Taught by Justin McKelvey
◆ The Shop · A Claude course by Justin McKelvey · Updated September 2026
The Claude course for people who run things.
Managers, department heads, and business owners. Not a prompting course. You install Claude into the work you already run, and every lesson ends with something built.
In short: The Shop is a self-paced Claude course for managers and business owners. Over 8 lessons (48 short chapters, about 4 hours of reading) you build a Business Brain so Claude writes in your voice, run one draft-and-approve workflow for a week, connect your tools, install four skills, and leave with trust rules and a 30/60/90 plan. $397 once, lifetime updates, 30-day money-back. It's a completion course, not a certification.
30-day money-back: reply to your receipt and I refund it. Already bought? Sign in.
- 8
- Lessons
- 48
- Chapters
- ~4 hrs
- Reading
- $397
- Once
A note before you start
Why I built this Claude course
Most teams I talk to already pay for ChatGPT or Claude. Everyone uses it their own way, nothing sounds like the business, and nothing runs without someone babysitting it.
That isn't a prompting problem. It's missing context and a missing process.
Before software, I spent 12 years managing snowboard and mountain-bike shops in Colorado. Retail punishes bad systems fast, so you learn to build ones that hold up on a busy Saturday. Today I run two businesses on the exact pattern in this course. It's how my Tuesday works.
The Shop is that pattern, in the order I'd walk you through it if we sat down together: write down the goal, capture your Business Brain, run one workflow for a week, then connect the tools and build out the rest.
Every chapter takes a few minutes and ends with something to do. If you get stuck, reply to any email from me. It's really me on the other end.
Justin
Justin McKelvey · Austin, TX
Who this Claude course is for
Built for the person everyone's waiting on.
For you if
- ◆You own a business (up to about $5M) and every email, proposal, and follow-up still goes through you.
- ◆You manage a team or a department, and your people use ChatGPT or Claude however they like, with no shared context and no system.
- ◆You've watched the prompting videos and still have nothing running on a Tuesday.
Manager first? Read AI for managers and AI for leaders.
Not for you if
- ×You're a developer after API or Claude Code training. Anthropic's free developer courses are better for that.
- ×You want a badge for LinkedIn. There's no certification here, just the work.
- ×You want it built for you. That's the done-for-you install, from $4,500.
How this Claude course works, week by week
How I'll walk you through it.
The same order I use in my own businesses. One workflow at a time, measured, before anything else gets added. It's the plan from Lesson 8, "Your first 30 days, step by step," and the course walks you through each part.
-
01 Week 1 · Lessons 1 to 4
Capture and pick
- ◆Write down the one goal, with a name and a date on it.
- ◆Score your recurring work by hours × repetition × how teachable the rules are, and pick the single highest number.
- ◆Capture your Business Brain: voice, what you sell, who you serve, how work arrives, and hard rules.
-
02 Week 2 · Lesson 5
Install one workflow
- ◆Build the draft step inside a Claude Project. Claude drafts. It doesn't send.
- ◆Put it where the work already happens, so nobody has to remember a new tab.
- ◆Run it on real work with the owner reviewing every draft.
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03 Week 3 · Lesson 5
The week it gets decided
- ◆Keep the weekly review, even when it starts to feel like a chore.
- ◆Check the approval rate. If nobody can name a draft they changed, it's a rubber stamp, not a gate.
- ◆Fix the context, not the drafts: every "it keeps doing X" is a missing line in your Brain.
-
04 Week 4 and on · Lessons 6 to 8
Measure, then build out
- ◆Ask one question: what do you do less of now? Then ship it, fix one thing, or kill it cleanly.
- ◆Connect your tools and install the four universal skills and your pack.
- ◆Write the trust rules and your 30/60/90 plan so it survives a busy month.
- 4–7 min
- per chapter: one idea, one action
- 48
- chapters end with a "do this now" list
- 22
- chapters include copy-paste templates
- 8
- Work Orders saved to your account
What you build in this Claude course
Every lesson ends with a Work Order: the thing you built, saved to your account. By Lesson 8 you have all of this.
A Business Brain
One document, five sections: voice, what you sell, who you serve, how work arrives, and hard rules. It's the context file Claude reads first, so drafts sound like you instead of a press release. More on the framework at The Business Brain.
One workflow, proven
Picked by the numbers (hours × repetition × how teachable the rules are), built as draft-and-approve inside a Claude Project, and run for a full week with one honest metric.
Your tools connected
Email, calendar, files, and CRM connected in the right order: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, Slack, HubSpot, QuickBooks. Plus what to do when a connector breaks. Connector guide.
Four universal skills
A weekly report, a customer service drafter, meeting notes to action items, and a content repurposer. Managers build the department version: status report, meeting notes to decisions, delegation brief, onboarding doc.
Your pack
B2B growth, DTC marketing, or Team. Skills built as a chain where each output feeds the next, measured with arithmetic instead of vibes.
Trust rules and a roadmap
The seven ways these projects die, a Trust Rules doc pinned to your Brain, a monthly 20-minute maintenance routine, and your 30/60/90 plan.
See inside the course
Before you spend a dollar.
Work Order · Lesson 1
Sample
- Business
- Northside HVAC, 12 people
- First workflow
- Replying to inbound service inquiries
- Owner
- Dana, office manager
- Worked if
- Dana spends 4 fewer hours a week on inquiry replies by October 15
- Weekly review
- Fridays at 9:00
Every lesson ends with one of these, saved to your account. This one is a made-up example so you can see the shape.
Read Lesson 1 free →Who teaches this Claude course
Proof, not promises.
I'm Justin McKelvey. I've spent 15 years building products, first as CTO at an AI startup and Head of Product at a national sports platform, now running my own companies. The Shop isn't theory I researched. It's the setup both of my businesses run on every day.
- 15 yrs
- building products
- 50+
- products shipped
- $53M+
- revenue generated for partners and clients
- 2
- businesses running on this exact setup
The framework is public
The course is built on the Business Brain. Read the whole framework free before you buy anything. The Business Brain →
What clients say about working with me (client projects, not this course)
“Justin doesn't just write code; he thinks like a CEO. He understands the business impact of every technical decision, which is rare in this industry.”
“The transformation of our technical infrastructure under Justin's guidance allowed us to scale from 10k to 500k users without a single minute of downtime.”
The syllabus: 8 lessons, 48 chapters
234 minutes of reading in total. Lessons unlock in order, so you build on what you just made.
-
01
Drop in: what you're building Free preview
What you'll have at the end and how long it really takes, the one-workflow rule, and a written goal with a name and a date on it.
You build: Your goal and the one workflow you'll automate first
-
02
What Claude can really do for your business (and what it can't)
What AI genuinely does and doesn't do, how to pick the first workflow by a number, what it costs, and an honest 30-question readiness score with named gaps.
You build: Your automate-first shortlist and readiness score
-
03
The Business Brain: teach Claude to sound like you
Why generic output is a missing-context problem, the five sections that fix it, how to capture your voice in ten minutes, where the document lives, and the skeleton to build it now.
You build: Your Business Brain document
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04
What you sell, who it's for, and how work lands
Every offer in a six-field block, one paragraph on who you serve and one on who you don't, a one-sentence positioning, and your sales motion or intake process written down.
You build: Structured offer, one-sentence positioning, and your sales-motion capture
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05
Your first run: one workflow, one week
Pick one workflow by the numbers, build it as draft-and-approve inside a Claude Project loaded with your Business Brain, and run it for a week with one honest metric.
You build: One working draft-and-approve workflow, run for a week
-
06
Wire it in: connectors and the four skills every business needs
Wire Claude into the five tools your work actually runs on, learn to fix a connector when it breaks, and install the four skills every business and every department builds first.
You build: Five connectors live and four skills installed
-
07
Pick your setup: B2B growth, DTC marketing, or Team
Choose the one pack that matches how your work makes money or gets measured, build its skills as a chain where each output feeds the next, and measure it with arithmetic instead of vibes.
You build: The pack that matches your work, installed
-
08
Keep it running: trust rules, tune-ups, and your year-one plan
Learn the seven ways these projects die and the permanent boundaries that keep yours safe, pin the Trust Rules to your Brain, set the maintenance calendar, and write the 30/60/90 that turns a setup weekend into infrastructure.
You build: Trust Rules doc and your 30/60/90 plan
Bring yourself, or bring your team
Same course. Everyone gets their own bench.
Just you
$397 once
- ◆All 8 lessons, 48 chapters, and every template
- ◆Your own progress and saved Work Orders
- ◆Lifetime updates as Claude changes
- ◆30-day money-back guarantee
You and your team
$397 + $97 per teammate
2 to 25 people. A 5-person team is $785.
- ◆Everyone gets their own sign-in, progress, and Work Orders
- ◆You add teammates by email after checkout, now or later
- ◆The Team setup in Lesson 7: meeting notes to decisions, weekly reporting, delegation briefs, onboarding
- ◆30-day money-back guarantee on the whole order
More than 25 people? Email me.
The Shop vs. free Claude courses vs. hiring it out
| Anthropic's free courses | Prompting videos | The Shop | Done-for-you install | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Usually free | $397 once | From $4,500 |
| What it teaches | How Claude works and how to work with AI well | Prompts and features | Installing Claude into the business or team you run | Nothing to learn: it's built with you |
| You leave with | Product knowledge | Saved prompts | 8 Work Orders: Business Brain, a proven workflow, connectors, skills, trust rules, 30/60/90 plan | A finished setup, a 60-minute training, and a handoff doc |
| Your time | Self-paced | Varies | About 4 hours of reading, a six-hour Business Brain capture, and one workflow run for a week | About 3 hours over 2 weeks |
| Best for | Learning the product first | Quick tips | Doing it yourself, properly | Owners whose hour is worth more than the build |
Honest take: if you've never opened Claude, take Anthropic's free Claude 101 first. It's good and it's free. Then come back and build.
How much Claude costs to run this setup
Lessons 1 to 5
$0
Claude's free plan covers it, including the Project Lesson 5 builds (free accounts get up to five). Pro at $20 a month only lifts the usage limits.
Lesson 6 onward
$25/seat/mo
Claude Team, for shared connectors, Cowork, and admin controls. $20 per seat billed annually, teams of 2 to 150. Two people is $50 a month. Team plan breakdown.
The math
~5x
A workflow eating 5 hours a week at a $60 loaded hourly cost is $1,290 a month of time. Get half of it back and a five-seat Team plan ($125 a month) pays for itself about five times.
Prices from claude.com/pricing, checked September 11, 2026.
Claude course FAQ: what people ask before buying
- What's the best Claude course for managers and business owners?
- It depends on what you need. To learn how Claude works, start with Anthropic's free courses, such as Claude 101 and AI Fluency for Small Businesses at anthropic.skilljar.com. To install Claude into the business or team you run and finish with a working setup, take The Shop: 8 lessons, each ending with something built, $397 once.
- Is there a free Claude course?
- Yes. Anthropic publishes free courses at anthropic.skilljar.com, including Claude 101, Introduction to Claude Cowork, and AI Fluency for Small Businesses. Lesson 1 of The Shop is also free to read with no sign-in. The paid part of The Shop is the build: Lessons 2 to 8.
- Are Claude courses worth it?
- Only if you leave with something running. The math: a workflow that eats 5 hours a week at a $60 loaded hourly cost is about $1,290 a month of time. Get half of that back and a five-seat Claude Team plan ($125 a month billed monthly) pays for itself about five times over. If The Shop doesn't earn its price in 30 days, reply to your receipt for a refund.
- How long does it take to learn Claude?
- The basics take an afternoon. Getting Claude working inside a business takes longer because one workflow has to prove itself first. The Shop is about 4 hours of reading (234 minutes across 48 chapters). The biggest piece of doing is a six-hour Business Brain capture in Lessons 3 and 4, and Lesson 5 runs your first workflow for a full week. Plan on a few weeks, not a weekend.
- Is The Shop a Claude certification?
- No. The Shop is a completion course by Justin McKelvey, not an Anthropic program or certification. What you keep is the work itself: a saved Work Order for every lesson.
- Do I need a paid Claude plan?
- Not to start. Lessons 1 to 5 work on Claude's free plan, which allows up to five Projects; Pro ($20 a month, or $17 billed annually) only lifts the usage limits. Lesson 6 onward uses the Claude Team plan for shared connectors and Cowork: $25 per seat per month billed monthly or $20 billed annually, for teams of 2 to 150, so two people is $50 a month. Prices as of September 2026.
- Do I need to be technical or know Claude Code?
- No. The Shop is not a developer course and there is no Claude Code in it. Connectors use each tool's normal sign-in, and every chapter ends with a short "do this now" list. If you want API or Claude Code training, Anthropic's free developer courses are the better fit.
- Can Claude help me run my business?
- Yes, for work that follows a pattern: drafting replies and proposals in your voice, turning meeting notes into action items, weekly reports, follow-ups, and onboarding docs. The rule the course runs on: Claude drafts, a named person approves, and nothing reaches a customer without a yes.
- How can AI be used by managers?
- Hand Claude the parts of management that are writing: status reports, meeting notes turned into decisions, delegation briefs, onboarding docs, and the weekly numbers. The Shop's Team pack builds those as a chain on top of a department version of the Business Brain, so every draft starts from your team's context.
- How do I train my team to use Claude?
- Skip the prompting workshop. Give everyone the same context (a Business Brain for the team), pick one workflow and run it draft-and-approve for a week, write the trust rules down, then add skills one at a time on a 30/60/90 plan. That is Lessons 3, 5, 7, and 8 of The Shop, and team seats let everyone work through it with their own sign-in.
- Can I buy The Shop for my team?
- Yes. Your seat is $397 and each teammate is $97 more, for 2 to 25 people, so a 5-person team is $785. After checkout you add teammates by email, and each one gets their own sign-in, progress, and saved Work Orders. Same 30-day money-back guarantee. For more than 25 people, email hello@justinmckelvey.com.
- How is The Shop different from Anthropic's AI Fluency for Small Businesses?
- Anthropic's course is free and builds AI fluency: how to work with AI well. The Shop is the install. You finish with a Business Brain, a workflow that ran for a week, connected tools, four skills, trust rules, and a 30/60/90 plan for your own business or department. Taking both works fine.
- What happens after I buy?
- Your sign-in link appears on the confirmation page and arrives by email. There is no password: sign in any time with your email and a fresh link is sent. Lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes and ends with the one workflow you'll build first.
- Will the price go up?
- Yes. The Shop is $397 until the walkthrough videos ship, then $497. Buyers get the videos and every update free.
- Can I have it done for me instead?
- Yes. The Claude for Small Business install is built with you over about 2 weeks, from $4,500. If you're not sure which path fits, the AI Readiness Assessment ($2,500) produces a written 30/60/90 roadmap and is credited in full within 90 days.
Come in. Build it. Leave with it running.
My promise: if The Shop doesn't earn its price in 30 days, reply to your receipt and I'll refund it. No questions, no forms.
$397 until the walkthrough videos ship, then $497 list. 30-day money-back guarantee: if it doesn't earn its price, reply to your receipt and I'll refund it. Rather have it built for you? The Claude for Small Business install starts at $4,500.