What you'll do: run your first real AI prompt on claude.ai and see exactly how specific inputs produce specific results.
โฑ 20 minutesFollow along as I learn โ
๐ธ Instagram ๐ฅ Facebook ๐ต TikTok ๐งต Threads ๐ Twitter ๐ฆ Bluesky โถ๏ธ YouTubeI used ChatGPT for 3 months before I tried Claude. Same result every time: useful, a little generic, forgot everything I told it the session before. When I switched to Claude and set up a Project, the first reply knew my business name, my tone, and my audience. I hadn't typed any of it. That's the difference that matters.
| Feature | Claude (Anthropic) | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Gemini (Google) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Writing, nuance, business context | General tasks, broad knowledge | Google ecosystem, search |
| Memory / Projects | Projects hold your context permanently | Custom instructions, less persistent | Limited project memory |
| Desktop agent | Cowork reads and writes your files | Limited desktop access | No equivalent |
| Tone & voice | Strong at matching how you write | Good, more generic by default | Good, factual lean |
| Free plan | Yes, covers Modules 0-3 | Yes | Yes |
You don't need to switch from ChatGPT. But if you've felt like AI gives generic answers or doesn't remember your business, Claude's Projects feature fixes that. Module 3.
82% of small businesses already use generative AI, not big corporations, businesses like yours. The question stopped being "should I try AI?" about 18 months ago. The question now is how far behind you want to fall.
69% of women in business say AI saves them time. That's not a projection, that's what women who use it report today. The ones not using it yet are spending hours on tasks that take their competitors 20 minutes.
One well-structured prompt for a week of Instagram captions used to take 3 hours. With a Claude Project set up, it takes 20 minutes. That's not an upgrade, that's a different job.
๐ Where the market is right now: 82% of small businesses use AI. 75% are actively investing in AI tools. 93% of those using it plan to increase their investment. You're not early anymore. You're catching up. This course gets you caught up in a weekend.
Will AI replace you? No. But a business owner who uses AI will outproduce you, out-content you, and out-respond your clients in the same hours. That's not AI replacing you. That's a person with a better tool replacing you. There's a difference. You're about to be the person with the better tool.
The one edge AI can't give anyone: your actual voice, your actual relationships, your actual judgment. Those stay yours. The part that gets replaced is the 3-hour task that was never your best work anyway. That's the shift.
The free plan covers everything in Modules 0 through 3. You can run real prompts, set up a Project, and get genuine business value without paying anything. Module 4 (Cowork) and Module 5 (Claude Code) both require Claude Pro at $20/month, and it's one subscription that covers both.
Modules 0 to 3 are free. Modules 4 and 5 require Claude Pro ($20/month) for Cowork and Claude Code. You'll see a prompt to upgrade when you reach Module 4.
These are three separate tools. Same maker, same name on the label, three different jobs.
Open your browser, go to claude.ai. That's it. Chat with Claude like you'd text someone smart.
Download the Claude desktop app from claude.ai/download. Switch it to Cowork mode. It can now read and write your actual computer files. This is NOT Claude Code.
Install it separately via VS Code's terminal using one command. You type descriptions, Claude Code writes real working files. This is NOT the desktop app.
If you found this course through my post about Claude for Small Business, here's the short version. Anthropic shipped prebuilt workflows designed specifically for small business owners. Inbox triage, content repurposing, contract review, client onboarding. No coding. No setup beyond a free account.
This course walks you through the ones that moved the needle in my business, step by step, with copy-paste prompts for each one. The comments said "waiting for you to train" and "send me more details." This is that training. Start with Module 0 and work through in order.
Anthropic trained Claude to flag when it's uncertain rather than guess confidently. When Claude says "I'm not sure about this" or adds a caveat, that's a feature, not a bug. Verify anything Claude hedges on before you use it.
Treat those caveats as a useful signal. They tell you exactly where to apply your own judgment. Building that habit, knowing where to double-check, is the discernment practice this course keeps coming back to.
Go to claude.ai right now. Copy this prompt, fill in the brackets, and run it.
I run a [describe your business in 5 words]. Give me 3 specific ways I could use AI to save time this week. Be concrete, give me actual tasks, not general advice.
After you get the answer: does it feel generic, or does it feel like it's talking to your actual business?
Read Claude's three suggestions slowly. Does any of them feel generic, like advice you'd give any business? Does the rest apply to your business specifically? The gap between those two is exactly what better context closes, and you'll fix it in Module 2.
Take it again. Your first attempt usually isn't your best score, and that's intentional. The quiz is helping you think through Claude's strengths and weaknesses, not testing you. What changes between attempt 1 and attempt 2?
That's your prompt, not Claude. "Summarize AI" gets a generic summary. "Summarize AI for a yoga instructor who's never used technology before" gets something specific.
Here's the pattern: if you want specific output, give specific context. Add your industry, your situation, your constraints. Claude will adjust.
That's normal. Claude isn't Wikipedia. It's more like a really smart colleague who thinks slightly differently every time you ask. If you got 5 different answers, pick the best one. If none of them work, rewrite your question with more detail.
The Iteration Habit: One question equals one attempt. If it's not right, don't give up. Send another message. "That's close, but make it [specific change]." Most of Claude's best work comes on the second or third attempt, not the first.
3 questions
I share what I'm learning in real time, new workflows, honest reviews, what worked and what didn't.
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