I set up Claude Code with no code, install the free marketing kit and turn one plain paragraph into a marketing brief, once for my practice and once for a stand-in pool and spa company. Every later episode starts from these briefs.
Get the kit
The free kit and the install steps are here: https://www.stephenthorn.com/marketing-kit/. In the Claude app you upload one file under Settings, Customize, Plugins. The page also has the two lines for Claude Code in a terminal.
The command
Make a folder for your business and open it in a new Claude Code session. Type /marketing-kit:marketing-brief, a space, then a paragraph about your business: what you sell, who buys it, where they are, how you sound and your rules. Write it like an email. These are the paragraphs I pasted.
My practice
/marketing-kit:marketing-brief I run Stephen Thorn AI, a one-person AI consultancy in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. I help small businesses choose AI tools, set up workflows that save time, and train their teams to use them well. I'm a former Marine Corps officer, I've been automating work since 2012, and I've trained more than 200 people to use AI at work. The offer is a hands-on AI workshop for a team, from a half day up to a multi-week program, in person or remote. I build it around the team's real work and the tools they already use, and I run it myself. Everyone leaves with a working setup they keep. It is for teams of 2 to 20 people. The first step is a free 20-minute call. No price is public. My customers are owner-led small businesses, usually 2 to 50 people, including professional service firms such as law and accounting firms. The owner or a team leader decides. A good fit is a team that has an AI tool such as ChatGPT or Claude, or is about to get one. Most of them use it like a search box, or not at all. They don't think of themselves as tech people, and some worry about putting the wrong thing into an AI tool. They can name two or three tasks from their week that are worth improving. I work in person across the Triangle in North Carolina: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Morrisville and Pittsboro. Everywhere else in the United States, I work remotely. I sound plain, specific and practical, and a little contrarian. I cut through the hype and say what AI is good at and where it falls short. I use short sentences and everyday words, like hours, busywork, tasks and working setup. If a team doesn't need me yet, I say so. I never use hype words, jargon or sales-pitch phrases, and I don't use exclamation marks or em dashes. Nothing is sent, posted or spent without my approval. Use only public sources whose terms allow this use, and never research private people one by one. No client or prospect is named in public.The pool company
/marketing-kit:marketing-brief The company does pool and spa service and resurfacing in Raleigh, NC. The offer is resurfacing for in-ground plaster pools. It is for homeowners. Each job is quoted after a free inspection. The customers are homeowners whose in-ground pool is 8 to 12 years old. The homeowner decides. A pool in that age range is a good fit. The customers are in Raleigh and Wake County, NC. The voice is plain and friendly. The company uses short sentences and everyday words, like pool, plaster, resurfacing, free inspection and quote. It never uses hype words or jargon, and it doesn't use exclamation marks. Nothing is sent, posted or spent without my approval. Use only public sources whose terms allow this use, and never research private people one by one. This business is a stand-in: nothing is sent, run or spent for it.The pool paragraph leaves out the company's name and size on purpose. The brief lists them as open questions instead of making them up.
Before you trust it
Read every line of brief.md. An OK from the check means every section is filled, not that it's true.
It also writes CLAUDE.md, so every later session in that folder reads the brief first.
Nothing is sent, posted or spent without your approval.
Next episode: Claude Code uses this brief to find leads in public records.
Post your paragraph in the community if you'd like help with it.