Everything from the live session in one place: install the Small Business plugin, connect the tools you already use, and run your first real workflows this week.
Most people use Claude as a chat window: paste something in, copy an answer out. The Small Business plugin changes that. It connects Claude to the tools that already run your business, then hands you ready-made workflows. Claude reads your real inbox, calendar, CRM, and invoices, does the task end to end, and waits for your approval before anything happens.
Built and maintained by Anthropic, the makers of Claude.
Open the Cowork tab in the Claude desktop app (Mac or Windows).
Click Customize in the left sidebar.
Under Plugins, click the + button.
Find Small Business and click Install.
The Claude desktop app and a paid plan. The $20 per month Pro plan is enough. If you have not set this up yet, do that first at claude.com, then come back to step 1.
Type set me up in Cowork. This runs the built-in onboarding: it walks you through connecting your tools, runs a demo workflow, and learns your business context so every output fits your world.
Connectors are what turn Claude from a chatbot into a teammate. You sign in once per tool on that tool's own official sign-in screen, the same way you sign in to any app with your Google account.
| Priority | Tools |
|---|---|
| 1. Communication first | Gmail or Outlook, plus Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar. Powers briefs, follow-ups, and meeting prep. |
| 2. Core business tools | QuickBooks (all money workflows), PayPal (transactions, invoices, refunds), HubSpot (CRM, leads, campaigns). |
| 3. Optional extras | Canva (on-brand assets), Slack (brief delivery), Stripe and Square (payments), Google Drive or OneDrive (files), DocuSign (contracts). |
You do not need all of them. Connect one or two and you will see value immediately. The plugin works with whatever you connect, skips what is missing, and tells you when connecting another tool would unlock more.
Think of it like a new employee: real access, clear boundaries, and you sign off on the work.
Every command in this guide has a plain-English version. Just describe your situation and Claude finds the right workflow:
Each of these runs as a slash command in Cowork. Type it, or just say the plain-English phrase.
| Command | What it does | Just say |
|---|---|---|
| /plan-payroll | Cash forecast plus overdue invoice chase so you know payroll is covered. | "Can I make payroll?", "cash is tight" |
| /month-heads-up | 30-day cash outlook with early risk flags. | "What does next month look like?" |
| /close-month | Month-end close: reconcile, flag gaps, write the P&L story. | "Close the books", "reconcile" |
| /price-check | Margin by product and three pricing scenarios. | "Should I raise prices?" |
| /tax-prep | Tax prep materials for your accountant: quarterly estimates or year-end 1099s. | "Tax stuff", "1099s" |
| Command | What it does | Just say |
|---|---|---|
| /call-list | Top 5 leads to call today with talking points and calendar blocks. | "Who should I call?", "any hot leads?" |
| /run-campaign | End-to-end campaign: sales analysis, content brief, Canva assets, HubSpot send. | "Run a campaign", "I need more customers" |
| /sales-brief | Top and bottom sellers with a 2-week content brief. | "What's selling?", "what should I promote?" |
| Command | What it does | Just say |
|---|---|---|
| /customer-pulse-check | Customer feedback themes with response templates. | "What are customers saying?" |
| /handle-complaint | End-to-end complaint resolution: context, draft response, operational fix. | "A customer is upset", "angry email" |
| /crm-cleanup | CRM hygiene: stale deals, duplicates, missing fields. Fixes what you approve. | "Clean up the CRM" |
| /review-contract | Plain-English contract review with red flags and severity ratings. | "Review this contract", "should I sign this?" |
| Command | What it does | Just say |
|---|---|---|
| /monday-brief | Monday briefing: cash, sales, pipeline, week ahead, top 3 to-dos. | "What's on my plate?" |
| /friday-brief | End-of-week pulse: revenue vs last week, wins, things to watch. | "How did we do this week?" |
| /quarterly-review | Full quarterly narrative: revenue, margin, customer health, risks. | "Quarterly review", "QBR" |
These power the workflows above. Each does one thing well, and they run the same way: as a slash command or in plain English.
| Skill | What it does | Just say |
|---|---|---|
| cash-flow-snapshot | 30/60/90-day cash forecast with confidence bands and named risk flags. | "Forecast my cash flow", "runway" |
| invoice-chase | Drafts overdue-invoice reminders matched to each customer's history and tone. | "Who owes me money?" |
| margin-analyzer | Unit economics by product with benchmarks and three pricing scenarios. | "What are my margins?" |
| month-end-prep | Reconciles your books against payment processors, writes the P&L narrative. | "Close the month", "P&L" |
| tax-season-organizer | Quarterly estimated tax calc or year-end 1099 prep with accountant handoff. | "Quarterly taxes", "year-end prep" |
| lead-triage | Scores leads by engagement, fit, and urgency into a ranked call list. | "Prioritize my leads", "pipeline" |
| content-strategy | Finds top performers and slow movers, produces a 30-day content brief. | "What should I post?" |
| canva-creator | Executes a content brief: posting calendar, Canva assets, captions. | "Make the content", "create the assets" |
| customer-pulse | Aggregates disputes, tickets, and reviews into themes plus a weekly action list. | "How are customers feeling?" |
| ticket-deflector | Reads a customer email, pulls order status, drafts a tone-matched reply. | "Answer this customer" |
| crm-maintenance | Keeps the CRM current: contacts, deals, call logs, stale-record flags. | "Update the CRM", "log a call" |
| contract-review | Plain-English contract review with risk flags and a marked-up redline. | "What am I signing?" |
| job-post-builder | Complete hiring packet: job post, interview guide with scoring, offer letter. | "Help me hire", "write a job post" |
| business-pulse | One-page snapshot: cash, sales, pipeline, and the one thing needing attention. | "Catch me up", "how's the business?" |
| smb-onboard | Guided setup: connects tools, runs a demo, captures your business context. | "Set me up", "get started" |
| When | What you run |
|---|---|
| Monday morning | /monday-brief before you open your inbox |
| Each morning | /call-list for your top five follow-ups |
| Friday afternoon | /friday-brief to close the week with a clear head |
| 1st of the month | /invoice-chase and /month-heads-up |
| End of quarter | /quarterly-review |
Fifteen minutes a day of reviewing Claude's work replaces hours of doing it yourself.
These workflows get sharper the more Claude knows about your business. Tell it your industry, products, customers, and processes. Run set me up if you skipped onboarding. The outputs go from generic to genuinely yours.
Today: install the Small Business plugin in Cowork (page 2, two minutes)
Today: connect email and calendar, then add one business tool you use daily
Today: type set me up and let onboarding capture your business context
Tomorrow morning: run /monday-brief or /call-list on your real data
This week: pick the one command that matches your biggest headache and make it a daily habit
The plugin assists with business workflows but does not replace professional advice. Review financial, tax, legal, and HR outputs yourself, and bring in a qualified professional where it matters. Claude drafts. You decide.
One command, run once, on your real business. That is how this starts.
Muhammad Asmal
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