The Business Brain Template
The one document that makes Claude sound like you. Five sections, fill in the brackets, paste it into a Claude Project. Rough first pass: 20 to 30 minutes.
The template on this page plus a printable PDF, and an occasional AI email from me. One-click unsubscribe.
Justin McKelvey
15 yrs shipping software ยท 50+ products
Why Claude sounds generic
It's not your prompt. When you give Claude nothing about your business, it writes the average of the internet: "I hope this email finds you well," three exclamation points, zero information.
The fix is context it reads every time. Not "be more concise" bolted onto a prompt, but one document that says how you sound, what you sell, who you serve, and how work arrives. I call it the Business Brain, and it's the same document I build for clients.
The test for whether it's working: you can send a draft after changing one line instead of three paragraphs.
The five sections
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01
Voice
A real sample of your writing, not adjectives. Plus what you always do, what you never do, and the phrases you'd never say.
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02
What you sell
Every offer with its real price, what's included, and what isn't. Boundaries are context.
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03
Who you serve
One paragraph on your customer and one on who you turn away. The second one is the half everyone skips.
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04
How work arrives
The first conversation in order, what they get after, the follow-up rhythm, and the objections you've actually answered.
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05
Hard rules
Draft only. Never invent a price, date, or policy. If Claude doesn't know, it writes FLAG instead of guessing.
Questions
What is a Business Brain?
One document that tells Claude how your business actually works: how you sound, what you sell and for how much, who you serve and who you turn away, how work arrives, and the hard rules. It sits somewhere Claude reads at the start of every conversation, so you stop re-explaining your business every session.
Where does the Business Brain go?
Somewhere Claude reads automatically: the instructions on a Claude Project, a CLAUDE.md file at the root of a Claude Cowork workspace, or the same file at the root of a Claude Code project. Pick one and pin it.
How long does it take to fill in?
A rough first pass takes 20 to 30 minutes, and rough is fine. The full capture, done properly, is about six hours, most of it on what you sell and how work arrives.
Does it work for a department, not a whole business?
Yes. Read "what we sell" as what your team delivers, "who we serve" as the teams that send you work, and "how work arrives" as your intake process. The template has the department reading next to each section.
From The Shop
This is Lesson 3 of The Shop
The Shop is my self-paced course on putting Claude to work in the business or team you run. Eight lessons, and every one ends with something built: the Brain, your offers, a workflow run for a week, connectors, skills, and the rules that keep it safe. Lesson 1 is free, no sign-in.
See the whole course