What is an AI business brain?
It’s a small set of documents that describe how your business works: what you sell, what you charge, who your clients are, how you write and how a job runs. You store them where your AI can read them, and tell it to check them before it does any work.
Then you can talk to your business. Ask what you charge for a job, how you’d handle a tricky request, or what your refund policy says. And you can put it to work: drafting quotes, replying to enquiries, and sorting your inbox, all from the same facts.
Already built a Brand Brain? A Brand Brain makes your marketing sound like you. A Business Brain runs the business side: answers, quotes and client replies. They work well together. You can use your Master Brand Voice as doc 03 and skip that part.
Phase 1: Build the brain
Step 1: Gather everything public about your business
Start with what’s already out there. Use an AI tool that can browse the web, such as Claude with web search, Claude Code, or ChatGPT in Work mode. Ask it to copy everything word for word, not summarise it, so nothing gets lost.
Prompt 1: Gather your sources
Research [Business name] ([website]) and capture everything public about it, word for word. Don't summarise. Cover: every page of the website, the Google Business Profile and reviews, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok bios and recent posts, and any press or directory listings. Save it as one document called "Sources", grouped by where it came from, with the link for each.
You should now see: one long “Sources” document with headings for your website, reviews and each social profile.
Step 2: Add what only you have
This is the step most people skip, and it’s what makes your brain accurate instead of generic. Add the files that aren’t public:
- your price list or rate card
- your terms and conditions
- onboarding forms and proposal templates
- a handful of your best emails to clients
- anything that explains how you do the work
Upload them in the same chat as your Sources document.
Step 3: Turn it into 7 core documents
Every business needs the same seven.
| Doc | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 01 Business Primer | Who you are, your team, services, positioning and tools |
| 02 Audience and Clients | Client types, proof, objections and competitors |
| 03 Voice Guide | How you write, and the words you use and avoid |
| 04 Pricing and Terms | Every rate and rule. Make this one a spreadsheet. |
| 05 FAQs | The questions clients ask, with your real answers |
| 06 How a Job Runs | Every stage from enquiry to done, and who owns each one |
| 07 Glossary | Your industry and business terms |
Prompt 2: Draft your 7 docs
Using the Sources document and the files I've added, draft these 7 docs for [Business name]: 01 Business Primer: who we are, team, services, positioning, tools 02 Audience and Clients: client types, proof, objections, competitors 03 Voice Guide: how we write, words we use and avoid 04 Pricing and Terms: every rate and rule, as a table I can turn into a spreadsheet 05 FAQs: client questions with our real answers 06 How a Job Runs: every stage from enquiry to done, and who owns it 07 Glossary: our industry and business terms Start each doc with one line each on: what it covers, what to use it for, and what's not in it. Use short headings and tables. Only use facts from the sources. If something is missing or unclear, mark it [ASK]. If you're guessing, mark it [CHECK]. End each doc with a "To review" list of every [ASK] and [CHECK].
You should now see: seven drafts, each ending with a “To review” list. Those lists are your to-do list for Step 5.
Phase 2: Connect it
Step 4: Store it where your AI can read it
Make a folder called [BUSINESS] BRAIN in Google Drive or OneDrive. Save docs 01 to 03 and 05 to 07 as documents, and 04 Pricing and Terms as a spreadsheet. Then connect that folder’s storage to your AI tool.
In ChatGPT:
connect Google Drive or OneDrive from the apps in your settings.
In Claude:
connect Google Drive from your connectors. OneDrive works through the Microsoft 365 connector, which needs a work or school Microsoft account, not a personal one.
Why this matters: this is what makes it a living brain instead of a pile of uploads. Change a price in your pricing sheet, and the next time your AI reads it, it’s working from the new rate.
Step 5: Fill the gaps with an interview
Now finish each doc by letting the AI interview you. Run this once per doc. Answer by voice if it’s quicker.
Prompt 3: Interview me to finish a doc
Read [doc name] in my [BUSINESS] BRAIN folder. Interview me to finish it. Go through every [ASK], every [CHECK] and the "To review" list, one question at a time. Show me what the doc says now, then ask what's right. When I say "done", rewrite the doc using only my answers, remove the markers, and give it back to me ready to paste over the original.
Paste the finished version over the old doc in your folder. Start with 04 Pricing and Terms, because it’s the one that causes the most damage when it’s wrong.
Step 6: Create the brain project and test it
Create a project (both ChatGPT and Claude have Projects) called [Business] Brain, and paste this into its instructions.
Prompt 4: Brain project instructions
You work for [Business name], [one line on what we do]. Before answering, search the folder "[BUSINESS] BRAIN" and read the docs that apply. Rules: - Never invent a price, date or fact. If it isn't in the docs, say so. - Prices only come from 04 Pricing and Terms. Show the working. - Follow 03 Voice Guide for anything a client will read. - Drafts only. A person checks and sends. - If something is unclear, ask one question instead of guessing.
Test it with three questions: a price (“What would we charge for...?”), a tricky client request, and a policy question.
If an answer is wrong, the doc is wrong. Fix the doc, and the answer fixes itself.
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Get the newsletterPhase 3: Put it to work
Step 7: Turn a repeated task into a skill
A skill is a saved set of instructions for one job, like writing a quote, that uses your brain every time. Pick a task you do every week: replying to enquiries, quoting or sorting the inbox.
First, do the task once with AI, step by step, and note every decision you make. Then build the skill.
Prompt 5: Build a skill
I want to build a skill for [Business name]: [what it does]. Interview me one question at a time: when we'd use it, which Brain docs it should read, what it needs from me, the steps, what the output looks like, and any rules. Then find 3 or 4 real examples of this output we've already made, like sent emails, and shortlist the best for me to pick. Build the skill, and end every output with: "Changed anything? Tell me what and why, and I'll suggest an update."
Where to save it:
In ChatGPT:
Skills are available on Business, Enterprise and Edu plans. On Plus or Pro, make a new Project for the task and paste the skill in as its instructions.
In Claude:
save it as a Skill. New to Skills? See our Claude Skills starter kit.
Step 8: Test it on real work
Run the skill on three recent real examples, such as three real enquiries, and compare its drafts with what you actually sent. Where it’s wrong, fix the doc or the skill, then run it again until it’s right.
2 hours to 5 minutes
That’s how long one of our clients now spends on each quote, using this exact setup.
Step 9: Make it improve itself
Every time you correct a draft, tell it why. Then once a week, run this.
Prompt 6: Weekly improvement review
Compare the drafts you wrote this week with what I actually sent. List what I changed, ask me why for the patterns, then suggest updates to the skills and Brain docs. Don't change anything until I approve.
Once a skill is reliable, put it on a schedule if your tool supports scheduled tasks, for example a summary of new enquiries every morning.
Prompt 7: Your next skill
Look at my Brain docs and the skill we've already built. Suggest the next 3 tasks in my business that would save the most time as skills, and why. For each, list which Brain docs it would use and what I'd need to give it. Don't build anything until I pick one.
Your checklist
Tick each one off as you go:
0 of 10 doneCommon mistakes
- Skipping Step 2. Public info alone gives you a generic brain. Your price list and real emails are what make it yours.
- Uploading files instead of connecting a folder. Uploads go stale. A connected folder stays current when you edit it.
- Trusting it before testing it. Always test on real past work before you rely on it for new work.
- Fixing the answer instead of the doc. If it gets something wrong, correct the doc. That fixes every future answer, not just this one.
- Building ten skills at once. Get one skill right first. The next ones are much faster.
FAQs
Does this work in ChatGPT and Claude?
Yes. The steps and prompts are the same. The buttons for connecting your files and saving skills differ slightly, and we show both in the guide.
Do I need Google Drive?
You need somewhere your AI can read your docs. Google Drive works with both ChatGPT and Claude. OneDrive works with ChatGPT, and with Claude through the Microsoft 365 connector if you have a work or school Microsoft account.
How long does it take?
Plan for an afternoon to build the brain and test it, and another session for your first skill. Answering the interview questions is the part that takes longest, and it’s the part that matters most.
Is my business information safe?
Use a paid plan, check your AI tool’s data settings so your content isn’t used for training, and keep anything confidential, like client personal details, out of the brain. If you’re in a regulated industry, check with your adviser.
What’s the difference between a Business Brain and a Brand Brain?
A Brand Brain is for marketing content that sounds like you. A Business Brain runs the business side: answering questions, quoting and replying to clients. They work well together.
What happens when my prices change?
Update 04 Pricing and Terms in your folder. The next time your AI reads it, it uses the new prices. There’s nothing to re-upload.