Set Up Claude as a Business Assistant

Configure Claude Pro to manage emails, content, and files for your business.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Running a small business means spending hours each week on customer emails, product descriptions, social media posts, and admin tasks that pull you away from the work you actually enjoy.

In this project, you will configure Claude as a dedicated business assistant that knows your services, pricing, and brand voice. You'll generate real business outputs like customer email templates, product descriptions, and downloadable Excel files.

What You'll Build

A fully configured Claude workspace tailored to an automotive detailing business and product brand, complete with profile instructions, a dedicated Project loaded with business context, and generated files ready to download and use immediately.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A configured Claude profile with your business context baked into every conversation.
A dedicated Claude Project loaded with your service details, pricing, and brand voice as a knowledge base that produces on-brand content on demand.
A collection of generated business files including customer email templates, WooCommerce product descriptions, a downloadable Excel pricing tracker, and social media posts for both brands.
Secret Mission: Create a custom EXOWASH brand voice guide and use it to generate a full week of social media content across multiple platforms.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need an active Claude Pro subscription ($20/month). All work in this project happens in the claude.ai browser interface on your Mac.

Configure Your Claude Profile

Claude is powerful out of the box, but it has no idea who you are or what your business does. Every time you start a conversation, you'd need to explain your services, your tone, and your tools from scratch.

Profile instructions solve this by giving Claude permanent context about you. Once configured, every new conversation starts with Claude already understanding Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH.

In this step, get ready to:

Open your Claude profile settings and find the instructions field.
Write business context instructions that apply to all conversations.
Verify that Claude uses your business context in a new conversation.

Open your profile settings

Profile instructions are account-wide settings. Anything you add here applies to every single conversation you have with Claude, regardless of which project or chat you're in.

Go to claude.ai in your browser.
Click your initials in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Select Settings from the menu that appears.
Find the section labelled Instructions for Claude.

What are profile instructions?

Profile instructions tell Claude things about you that should apply across all conversations. Think of it like an always-on introduction that runs before every message you send.

Anything you write here becomes background knowledge Claude uses automatically. You never have to repeat it.

Write your business profile instructions

Now you'll fill in the Instructions for Claude text field with information about who you are and how you work.

Click into the Instructions for Claude text area.
Type or paste instructions that include the following details:

Your name and role: you are the owner of Premium Auto Salon Ltd (automotive detailing services) and EXOWASH (your car care product brand).
Your location: you are based in New Zealand.
Your communication style: professional but approachable, with premium positioning.
Your business tools: you use Outlook for business email, Xero for accounting, Setmore for bookings, and Notion for internal docs.

Here is an example you can use as a starting point:

I am the owner of Premium Auto Salon Ltd, a high-end automotive detailing studio, and EXOWASH, a premium car care product brand. I am based in New Zealand.

Communication style: Professional but approachable. Always position my services and products as premium. Avoid overly casual or generic language.

Tools I use daily:
- Outlook for business email
- Xero for accounting
- Setmore for bookings and CRM
- Notion for internal documentation

What does this example cover?

The first line establishes your identity and both brands so Claude always knows the context. The communication style section ensures Claude matches your premium tone without being told each time.

Listing your tools helps Claude format outputs appropriately. For example, it knows to draft emails suited for Outlook rather than suggesting Gmail-specific features.

Customise the text to match your exact situation. Add any other details Claude should always know about you.
Click Save to store your instructions.

Keep it concise

Profile instructions work best when they're focused on identity and preferences. Save detailed service menus, pricing, and product information for your Project knowledge base (coming in the next step).

Verify your profile instructions work

The best way to confirm your instructions are working is to start a fresh conversation and see if Claude already knows your business context.

Click New chat to start a fresh conversation (or click the compose icon in the top area of the sidebar).
Type the following message and press Enter:

Draft a quick reply to a customer asking about our ceramic coating service.

Read Claude's response carefully.

Claude should respond in a professional, premium tone without you having to explain your business. The reply should sound like it comes from a high-end detailing studio, not a generic chatbot.

Response feels generic or off-brand?

If Claude's reply doesn't reflect your business context or premium tone, your instructions may not have saved properly.

Click your initials in the bottom-left corner again and select Settings.
Check that your text is still visible under Instructions for Claude.
If it's blank, re-enter your instructions and click Save again.
Start a brand new chat after saving. Profile instructions don't apply retroactively to existing conversations.

Help me fix my Claude profile instructions so responses match my premium business tone.

Your profile is now configured. Every new conversation with Claude starts with this business context baked in. Next up, you'll create a dedicated Project that gives Claude even deeper knowledge about your services and products.

Create Your Business Project

Your Claude profile now gives every conversation your business context automatically. But profile instructions are broad. They apply everywhere, whether you're asking about recipes or drafting a customer email.

For focused work like generating customer emails, writing product descriptions, and creating pricing documents, you need a dedicated workspace. Claude Projects let you create separate workspaces with their own instructions and uploaded knowledge. In this step, you'll create a Project specifically for Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a new Claude Project named "Premium Auto Salon & EXOWASH."
Add project-specific instructions covering your services, pricing, and brand tone.
Upload business documents to your project knowledge base.

Create the project

Profile instructions tell Claude who you are everywhere. Project instructions tell Claude how to behave in a specific workspace. This separation means you can have different projects for different parts of your business without them interfering with each other.

In the claude.ai sidebar on the left, hover over the left side and click Projects.
Click + New Project in the upper right corner.
Enter Premium Auto Salon & EXOWASH as the project name.
Add a brief description for your own reference, such as Business assistant for detailing services and EXOWASH products.

Why does the description say Claude won't see it?

The project name and description are organisational labels for you. Claude does not read them when generating responses. Your project instructions (which you'll set next) are what Claude actually sees and follows.

Set your project instructions

Project instructions tell Claude the specific context and rules for this workspace. Everything you write here applies only to chats started inside this project.

Inside your new project, click Set project instructions.
Write instructions that cover the following areas (use your own words and real business details):

The services you offer: paint correction, ceramic coating, interior detailing, maintenance washes, and any others.
Your typical price range or package structure.
Your target customer: premium vehicle owners.
That EXOWASH is your own product brand of car care products.
A tone directive: always write in a professional, premium tone that reflects a high-end automotive detailing studio.

Click Save instructions when you're done.

What's the difference between profile and project instructions?

Your profile instructions (set in Step 1) apply to every conversation across all of Claude. Project instructions apply only inside this specific project. Think of it like this: your profile says "I'm the owner of Premium Auto Salon," while your project instructions say "When writing content here, use these specific services, prices, and brand tone."

Keep instructions concise

Claude performs best when project instructions focus on general context, key guidelines, and tone. Detailed reference material (like a full price list) belongs in the knowledge base, which you'll set up next.

Upload knowledge to the project

The project knowledge base is where you give Claude detailed reference material. Anything you upload here becomes available across all chats within this project.

Look for the project knowledge section on the right side of your project's main page.
Click the upload area to add files. Upload any documents you already have:

Your service menu or price list.
Existing marketing copy or website text.
EXOWASH product information (ingredients, sizes, descriptions).
Example emails you've sent to customers that capture your voice.

No documents ready? Paste text directly

If you don't have files to upload, you can type or paste key information directly as a text file. For example, create a simple list of your services with prices, or paste in a few sentences describing how you typically greet customers. Even a short summary gives Claude something concrete to work from.

Verify your knowledge base shows the uploaded files or text content listed on the right side of the project page.

How does Claude use this knowledge?

Claude reads your uploaded documents at the start of every chat within this project. If you upload more material than fits in the context window, Claude automatically activates RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) to search and retrieve the most relevant sections as needed. No setup required.

Don't see the upload area?

Make sure you're viewing the project's main page, not an active chat within the project. Navigate back to the project by clicking the project name in the sidebar. The knowledge section with the upload area appears on the right side.

Help me find the project knowledge upload area in Claude.

Your project is now fully configured with custom instructions and a loaded knowledge base. Next up, you'll put it to work by generating real customer communication templates.

Generate Customer Communication Templates

Your project is set up with custom instructions and your business knowledge uploaded. Now it's time to put it to work.

In this step, you'll ask Claude to produce real business outputs: customer email templates and product descriptions. Because your project already has your services, pricing, and brand voice loaded, Claude can generate content that sounds like you wrote it.

In this step, get ready to:

Generate 3 customer email templates (inquiry response, review follow-up, quote confirmation).
Write EXOWASH product descriptions formatted for WooCommerce.
Refine outputs with iterative feedback until they match your premium brand voice.

Generate inquiry response emails

Every week you spend time crafting replies to customer inquiries, sending follow-ups, and confirming quotes. Let's get Claude to draft these for you using the business context it already has.

In your Premium Auto Salon & EXOWASH project, click the chat area to start a new conversation.
Type the following prompt and press Enter to send it:

Draft 3 email templates for me:

1. A response to a new customer inquiry about our detailing services. They've asked what we offer and roughly how much it costs. Be warm but premium.

2. A follow-up email sent after we've completed a job, thanking the customer and asking them to leave a Google review.

3. A quote confirmation email that locks in the service, date, and price, and tells them what to expect on the day.

For all three, use a professional but approachable tone that reflects a high-end automotive studio. Keep them concise enough to send from Outlook without editing.

Why does Claude already know your business?

Claude pulls from two layers of context here. Your profile instructions tell it you own Premium Auto Salon and use Outlook. Your project instructions and uploaded knowledge give it your specific services, pricing, and brand voice.

This means you don't need to re-explain your business every time you ask for content. The project knowledge does the heavy lifting.

Read through the three email templates Claude generates.
Check that the emails mention your actual services (paint correction, ceramic coating, interior detailing, maintenance washes) and reflect a premium tone.

Templates sound generic or don't mention your services?

Make sure you started the chat inside the project, not from the main Claude homepage. Chats started outside the project don't have access to your project instructions or uploaded knowledge.

Look for the project name displayed at the top of the chat. If you don't see it, navigate back to the project and start a new chat from there.

Help me figure out why Claude isn't using my project context in this chat.

Generate EXOWASH product descriptions

Your EXOWASH product descriptions need to be ready for a WooCommerce store. That means each product needs a specific structure that maps to WooCommerce's product page fields.

In the same project chat (or start a new chat within the project), type the following prompt:

Write product descriptions for these EXOWASH products, formatted for a WooCommerce product page. For each product, include:
- A headline (product name + short hook)
- A short description (1-2 sentences for the product listing page)
- A full description (2-3 paragraphs for the product detail page)
- A bullet-point feature list (5-6 key features/benefits)

Products:
1. EXOWASH Ceramic Shampoo - 500ml bottle, pH-neutral car wash shampoo with ceramic infusion for added gloss and hydrophobic protection
2. EXOWASH Iron Fallout Remover - 500ml spray bottle, dissolves embedded iron particles and brake dust from paintwork
3. EXOWASH Interior Detailer - 500ml spray, all-surface interior cleaner and protectant with UV protection and anti-static finish

Position these as premium NZ-made products for car enthusiasts who care about their vehicles.

Why be this specific in your prompt?

The more detail you give Claude about each product (size, purpose, key ingredients, target buyer), the less you'll need to edit afterwards. Vague prompts produce vague output.

Specifying the format (headline, short description, full description, bullet list) means Claude structures its response to match exactly what WooCommerce needs. You can copy each section directly into your product pages.

Review the product descriptions Claude generates.
Confirm each product has all four sections: headline, short description, full description, and bullet-point feature list.
Check that the tone positions EXOWASH as a premium brand rather than a budget option.

Adapt the products to your actual range

The product names above are examples. Replace them with your real EXOWASH products if you have them finalised. The more accurate your input, the more usable the output.

Refine and iterate

Getting usable content from Claude is rarely a one-shot process. The real skill is knowing how to give feedback that makes the next version better.

Read through everything Claude generated (emails and product descriptions).
Identify anything that feels off: too casual, too generic, missing a specific detail, or not quite matching your brand voice.
Type a follow-up message telling Claude exactly what to fix. For example:

A few tweaks:
- The inquiry response email is too casual. Make it sound more premium and confident, less "friendly neighbour."
- In the quote confirmation, add that ceramic coating services include a 3-year warranty.
- For the EXOWASH descriptions, emphasise that these are NZ-made and formulated specifically for New Zealand conditions (UV, salt air).

What makes good feedback for Claude?

Be specific about what's wrong and what you want instead. "Make it better" gives Claude nothing to work with. "Make the tone more premium and less chatty" gives it a clear direction.

You can also give Claude positive feedback on what's working. Saying "the review follow-up email is perfect, don't change that one" helps Claude understand your preferences for future outputs.

Continue the back-and-forth until your email templates and product descriptions feel ready to use.
Aim for outputs you could send to a customer or paste into WooCommerce without major rewrites.

Claude keeps ignoring your feedback?

If Claude reverts to a generic tone after you've asked for changes, try being more direct. Instead of "make it more premium," give an example: "Use language like 'meticulously restored' instead of 'cleaned up nicely.'"

If the conversation is getting long and Claude seems to lose context, start a new chat within the same project and paste your best version so far as a starting point.

Claude keeps reverting to a casual tone despite my feedback. How do I get it to maintain a premium brand voice consistently?

You now have customer email templates and product descriptions ready to use in your business. Next, you'll get Claude to package these into downloadable files you can hand off to team members or upload directly to your tools.

Create Downloadable Business Files

You've generated email templates and product descriptions inside your project chat. Those outputs are useful, but they're stuck inside Claude's conversation window.

In this step, you'll ask Claude to create actual files you can download to your Mac. Claude can generate .xlsx, .docx, and .pdf files directly in a conversation. You'll walk away with a pricing tracker spreadsheet and a formatted product descriptions document ready for your web developer.

In this step, get ready to:

Generate an Excel spreadsheet tracking your detailing service packages and pricing.
Generate a Word document compiling your EXOWASH product descriptions.
Download both files and verify they're ready to use.

Generate a service pricing tracker

A pricing spreadsheet keeps your service packages organised in one place. Instead of building it manually in Excel, you'll describe what you need and Claude will generate the file for you.

In your project chat, send Claude a message asking it to create an Excel spreadsheet listing all your detailing service packages.
Be specific about the columns you want: service name, description, duration, price, and any add-ons.
Include details about your actual services. For example, mention paint correction, ceramic coating, interior detailing, and maintenance washes with approximate pricing and durations.

What does Claude do with this request?

Claude uses its code execution feature to build the spreadsheet behind the scenes. It will produce a downloadable .xlsx file directly in the conversation. You don't need to enable anything. File creation is turned on by default for Pro accounts.

After a moment, Claude will display a file preview in the chat with a download button.

Be specific about your packages

The more detail you give Claude about your actual services, the more useful the spreadsheet will be. Include your real pricing tiers, package names, and add-on options. Claude already has your project knowledge to draw from, but explicit details in the prompt produce better results.

Generate a product descriptions document

Your EXOWASH product descriptions from the previous step are scattered across the chat. Now you'll ask Claude to pull them together into a single formatted document you can hand to a web developer or upload to WooCommerce.

In the same project chat, ask Claude to compile all the EXOWASH product descriptions you generated earlier into a formatted Word document.
Specify what to include for each product: the product name, full description, key features as bullet points, and suggested pricing.
Ask Claude to format the document so it's ready to hand off. Mention that it's for a WooCommerce product page so Claude structures it appropriately.

Claude will generate a .docx file. You should see it appear in the conversation with a download button, just like the spreadsheet.

Why a Word document and not a PDF?

A .docx file is editable. Your web developer can copy text directly from it, and you can make last-minute changes before uploading to WooCommerce. PDFs lock the formatting in place, which is useful for final deliverables but not for content you're still working with.

Download and verify your files

Generated files are only useful if they're accurate. Before you move on, download both files and check them on your Mac.

Click the download button on the Excel spreadsheet file in the chat.
Click the download button on the Word document file in the chat.
Open the .xlsx file on your Mac. Verify that the columns are correct (service name, description, duration, price, add-ons) and the content matches your actual services.
Open the .docx file on your Mac. Check that the product names, descriptions, features, and pricing are all present and the formatting is clean.

Something missing or incorrect in the files?

If a file has wrong data, missing columns, or formatting issues, go back to the project chat and tell Claude exactly what to fix. For example: "The spreadsheet is missing the ceramic coating package" or "The Word document needs the feature bullet points formatted as a list, not a paragraph." Claude will regenerate the file with your corrections.

If the file won't open, make sure you have a compatible app installed. Numbers opens .xlsx files and Pages opens .docx files on Mac by default.

Still having trouble? Help me troubleshoot why my Claude-generated files aren't opening or displaying correctly on Mac.

You now have two real business files sitting on your Mac, created in minutes instead of hours. Next up, you'll put Claude to work generating social media content for both Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH.

Generate Social Media Content

You've got your service pricing tracker and product descriptions ready to go. Now it's time to tackle the task that eats up the most weekly hours for small business owners: social media.

Consistent social media content is what keeps your business visible between bookings. In this step, you'll use Claude to generate a batch of ready-to-post content for both Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH, complete with image direction and hashtags.

In this step, get ready to:

Generate 5 social media posts for Premium Auto Salon with image descriptions and hashtags.
Generate 5 social media posts for EXOWASH focused on product benefits and lifestyle imagery.
Compile all posts into a single reference document for scheduling.

Create detailing business posts

A strong social media presence for a detailing studio needs variety. You want a mix of content types that show your work, educate potential customers, and drive bookings.

In your project chat, ask Claude to generate 5 social media posts for Premium Auto Salon.
Specify that the posts should work for both Instagram and Facebook.
Ask for a mix of content types: before/after transformation posts, customer testimonial formats, educational tips (for example, "Why ceramic coating protects your paint"), and promotional offers.
Ask Claude to include a suggested image description for each post so you know what photo or graphic to pair with it.
Ask Claude to include relevant hashtags for each post.

Be specific about your audience

The more detail you give Claude about your target audience and location, the better. Mentioning that you target premium vehicle owners in New Zealand helps Claude tailor hashtags and language to your actual market.

Review the 5 posts Claude generates. Because your project instructions already specify your services and premium positioning, the posts should feel on-brand without extra coaching.

What should I see?

You should see 5 distinct posts, each with the post copy, a suggested image description, and a set of hashtags. The tone should be professional and premium, matching your detailing studio's brand.

If the posts sound too generic or casual, tell Claude directly what to fix. For example: "Make these sound more high-end and less like a budget car wash" or "Include more New Zealand-specific hashtags."

Create EXOWASH product posts

EXOWASH needs its own distinct social presence. These posts should position the product line as premium car care, separate from (but complementary to) the detailing service.

In the same project chat (or start a new one within the project), ask Claude to generate 5 social media posts promoting EXOWASH products.
Specify that these posts should work for Instagram and Facebook.
Ask Claude to focus on product benefits, usage tips, and lifestyle imagery descriptions that position EXOWASH as a premium brand.
Ask for suggested image descriptions and hashtags for each post.

Review the EXOWASH posts. They should feel distinct from the Premium Auto Salon posts while still maintaining a premium, aspirational tone.

Why keep the brands separate?

Premium Auto Salon is a service brand (you do the work for the customer). EXOWASH is a product brand (the customer does the work themselves). The messaging, calls to action, and imagery should reflect that difference.

Service posts drive bookings. Product posts drive purchases. Keeping them separate means each set of content is focused on one clear goal.

Posts sounding too similar to Premium Auto Salon?

If the EXOWASH posts feel like they're written for a service business rather than a product brand, tell Claude: "These should be written from the perspective of a product brand selling to car enthusiasts, not a detailing service selling appointments." Claude will adjust the framing.

Help me make my EXOWASH social posts sound like a premium product brand instead of a service business.

Save your content

Having posts scattered across different chats makes them hard to use. Compiling everything into one reference document means you can schedule posts throughout the week without searching back through conversations.

Ask Claude to compile all 10 social media posts (5 Premium Auto Salon + 5 EXOWASH) into a single document.
Ask Claude to organise the document with clear sections separating the two brands.
Choose your preferred format: ask Claude to generate a downloadable file, or copy the compiled text into your Notion workspace for scheduling later.

What format works best?

If you want a spreadsheet with columns for platform, post copy, image direction, and hashtags, ask Claude to generate an Excel file. This makes it easy to track which posts you've published.

If you prefer a simpler reference, a Word document or plain copy-paste into Notion works just as well. Pick whatever fits your existing scheduling workflow.

If you chose a downloadable file, click the download button on the generated file in the chat.
Open the file on your Mac to verify all 10 posts are included with their image descriptions and hashtags.

Missing posts in the compiled document?

If Claude only includes posts from the most recent message, remind it to include content from the entire conversation. Say something like: "Include all 10 posts from this chat. 5 for Premium Auto Salon and 5 for EXOWASH."

Claude isn't including all my posts in the compiled document.

You now have a full set of social media content ready to schedule across both brands. Next up, you'll take this even further in the Secret Mission by building a formal brand voice guide that makes every future piece of EXOWASH content feel consistent and unmistakably yours.

Secret mission

Build Your EXOWASH Brand Voice Guide + Full Content Week

You've generated content on the fly, but what if every piece of EXOWASH content Claude produces felt unmistakably like your brand? In this mission, you'll create a formal brand voice guide and use it to produce an entire week of social media content across multiple platforms.

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project used your existing Claude Pro subscription with no additional costs, so there's nothing here that will surprise you on a bill.

Resources you used:

Claude profile instructions (configured in Settings).
Claude Project: "Premium Auto Salon & EXOWASH" (with project instructions and knowledge base uploads).
Downloaded files on your Mac: Service Pricing Tracker (.xlsx), EXOWASH Product Descriptions (.docx), EXOWASH 7-Day Social Media Content Calendar (.xlsx), Social Media Content Pack.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you're still actively using Claude as your business assistant for Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH.

Your profile instructions stay active across all Claude conversations.
Your Project and its knowledge base remain available in the sidebar.
Downloaded files remain on your Mac wherever you saved them.
You can keep uploading new documents to your project knowledge base over time to improve Claude's outputs.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Keep your Project and files intact, but clear your profile instructions so they don't affect other Claude conversations in the meantime.

Go to claude.ai.
Click your initials in the bottom-left corner, then select Settings.
Under Instructions for Claude, select all the text and delete it. Click Save.
Your Project will remain in the sidebar untouched. When you're ready to resume, paste your profile instructions back in.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources completely. This cannot be undone.

Clear your profile instructions: click your initials in the bottom-left corner, select Settings, delete all text under Instructions for Claude, and click Save.
Delete your Project: in the claude.ai sidebar, find Premium Auto Salon & EXOWASH under Projects. Click the three-dot menu on the project, then select Delete. This removes the project instructions, all knowledge base uploads, and all chat history within the project.
Delete your downloaded files. Open Finder and navigate to wherever you saved the files. Delete the Service Pricing Tracker (.xlsx), EXOWASH Product Descriptions (.docx), EXOWASH 7-Day Social Media Content Calendar (.xlsx), and Social Media Content Pack.

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You've turned Claude from a generic chatbot into a fully configured business assistant that knows Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH inside out.

What you learned:

Configured profile instructions and a dedicated Project with custom instructions and uploaded knowledge, turning Claude into a business-aware assistant across every conversation.
Generated ready-to-use business outputs including customer email templates, WooCommerce product descriptions, and downloadable Excel and Word files for your business.
Produced a full library of social media content for both Premium Auto Salon and EXOWASH, complete with hashtags, visual direction, and calls to action.
Built an EXOWASH Brand Voice Guide and used it to generate a full week of consistent, on-brand social media content across multiple platforms.

Ready to quiz yourself?