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Claude for Small Business: The Guide and Setup Checklist for Local Businesses

8 minute readUpdated October 2026Explore more

TL;DR

Claude for Small Business is a free plugin from Anthropic that runs inside Claude (in Cowork, on the desktop app). It has 43 ready-to-run workflows, including an invoice chaser, payroll planning, the month-end close and lead triage, and it connects to tools like Intuit QuickBooks, HubSpot and Google Workspace. The business needs its own paid Claude plan (Pro for one person, Team for more). Below: what is in it, what it costs, and a copy-paste checklist for setting it up for a business near you.

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What Anthropic actually launched

Anthropic launched Claude for Small Business on May 13, 2026. Anthropic calls it "a package of connectors and ready-to-run workflows that put Claude inside the tools small businesses depend on." You install it as a plugin, connect the business's tools, and pick a job. Claude does the work and stages it, and the owner approves before anything sends, posts or pays.

Introducing Claude for Small Business (Anthropic)

The launch post. Workflows, connected tools, the trust rules and the free AI Fluency for Small Business course.

Claude for Small Business (official page)

Overview, FAQ, plan requirements and free workshops in US cities.

The workflows from the video

These are the four jobs named in the reel, with what Anthropic's own install guide says each one does and the tools it reads from by default.

  • Invoice chaser (invoice-chase): ranks overdue invoices and drafts a reminder for each one, matched to how that customer has paid before. Reads from Intuit QuickBooks, Gmail, Microsoft 365, PayPal, Stripe, Xero and more.
  • Payroll planning (/plan-payroll): checks you will have the cash for payroll, drafts reminders for overdue invoices, and gets the run ready for you to submit. Claude does not submit payroll for you.
  • Month-end close (/close-month): closes your books, updates your cash forecast, and writes the close packet for your accountant. Reads from Intuit QuickBooks, Stripe, Square, Shopify, Gusto and more.
  • Lead triage (lead-triage): scores your leads on engagement, fit and urgency, and writes a call card for the top ones with talking points. Reads from HubSpot, Gmail, Google Calendar, Apollo and Clay.

Other workflows in the plugin include /monday-brief (cash, sales, pipeline and calendar on one page), /pay-the-bills, /restock, /tax-prep, /speed-to-lead (answers new inquiries on nights and weekends with real meeting times), /grow-pipeline, /call-list, /marketing-monday, /reactivate (win back customers who stopped buying), plus a contract reviewer, proposal builder, hiring screener and review replies.

How to install and use the Claude for Small Business plugin (Claude Academy)

Anthropic's install guide with the full table of every skill, what it does and which tools it uses.

Which tools it connects to

Anthropic's plugin page lists 37 partner connectors, including Intuit QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Shopify, Salesforce, Gusto, Square, Stripe, Xero, Canva, Docusign, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack and Zapier. If a business uses a tool with no connector, Anthropic says most workflows still run from an uploaded spreadsheet, PDF or forwarded email, and the build-connector skill can link a missing tool through Zapier.

Small Business plugin (Claude marketplace)

The official plugin listing with the workflow commands and connector list.

What it costs and who can use it

  • The plugin itself is free to install. The business pays for its Claude plan.
  • Plan needed: Anthropic's install guide says you need the Claude desktop app on a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan. Anthropic's FAQ recommends Pro for one person and Team for a business with more than one.
  • Pro: $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front), per Claude's pricing page on October 3, 2026.
  • Team (standard seat): $25 per seat a month billed monthly, or $20 billed yearly, for teams of 2 to 150.
  • Connected tools are billed separately. Anthropic notes some features may need a higher tier in the connected tool itself, such as Canva or a CRM.
Claude plans and pricing

Check current prices before you quote a business. Prices can change and may vary by region.

How to install it (Anthropic's steps)

  1. 1Install the Claude desktop app from claude.com/download and sign in on a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan.
  2. 2Open Cowork and click Customize in the left sidebar.
  3. 3Under Plugins, click +.
  4. 4Find Small Business and click Install.
  5. 5Type / in the chat bar and pick a skill, or describe the job in plain English and Claude picks the skill that fits.

Why local businesses need someone to set it up

To be fair to Anthropic: they say no IT is needed and connectors are one click. The install is easy. What takes time is everything around it: picking the right plan, connecting the right accounts with the right permissions, customizing the plugin to the business, testing the first workflows against real numbers, and teaching the owner how to approve safely. That is the part a busy gym, salon or café owner tends to put off, and it is where a helper who already knows Claude is useful.

Anthropic also lists service partners in the Claude Partner Network who help small businesses get set up, so this is a real role, not a loophole. We make no promises about what you can earn doing it. Charge what is fair, be clear about what you will and will not do, and never pretend to be an accountant, payroll provider or lawyer.

Copy this setup checklist

Paste it into your notes app and work through it with the owner. Every step is something the owner can see and approve.

checklistCLAUDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS: SETUP CHECKLIST

BEFORE THE VISIT
[ ] List the tools the business uses: accounting, payments, CRM, email, calendar, files
[ ] Pick the 2 or 3 jobs that waste the most owner time (invoices, payroll prep, leads, month-end)
[ ] Confirm the plan: Pro for a solo owner, Team for 2+ people (check claude.com/pricing)
[ ] Agree in writing what you will set up, and that the owner approves every action

ACCOUNT AND INSTALL (owner's own account, owner's own card)
[ ] Owner creates or upgrades their own Claude account. Never use yours.
[ ] Install the Claude desktop app (claude.com/download)
[ ] Cowork > Customize > Plugins > + > Small Business > Install

CONNECT TOOLS (start with one)
[ ] Owner signs in to each tool themselves. You never hold their passwords.
[ ] Connect the accounting tool first (for example Intuit QuickBooks)
[ ] Then email and calendar (for example Google Workspace)
[ ] Then the CRM (for example HubSpot), if they use one
[ ] Confirm each connected account only sees what it should

MAKE IT THEIRS
[ ] Run /smb-onboard (or say "set me up") and let Claude learn the business
[ ] Customize the plugin: Customize > Plugins > Claude for Small Business > Customize

FIRST WORKFLOW (approval mode)
[ ] Run one job the owner already knows the answer to (overdue invoices is a good first test)
[ ] Check one line against the books before approving anything
[ ] Look for anything that does not belong, like a paid invoice showing as open
[ ] Only after it is right: set a schedule (for example /monday-brief every Monday)

HANDOFF
[ ] Show the owner how to approve, edit and stop a workflow
[ ] Show them how to disconnect a tool in Settings
[ ] Write down which workflows run, when, and what each one touches
[ ] Remind them: big calls (pay, sign, file, what to tell the accountant) stay with them

Prompts to run on day one

Swap in the real business details. The first one sets up the plugin, the rest are first jobs to test in approval mode.

promptGet me started. I run [type of business] in [city] with [number] staff. We use [accounting tool] for the books, [email/calendar tool] for email and scheduling, and [CRM or "no CRM, leads come in by email and phone"]. The jobs I fall behind on are [job 1], [job 2] and [job 3]. Ask me anything you need, help me connect my tools one at a time, and do not send, post or pay anything without my approval.
promptWhich invoices are overdue, and which ones should I follow up on first? Draft a reminder for each one in a friendly tone, matched to how that customer has paid before. Show me the list and the drafts. Do not send anything.
promptPayroll is due on [date]. Check whether I will have the cash to cover it, list anything that could make it tight, and get the run ready for me to review. Do not submit anything.
promptLook at the leads that came in over the last [number] days. Score them on engagement, fit and urgency, and give me my top 5 to call today with a short call card and talking points for each.

Free help from Anthropic

  • AI Fluency for Small Business: a free on-demand course Anthropic built with PayPal. anthropic.skilljar.com/ai-fluency-for-small-businesses
  • Using Claude for your small business: Anthropic's walkthrough of payroll, the month-end close and the Monday brief. academy.claude.com/tutorials/using-claude-for-your-small-business
  • Free workshops: Anthropic lists free in-person workshops in US cities and partner webinars on the official page.

Now you just pick one business near you and offer to get it running. Inside the Claude Code Club we share how we set Claude up for real businesses and help each other when a connector gets stuck. It's nine dollars a month at https://www.skool.com/claudecodeclub/about. Everything on this page works without it.

Learn Claude Code. Earn income. Only $9.

👉 https://www.skool.com/claudecodeclub

Common questions

  • Is Claude for Small Business free?

    The plugin is free to install, but it needs a paid Claude plan. Anthropic's install guide lists Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. On October 3, 2026 Pro was $20 a month billed monthly, and a Team standard seat was $25 a month billed monthly. Connected tools like QuickBooks or HubSpot are billed by those companies.

  • Does it work with QuickBooks, HubSpot and Google Workspace?

    Yes. All three are on Anthropic's list of partner connectors, along with PayPal, Shopify, Stripe, Xero, Gusto, Square, Canva, Docusign, Microsoft 365, Slack, Zapier and more. If a tool has no connector, most workflows can still run from an uploaded spreadsheet or a forwarded email.

  • Can Claude send invoices or run payroll on its own?

    Not by default. Every workflow starts in approval mode: Claude drafts and stages the work, and nothing sends, posts or pays until the owner approves. Payroll is prepared for the owner to submit, and Claude does not file anything. Once the owner trusts a workflow, it can run on a schedule.

  • Do I need to be technical to set this up for a business?

    No coding is needed. Anthropic says connectors are one click. The real work is choosing the right plan, connecting the right accounts, customizing the plugin and checking the first results against the business's own records.

  • How much can I charge for setting this up?

    We don't give income figures, because we have no reliable data on what setup work pays. Agree a clear scope with the owner, keep the business on its own Claude account and logins, and never present yourself as an accountant or payroll provider.

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