You opened Claude, asked two or three questions, got decent answers… and then the tab stayed closed. That is the path most entrepreneurs take. The problem is not the tool: it is the way it is used. Using Claude well every day means giving it your context once and for all, handing it precise tasks and connecting it to your tools. This guide shows you how, step by step, with requests you can copy and the tasks that save you the most time each week.
What exactly is Claude?
Claude is the AI assistant developed by Anthropic, an American company founded in 2021. It works like ChatGPT: you write a request, it answers. Its writing sounds natural, which makes it particularly effective for anything you send to clients.
Its strengths for an entrepreneur: natural writing that sounds less "robotic"; the ability to read long documents (contracts, PDFs, spreadsheets); and features built for work, such as Projects, memory, connectors to your tools and Cowork, which carries out complete tasks for you. If you are still choosing between assistants, our ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini comparison details their differences.
Is Claude free? Which plan to choose
Claude offers a free version and several subscriptions. Here are the benchmarks at the time of writing (September 2026):
- Free: chat on the web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation, memory and connectors. Ideal for testing, but usage limits are reached quickly on a real working day.
- Pro, about $20 per month (about $17 per month billed annually): more usage, unlimited Projects, in-depth research, Claude in Chrome, Microsoft 365 integration, Claude Code and Cowork.
- Max, from $100 per month: the same features as Pro, with much higher usage limits. Useful if Claude becomes your main tool all day long.
Our advice: start on the free plan for one week, on your real tasks. If you hit the limits, that is the sign the tool is saving you time, and the Pro plan pays for itself with the first hour saved in the month. Always check the current prices on Anthropic's website, as they change regularly.
Installing Claude on desktop and mobile
You can use Claude in three ways, with the same account and the same history:
- In the browser, at claude.ai: nothing to install, just create an account with your email.
- On desktop, with the Claude app for Mac or Windows, downloaded from the official website. It is the most comfortable version for daily use, and the one that gives access to Cowork.
- On mobile, with the iPhone or Android app. Handy to dictate an idea, summarize a document or prepare a meeting between two trips.
An account is required: Claude cannot be used without signing up. Be wary of websites promising "free Claude with no account": they are not official services, and you do not know what they do with your data.
The 4 settings to configure on day one
The difference between a disappointed user and a convinced one often comes down to this. These settings take about thirty minutes and improve the quality of every answer that follows.
1. Fill in your personal preferences
In the settings, Claude lets you describe who you are and how you want it to answer. Describe your business, your clients, your tone and your preferred formats. For example: "I am an HR consultant for entrepreneurs. My clients run small businesses. I write in a clear and warm way. Answer concisely, with lists when useful."
2. Create one Project per major topic
A Project is a space where you store your reference documents (offer presentation, price list, examples of successful proposals) and permanent instructions. Claude uses them in every conversation within the Project. Start with a single Project, "My business", then add others as needed. We cover this feature in our article on Claude Projects use cases.
3. Turn on memory
Memory lets Claude remember things from one conversation to the next: your recurring clients, your habits, your decisions. You stay in control: you can view, edit or delete what it has remembered.
4. Connect your tools
Connectors link Claude to your inbox, your calendar, your online documents or your project management tool. Claude can then find an email, read a shared document or check your availability without any copy-pasting. Only turn on the ones you need.
7 everyday uses of Claude for an entrepreneur
These are the tasks where Claude saves the most time for the entrepreneurs we work with. For each one, an example request to adapt. The durations given are orders of magnitude: your gain depends on your business.
1. Writing your emails and sales proposals
This is the most profitable use. Instead of starting from a blank page, you provide the key elements and Claude writes a first draft in your tone.
"Write a sales proposal for [client], who needs [need]. Use the structure of my proposals in this Project, my rate of [amount], and end with a suggested start date."
Time saved: often one to two hours a week if you send several proposals and follow-ups.
2. Doing your market watch in minutes
Ask Claude to research your industry, your competitors or a new regulation, then deliver a short summary with sources. You read the essentials in five minutes instead of browsing ten websites. To go further, our AI watch guide shows how to organize it.
3. Preparing a client meeting
"Here are my notes and our latest exchanges with [client]. Give me a 10-line summary, the 3 sensitive points to anticipate and 5 questions to ask."
An hour of preparation drops to a quarter of an hour, with a better level of detail.
4. Turning a meeting into minutes and actions
Paste the transcript or your raw notes: Claude produces structured minutes, the list of decisions and a follow-up email ready to send. It is one of the most tedious tasks to do by hand, and one of the easiest to hand over.
5. Producing your content
LinkedIn posts, newsletter, about page, product sheet: Claude starts from your ideas and your examples to suggest several versions. You choose, you adjust, you publish. Always keep the final say: your expertise and your voice are what make the difference.
6. Analyzing a document or a spreadsheet
A 20-page contract, a supplier quote, a sales export: upload the file and ask what you are looking for. "Which clauses in this contract could cause me problems?" or "Which products grew the most this quarter?". Claude can also create files: a spreadsheet, a presentation or a document ready to download.
7. Organizing your week
With your calendar and inbox connected, ask Claude to spot the emails awaiting a reply, list your priorities and suggest a realistic schedule. It makes a good Monday morning ritual.
Put these uses in place, step by step
The AI Challenge guides you through 4 missions of 30 minutes: emails and proposals, market watch, professional visuals and a web page. A concrete deliverable at each mission, with no technical skills required.
Discover the AI ChallengeHow to write good requests
The quality of the answer depends on the quality of the request. Four elements are enough in most cases:
- Context: who you are, who the result is for.
- Task: what you expect, with a clear verb (write, summarize, compare, sort).
- Format: length, structure, tone.
- An example: a model of what you consider a success.
Above all, do not stop at the first answer. Say what is wrong: "shorter", "more direct", "remove the jargon". This back-and-forth is how Claude aligns with the way you work. Our beginner's guide to prompting goes deeper into these techniques.
Going further: Cowork, Claude in Chrome and Office
Once the basics are in place, three features take you from "Claude helps me" to "Claude does it for me":
- Cowork, included in paid plans, carries out complete tasks on your computer: sorting a folder of invoices, compiling information from several sources into a spreadsheet, preparing a report. You describe the expected result, Claude works through the steps and shows you the work.
- Claude in Chrome acts in your browser: filling in a form, comparing pages, collecting information from a website.
- Microsoft 365 integration lets you work with Claude directly in Excel, Word or PowerPoint.
This is also the gateway to AI agents: systems that handle recurring tasks according to the rules you set. If you want to delegate your admin, follow-ups or prospecting this way, that is what our Agents IA Pro bootcamp is about.
Mistakes to avoid
Accepting everything without rereading. Claude can make mistakes, especially on figures, dates or legal references. Always reread what goes out to a client.
Sharing sensitive data without thinking. Avoid sending clients' personal data or confidential information unless necessary. Check your account's privacy settings and, for sensitive data, read our article on GDPR and AI.
Starting from scratch in every conversation. If you explain your business again every time, your preferences and Projects are not filled in. Thirty minutes of setup save you hours of repetition.
Trying to automate everything at once. Pick one task, make it reliable, then move on to the next.
Your 7-day plan
- Day 1: create your account, install the app and fill in your preferences.
- Day 2: create the "My business" Project with 3 to 5 reference documents.
- Day 3: hand Claude your emails and proposals for the day.
- Day 4: prepare your next client meeting with it.
- Day 5: launch a watch on your industry.
- Day 6: connect your calendar and inbox.
- Day 7: take stock. Which tasks saved you the most time? Those are the ones to make systematic.
FAQ: the most common questions about Claude
Which company makes Claude?
Claude is developed by Anthropic, an American company based in San Francisco. It works very well in many languages, including French.
Can Claude be used for free?
Yes, the free version gives access to the essential features, with usage limits. For daily professional use, the Pro plan quickly becomes necessary.
Claude or ChatGPT: which one to choose?
Both are excellent. Claude is often preferred for writing and analyzing long documents, ChatGPT for its very broad ecosystem. The simplest approach is to test both on your own tasks for a week.
Is my data used to train Claude?
Anthropic lets you choose in the privacy settings whether your conversations can be used to improve its models. Check this setting as soon as you create your account.
Do you need technical skills to use Claude well?
No. Everything is done by writing in plain language, as you would to a colleague. That is exactly what we show in the AI Challenge, designed for entrepreneurs with no technical skills at all.