Free guide · Reel 05
Context, Connections, Capabilities and Cadence are the four layers that turn Claude from a chat window into a system that runs part of your business.
Most people set up AI and stop at step one. They open a chat, ask a question, and wonder why the answer feels generic. A real AI operating system has four C's, and each one makes the next one smarter.
Picture a dog-grooming salon in Bristol, run by one owner. Context is a one-page file on the salon: prices, hours, tone of voice, customers. Connections plug Claude into the calendar, the inbox and the payments app, so it sees today, not last month. Capabilities are skills it repeats the same way every time, like the day-before reminder text. Cadence is the routines that run on their own: every Friday at 5pm it checks next week's bookings and flags the empty slots.
Skip context, and the other three just guess. That is why this guide starts there.
You ask Claude things every day, but it still does not know your business.
Salons, studios, clinics, trainers: anyone whose week lives in a calendar.
You have tried prompts and want the setup that keeps working when you are not typing.
Build the C's in order. Each step takes 10 to 30 minutes, and you can stop after any of them. You need a paid Claude plan.
The checklist first, then the prompt that writes your context file with you. Copy both.
THE 4 C'S CHECKLIST From Alchemix. Tick each line before you move to the next C. 1. CONTEXT: what Claude knows about your business [ ] One page, not ten: what you sell, prices, opening hours, who your customers are, how you talk to them. [ ] "Last updated: [date]" written at the very top. [ ] Saved where Claude reads it every time (a Project's instructions or knowledge in Claude, or CLAUDE.md in Claude Code). [ ] Test: ask "What do we charge for [service]?" in a new chat. Right answer? Tick. 2. CONNECTIONS: what Claude can see today [ ] Calendar connected (Customize, then Connectors). [ ] Inbox connected. [ ] Payments or bookings app connected, if it has a connector. [ ] Test: ask "What is in my calendar tomorrow?" Real answer? Tick. 3. CAPABILITIES: what Claude does the same way every time [ ] One repeat task saved as a skill (Customize, then Skills). [ ] The skill has: when to use it, the steps in order, what to do if something breaks, one perfect example. [ ] Test: type the trigger phrase in a new chat. Same result as last time? Tick. 4. CADENCE: what runs without you asking [ ] One scheduled task, with a day and a time (for example Friday, 5pm). [ ] It only reads and drafts. It never sends, books or pays on its own. [ ] Test: wait for the first run and read the result. Useful? Tick. MAINTENANCE [ ] The day a price or opening hour changes, update the context file and its date. [ ] Once a month, read the context page out loud. Anything no longer true? Fix it.
Interview me to write the context file for my business. One question at a time, and wait for my answer. Cover: what we sell and the prices, opening hours, where we work, who our customers are, the 3 questions customers ask most, how we talk to customers (with one real message I have sent as an example), and 3 things you must never say or promise. When you have everything, write it as ONE page with clear headings. Put "Last updated: [today's date]" on the first line. Mark anything you are unsure about with [CHECK] instead of guessing.
Date your context file.
Write "Last updated" and the date at the top, and update it the day your prices change. Old prices in the context file mean wrong prices in every answer.
Each C makes the next one smarter.
Context makes connections useful. Connections give skills real data. Skills give the routines something reliable to run.
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