Short answer Paste the prompt below into Claude with your own details and you get a Claude Project with your business details, tone and rules written once, so every chat starts already knowing how you work. Works on free plans. Time saved: about 5 minutes per chat you no longer spend re-explaining your business (estimate).
Why it helps
Most people start every AI chat from scratch: "I'm a builder in Rangiora, we charge..., keep it friendly...". That gets old fast, and the answers drift because you forget a detail.
A Claude Project fixes that. You write instructions once, add a few reference files, and every chat inside the Project uses them. As of 23 October 2026, Claude's pricing page lists Projects on the Free plan (up to 5) and more on paid plans. It also lists Skills on every plan: a Skill is a saved procedure, like "how we write quotes", that Claude can apply when it's relevant. Start with a Project. Add a Skill when one job keeps coming up.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
Help me write the instructions for a Claude Project for my business. Write them as clear instructions to an assistant, under 350 words, NZ English. About the business: [what you do, where, who for, how big] How we sound: [e.g. friendly, plain, Kiwi, no jargon] Things that are always true: [e.g. prices include GST, quotes valid 30 days, we don't work Sundays] Things it must never do: [e.g. make up prices, promise dates, mention customer names] What I'll mostly use it for: [e.g. quote emails, social posts, replies to reviews] Ask me up to 5 questions about anything important that's missing, then write the final instructions.
Then keep chatting
Write a short "how we write quotes" procedure I could save as a Skill.
What reference files should I add to this Project?
Test yourself: write a quote email using these instructions, then tell me what was unclear.
Step by step
- Fill in the prompt in a normal chat, answer Claude's questions, and copy the final instructions.
- In Claude, create a new Project, name it after your business, and paste the instructions into the Project's instructions.
- Add 2 or 3 reference files: your price list, terms of trade and a couple of past emails you liked. Take out customer details first.
- Test it with a real job. If the answer misses something, add that to the instructions.
- Review the instructions every few months, or when prices change.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Privacy: don't upload customer lists, staff details or anything you wouldn't want stored with an AI provider. Check your plan's data settings and the Privacy Commissioner's AI guidance at privacy.org.nz.
- Keep it current. If your prices or terms change and the Project files don't, Claude will use the old ones.
- Plans and limits change. Check claude.com/pricing for how many Projects your plan includes today.
Go further
Once Claude knows your business, Cowork can do a whole task with it: see the hand off a weekly admin job to Claude Cowork use case. If staff will use the Project too, set some ground rules with the AI use policy use case.
