← Blog · 2026-10-15

CLAUDE.md for Non-Developers: Set Up Claude Code as the Back Office of a One-Person Consultancy

Shortcut: fill in a short form and get a starter file from our free CLAUDE.md generator. It runs in your browser.

Claude Code is marketed to programmers, but its two best features have nothing to do with code: it works on files in a folder you control, and it reads a standing instruction file called CLAUDE.md every session. For a solo consultant that's a back office with a memory. Here's the setup I recommend.

1. The folder is the system

consulting-hq/
  CLAUDE.md            <- standing instructions
  business/profile.md  <- who you are, services, proof points, voice
  business/rates.md    <- prices and payment terms
  business/invoices.md <- receivables table
  business/pipeline.md <- prospects table
  clients/acme-dental/ <- notes.md, log.md, proposals, meetings/, drafts/
  tasks.md

Everything is plain markdown, so it's readable by you, Claude, and any other tool, and nothing is locked into an app.

2. What goes in CLAUDE.md

Keep it short (under a page). Claude follows a few specific rules far better than many vague ones. The seven that matter for consulting:

Draft, never send. All emails go to clients/<client>/drafts/.
Never invent numbers. Prices come only from rates.md; anything unknown becomes [ASK: ...], listed at the end.
Check the date (date +%F) before any date math, and show the math.
Log every client action in that client's log.md.
Length limits: emails under 150 words, proposals under 2 pages.
Client separation: never put one client's information in another's files.
Banned words: leverage, synergy, robust, seamless, "just checking in".

Rule 2 is the important one. The most damaging thing an AI assistant can do in a consulting business is quote a price you didn't set. With prices in a file and a hard rule, a proposal draft either uses your number or visibly asks you for one.

3. Add a practice-specific section

Generic instructions produce generic writing. Add 4-5 lines about your field. Examples:

Bookkeeper / fractional CFO: "Numbers must trace to a source file. Use a 13-week cash-flow format. Never give tax advice; write 'confirm with CPA'."
Healthcare practice consultant: "Never put patient names or health information in these files; use de-identified counts. Note HIPAA considerations for any tool recommendation."
Web designer: "Name who supplies copy and images and by when. Content delays are the #1 project risk. Hosting and plugin licenses are out of scope unless listed."

4. Fill two files before anything else

profile.md and rates.md are quick to fill in and do more for output quality than any prompt trick. Every proposal, follow-up and case study will pull your real services, proof points and prices.

5. Then add skills

Skills are .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md files that teach Claude a repeatable job: invoice reminders, meeting action items, proposals. CLAUDE.md says how you work; skills say how to do a specific task.

Starter files

I've published a free folder with this CLAUDE.md, the business templates and three skills (follow-ups, meeting-to-tasks, invoice chase):

Free 3-skill sample

More free Claude Code skills and workflows from around the web:

Solo Stack Kits Directory

The full kit (8 skills, 12 practice templates for different consulting niches, safety hooks) is $29:

Solo Consultant Kit

Disclosure: I make Solo Stack Kits. The sample is free; paid kits are optional.

Not affiliated with Anthropic; "Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic.