How to Get Started with Claude: A Beginner's Guide for Business Owners

This is the written companion to Episode 3 of our video series, How to Use Claude to Grow Your Business.

Do you need to be technical to use Claude?

No. That is the short answer and it is important that it lands clearly.

Claude is designed to be used in plain English. You do not need to know how to code. You do not need a technical background. If you can write an email, you can use Claude.

How to access Claude

There are three main ways:

In your browser — Go to claude.ai and create a free account. This is the simplest place to start.

On your phone — Claude has a mobile app for iOS and Android. Useful if you want to use it on the go.

Claude Code — This is a more advanced version that runs on your computer and can write and execute code. It is not where you start as a beginner. We cover it properly in Episode 5.

Free versus paid: what is the honest difference?

Claude has a free tier and a paid plan called Claude Pro. The free tier lets you get started and is genuinely useful, but it has limits on how many messages you can send per day.

For regular business use, most people find the paid plan worth it. Check the current pricing at claude.ai before committing, as these things change. We are not quoting specific prices here because they may have changed since this post was written.

The biggest mistake beginners make

Being too vague.

Claude is very capable, but it responds to the quality of what you give it. A weak prompt gets a weak result. Here is a simple example:

Weak prompt: Write something about my business.

Strong prompt: I run a small accountancy firm in Bristol called Harrison Accounts. We work mainly with sole traders and small limited companies. Our tone is friendly but professional. Write a 200-word About Us section for our website that explains what we do and why clients trust us.

The second prompt gives Claude context. The more context you provide, the better the output.

Think of Claude like a very capable new team member

Imagine you had just hired a brilliant assistant who knew nothing about your business yet. You would brief them properly before asking them to do anything. Claude works the same way.

Tell it what your business does. Tell it who your customers are. Tell it how you like to write. Tell it what you never say. The more it knows, the more useful it becomes.

Claude Projects: where things get really efficient

Claude has a feature called Projects. This is where you can store your business context permanently, including your tone of voice, key facts about your company, things to avoid, and anything else Claude needs to help you well.

Once you have set up a Project, you do not have to explain yourself every time you start a new conversation. Claude already knows the essentials.

This is one of the most underused features for business owners and one of the most valuable.

Something to try right now

Open Claude and paste in this prompt, filling in the details for your own business:

I run a business called [name] in [location]. We help [who you help] to [what outcome you deliver]. Our tone is [describe your style]. Please rewrite my LinkedIn About section to clearly explain what we do and why clients choose us. Here is my current About section: [paste it in].

That is a solid ten-minute exercise that will show you what Claude can do.

What to do next

Episode 4 covers writing content and copy with Claude, which is where most people find their first real time saving.

If you would prefer to learn in person, we run small-group AI workshops for business owners across the south of England.

Book a place on one of our in-person AI workshops, or watch for Episode 4 dropping very soon.