15 Claude Prompts for Small Business Owners That Save Hours (2026)

I run [type of business] in [city]. A customer left this review on [Google / Yelp / Facebook]:

[paste the full review]

My side, including what we got wrong: [your account].

Write a public reply under 120 words. Acknowledge the specific complaint without repeating words like "rude" or "dirty". State one concrete thing we have changed. Invite them to contact me at [email or phone]. Do not argue, do not explain why they are wrong, do not offer a discount. Plain English, the way I would say it out loud.

A customer sent this refund request:

[paste the email]

Our policy: [paste or summarize it]. What I am willing to offer: [full refund / partial refund of X / store credit / nothing beyond policy]. Why: [reason].

Write a reply that gives the decision in the first two sentences, explains the reason in one short paragraph without quoting policy language at them, and closes with exactly what happens next and by when. Warm, not apologetic. Under 150 words.

Customers keep asking some version of this: [paste two or three real examples, exactly as written].

The real answer, including the exceptions and the thing people always misunderstand: [write it out fully].

Give me a saved reply under 100 words for email, a 40-word version for Instagram or Google Business Profile, and an FAQ entry with a heading phrased the way customers actually ask. Keep every fact exactly as I stated it.

Raw notes from a call with a prospect, typos and all:

[paste notes]

My services and prices: [list, e.g. "Deep clean, 3 bed house, $280. Add-on: inside oven, $40."]. Terms: [deposit, payment timing, lead time].

Write a quote email to [prospect first name]: one line confirming what they need, an itemized list with prices and a total, any assumption that could change the price, my terms, one clear next step. If anything you need to price it is missing, list it under "Questions for me" instead of guessing.

I sent [prospect name] a quote for [service] on [date] for [amount]. No reply. This is follow-up number [1 / 2 / 3]. Since then: [anything new, e.g. "a slot opened next Tuesday", or "nothing"].

Write a follow-up under 80 words. Give one genuinely useful reason to reply now, make it easy to say no, and do not use "just checking in", "circling back", or "bumping this". End with a yes or no question.

I am raising the price of [service or product] from [old price] to [new price] on [date]. Reason: [the honest one, e.g. supplier costs, underpriced for two years]. For people who act before the date: [lock in current price until X / nothing].

Write the email, under 180 words. Price and date in the first three lines. Reason in two sentences, no apology, no drama. What changes for them, what does not, and how to lock in or ask a question. Sign off as [name].

Transcript of me talking through how we do [process name], rambling and out of order:

[paste transcript]

Turn this into a standard operating procedure a new employee could follow on day one without asking me questions. Format: purpose in one sentence, who does it and when, tools needed, numbered steps in the order they actually happen, common mistakes, and what done looks like. Where I was vague or skipped a step, insert [CHECK WITH OWNER] instead of guessing.

I am hiring a [role] for my [type of business] in [city]. Pay: [range, hourly or salary]. Hours: [schedule]. The last person struggled because [honest reason]. The right person [two or three concrete traits, e.g. "is fine being alone in the shop for hours"].

Write a job post of 250 to 350 words. Lead with the actual day, not the company. Include the pay range, the schedule, the hard parts stated plainly, and an application step that takes two minutes and shows attention to detail. No "fast-paced", "rockstar", "family", or "wear many hats".

My profit and loss statement for [month or quarter], with headers:

[paste the P&L]

Context: [type of business], [rough monthly revenue], [what changed this period].

Walk me through this line by line in plain English as if I have never read a P&L. For each line: what it is, whether it looks normal for a business like mine or worth a second look, and why. Then give me the three numbers to watch every month and a one-paragraph summary. Flag anything that looks like a bookkeeping error, like a category at zero or a one-time cost in a recurring line.

I am meeting my accountant on [date] about [year-end / quarterly taxes / changing business structure / a specific issue]. What I know: [relevant facts, e.g. revenue, big purchases, new hires].

What I do not understand: [list it, even the basic stuff].

Give me 8 to 12 questions, ordered from most to least important, each with one line on why it matters. List any documents I should bring. Do not answer the tax questions yourself. Help me ask better ones.

A real thing that happened with a customer this month, names changed, permission given: [the problem, what we did, the result].

My business: [what you do, for whom]. Where I post: [Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / Google Business Profile]. My voice: [two or three words, e.g. "dry, direct, no exclamation marks"].

Turn this one story into 12 posts for a month: three that tell it from different angles, three that teach something it illustrates, three that answer a question a customer like this would search for, three that are short and conversational. Each under 80 words. No hashtags unless I ask.

Current text of my [service name] page:

[paste the page copy]

One real customer who bought this recently: [who they are, what problem brought them in, what they were worried about before buying].

Rewrite the page as if it were written for that one person. Same sections, roughly the same length. Lead with their problem in their words, address the worry they had before buying, and replace every generic claim with something specific to how we work. Keep the price and every factual detail exactly as is. Do not add testimonials or statistics I did not give you.

It is [day and date]. My week:

Revenue in: [number]. Cash out: [number]. New customers: [number]. Lost or unhappy customers: [number, one line each].
What I planned to do: [list].
What I actually did: [list].
What is on fire: [list].
What I am avoiding: [be honest].

Act as a blunt operating partner. In under 200 words: the one thing that mattered most this week, the one thing I should stop doing, the one thing to do first Monday morning, and any pattern you notice if I paste last week's review below.

[optional: last week's review]

My business: [what you do, team size, rough monthly revenue and customer count]. How work flows today, from first contact to money in the bank: [a few sentences, including who does each step].

Assume demand doubles over the next 90 days and I cannot hire for the first 30. Walk through each step and tell me what breaks first, what breaks second, and what quietly gets worse. Then give me the two changes I could make this month, with no new hires and under [budget], that buy the most room.

I am deciding whether to [the decision, e.g. open a second location / drop our cheapest tier]. My current lean: [yes / no / unsure] because [reason]. What I know: [numbers, constraints, deadline]. What I am afraid of: [be specific].

Do not tell me what to decide. List the assumptions my lean depends on, mark which would hurt most if wrong, tell me the cheapest way to test it in two weeks, and describe the first 90 days under each option. Then ask me the three questions you would need answered to have an opinion.