Prompt Must-Haves.
40 copy-paste prompts for the jobs that eat a small business owner's week: customer messages, posts, schedules, hiring, ordering and your numbers. Fill in the blanks, paste it into Claude, and get the finished thing back.
the prompts I actually use
How to use these
Anything that looks like [this] is where your own details go. The more real detail, the better the answer.
Run these inside a Claude Project with your prices, policies and voice in it, so you don't retype them every time. The free guide shows you how.
The first answer is a draft. Tell it what's off: "shorter," "sounds too salesy," "use our real price." Then save the good version.
Customer messages and reviews
the inbox that never stopsHere are the questions customers ask me most: [paste your list] Write a short, friendly answer for each one in my voice. Use our real prices, hours and policies. If you had to guess on any answer, flag it so I can fix it.
A customer sent me this: [paste their message] Write a reply that owns what went wrong in one sentence, offers [what you can do to fix it], and leaves the door open for them to come back. Under 100 words. Give me a calmer version and a warmer version.
Someone messaged us: "[their message]" Write a reply that answers their question in two sentences and ends with our booking link: [link]. Make it sound like a real person, not a bot.
Here's a [star rating]-star review we got on [Google / Yelp / Facebook]: [paste review] Write a reply that thanks them by name, mentions one specific thing they said, and stays under 70 words. If it's negative, own it and invite them to email [your email]. No excuses.
Write a short thank-you text I can send the day after someone's [appointment / visit / order]. Mention [what they came in for], ask how it's going, and include our review link: [link]. Under 40 words. Give me three versions so it doesn't feel copy-pasted.
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- 02Social media and promos
- 03Email and follow-ups
- 04Scheduling and your team
- 05Hiring and training
- 06Ordering, inventory and admin
- 07Numbers and pricing
- 08Customer experience and growth
Email and follow-ups
so nobody falls through the cracksHere are the emails I got today: [paste them] Sort them into four piles: answer today, can wait, hand to someone else, ignore. Then draft replies for the "answer today" pile.
Someone asked about [service] on [date] and never booked. Write three short follow-up emails: one for tomorrow, one for next week, and a last friendly check-in two weeks out. No pressure, and make each one useful on its own.
Write an email to customers who haven't been in for [number] weeks. Make it feel personal, remind them what they loved about [business name], and give them a reason to come back: [offer or news]. Under 120 words, with two subject line options.
Our prices on [services or products] are going up from [old price] to [new price] on [date]. Write a short, honest email that explains why in one or two sentences, thanks customers for sticking with us, and doesn't sound like an apology.
Here are my rough notes for this month: [paste notes] Turn them into a short newsletter: a friendly opener, three quick sections, and one call to action at the end. Give me three subject lines.
Scheduling and your team
this one's a big oneHere's everyone's availability for next week: [paste availability] We need [number] people on [shifts]. Make a first-draft schedule in a table. Flag any shift that isn't covered and anyone over [number] hours.
This week's tips: $[total]. Hours worked: [name: hours, one per line] Split the tips by hours worked. Show the math in a table and check that the total adds up to $[total] exactly. Round to the cent and tell me where any leftover penny went.
Here are this week's timesheets and the schedule: [paste both] Compare them and list anything that doesn't match: missed punches, long breaks, overtime, or shifts that ran past close.
Write an opening checklist and a closing checklist for a [business type]. Here's what we do now, in no particular order: [paste your notes] Put it in order, group it by area, and keep each line short enough to check off.
I need to talk to [role] about [the issue]. It's happened [how often]. Help me plan a 10-minute conversation: how to open, the one thing I need to say clearly, two questions to ask them, and how to end with a clear next step.
Hiring and training
so you stop being the only one who knowsWrite a job post for a [role] at [business name] in [city]. Pay: [pay]. Hours: [hours]. What the job is really like: [notes]. Make it honest and specific, not corporate, and end with how to apply.
Give me 8 interview questions for a [role] that show how someone handles a busy day, an upset customer and a slow shift. For each question, tell me what a good answer sounds like.
Make a first-week plan for a new [role]. Day by day: what they learn, who shows them, and what they should be able to do on their own by Friday.
Here's how I do [task], typed out the messy way: [paste notes] Turn it into a step-by-step training doc a new person could follow without asking me. Add a short list of common mistakes at the end.
Here are our policies and the questions my team asks me most: [paste] Write a one-page cheat sheet with short answers they can check before they come find me.
Ordering, inventory and admin
so much of this can goHere's last week's sales report and what we have on hand: [paste both] Make a reorder list in a table: item, how many we sold, how many we have, how many to order. Flag anything that's selling faster than usual.
Write an email to [vendor] about [late order / wrong item / price change / new order]. Be friendly and clear, include [order number or details], and ask for [what you need] by [date].
Write our [cancellation / refund / late arrival / deposit] policy for a [business type]. Here's how we handle it now: [notes]. Keep it short, fair and clear enough that nobody can argue with it. Then give me a one-line version for the website.
Here are my notes from [meeting]: [paste notes] Pull out every decision and every to-do. List each to-do with who's doing it and by when. If I didn't say who or when, mark it so I can fill it in.
Write a simple step-by-step for how we [process, like taking a custom order or handling a return]. Here's what happens now: [notes]. Number the steps and note who's responsible for each one.
Numbers and pricing
no more guessingHere's this week's sales report: [paste or upload it] Give me a plain-English recap: what sold, what didn't, how this week compares to last week, and one thing to do next week because of it. Five bullet points max.
Here's my service menu with prices, how long each one takes, and what supplies cost: [paste] Work out what I make per hour on each service after supplies. Show it in a table from highest to lowest and tell me which ones to raise or rethink.
Here are my expenses for the last 3 months: [paste or upload] Group them, flag anything that went up, anything I'm paying for twice, and subscriptions I might not use. Give me the top 3 to look at first.
Here are my sales by day and hour: [paste] Show me my busiest and slowest times in a simple table. Then tell me if my staffing matches it and where I'm paying for hours that don't make money.
Write a friendly reminder for an invoice that's [number] days late. Invoice [number] for $[amount], due [date]. Polite, short, and clear about how to pay: [payment link]. Then write a firmer second reminder for a week later.
Customer experience and growth
grow what you already havePretend you're a first-time customer finding us online. Here's our website text and Google listing: [paste] What's confusing, what's missing, and what would make you not book? Then list the 3 fixes that would matter most.
Here's what we sell and what customers usually buy together: [paste] Give me 5 easy ways to raise the average ticket without being pushy: add-ons, bundles, or what to mention at checkout. Write the one line my team can say for each.
Design a simple loyalty program for a [business type] that's easy to run without a fancy app. Our average customer comes in [how often] and spends about $[amount]. Give me two options and what each one would cost me.
Write a short, natural way to ask happy customers for a referral: one line to say in person, one text, and one email. Our referral reward is [reward], or suggest one if I don't have one yet.
Here's everything on my plate right now: [paste your list] Sort it into: makes money, saves time, or can wait. Then tell me the one thing to do this week that will free up the most time.
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Social media and promos
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