are"
- [Your rule: emoji policy, capitalization quirks, sign-offs]
- [Your rule]
## Words and phrases I actually use
[Steal these from your own past posts and emails: "no shame," "here's the thing," "low-key," whatever is actually yours]
## Banned words and phrases
Never use: game-changer, unlock, unleash, elevate, dive in, delve, seamless, effortless, revolutionize, "in today's fast-paced world," "look no further," excited to announce, empower, supercharge, "friendly reminder"
[Add the ones that make you cringe]
## Banned structures
- No "It's not just X, it's Y" sentences
- No three-item parallel lists in a row ("Fast. Simple. Powerful.")
- No rhetorical questions as openers
- No motivational wrap-up endings
## Sample of my real writing
[Paste 2-3 short pieces you actually wrote and like. This is the single most powerful part of the skill.]
Your first automated employee. It reads your priorities and hands you a short brief every Monday morning so the week starts decided, not debated.
--- name: monday-brief description: Produce my Monday morning priorities brief. Use when asked for a Monday brief, weekly brief, or weekly priorities. --- # Monday Brief Load my business-context skill first, then write a brief with exactly these four sections. Keep the whole thing under 300 words. Direct, no pep talk. ## 1. The one thing The single most important task this week, based on my current priority in business-context. One sentence on why it's the priority. ## 2. Also this week Three to five smaller tasks max, as a short list. If I gave you tasks last week that seem unfinished, carry them here and mark them "(carried over)". ## 3. Content check What content should go out this week based on my usual channels? List what needs to be drafted, and offer to draft the first one. ## 4. One question End with one useful question that forces a decision I've been avoiding. ## Rules - No filler, no "hope you had a great weekend" - If my current priority in business-context looks stale, say so and ask if it needs updating - Never invent tasks I didn't mention or imply
Skills are the "how." Scheduled tasks are the "when," and they're what makes this feel like an employee instead of a tool. In Cowork, tell Claude: "Every Monday at 7am, run my monday-brief skill." Approve the schedule when it asks. That's the whole setup. Next Monday your brief is waiting before you've had coffee.
You need a plan that includes Cowork on the desktop app. Skills and scheduled tasks are the features doing the heavy lifting here, so check that your plan has them before you blame my instructions.
The setup is 15 minutes. The payoff starts on your very next request, because Claude stops asking you what your business is. The compounding payoff comes over weeks, as you add a skill every time you catch yourself explaining the same thing twice.
Normal. Your voice skill is a first draft too. Every time Claude writes something that makes you wince, add that phrase to the banned list. My voice skill has been edited dozens of times. That's the system working, not failing.
Whatever task you resent most that follows the same steps every time. Product descriptions, podcast show notes, client onboarding emails. If you can describe how you do it, you can turn it into a skill. That's the entire method I used to build my setup, one annoying task at a time.
No, and don't try this weekend. It does production work so you only do decisions and quality control. You stay the owner. It's the best employee you've ever had, but it's still an employee.
This kit is the foundation. Here's where to go when you're ready to build on it.
My exact system for creating branded Instagram carousels and static posts with Claude instead of dragging boxes around Canva at 11pm.
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