Did you know that Anthropic, the maker of Claude, is going to IPO in the next 2 weeks? I follow the stock market daily and I love business strategy, so it's no wonder that as they get ready to go public, their main focus has become the adoption of Claude by businesses, including small businesses.
Anthropic is building a starter kit for almost every kind of business. A contract read before you sign it. A vendor checked before you send a deposit. A portfolio reviewed. The month closed. Most owners have no idea this exists yet. If you have ever looked at AI and thought "that is not built for my kind of work," this post is for you.
Why this matters for you
You don't have to explain your process to AI from scratch. Someone has already written the starting point for contracts, vendor checks, compliance questions, portfolio reviews and more, and you can change each one to fit how you run your business.
How tomorrow gets better
You can attach a contract and ask Claude to review it, or check a vendor before you sign, using a skill that's already written instead of starting from a blank page.
Skills, Connectors and Plugins: What They Are
When it comes to Claude for business, two concepts are foundational: skills and connectors.
| Piece | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Skill | A job Claude already knows how to do, written down as a set of instructions, like a standard SOP. More than 50 common business skills already exist, and more are added every day. "Review this contract" is a skill. "Check this vendor" is a skill. |
| Connector | A link between Claude (or ChatGPT) and the tools you already use, like your accounting software, your CRM, your calendar or your shared folders. You link them once and Claude gets the information it needs. |
| Plugin | A bundle of skills and connectors for one role. You add the whole thing with one click. |
Skills are meant to be customized to your process, and you can create your own from an SOP you already have. Connectors are what let Claude automate the work. My morning daily briefing, for example, checks my calendar and my email inbox, then briefs me on the day ahead, and I don't copy and paste anything by hand.
Where to Find Claude Plugins in the Desktop App
- Open the Claude Desktop app and click Customize. Every skill and plugin lives there.
- Search for your profession, such as "legal" or "financial advisors". There's too much to scroll now.
- Open the plugin, click Contents, and click any skill to read its instructions.
- Click Add, then type / in a new chat to pick a skill.
Every skill is a plain text file, so you can read exactly what it asks for before you add it. If you'll use it with confidential business information, that's the step not to skip.
Claude for Small Business: 15 Skills Built for Owners
In May, Anthropic released Claude for Small Business with 15 skills for the work that piles up after hours: planning payroll, closing the month, chasing invoices, analyzing margins, organizing for tax season, sorting new leads and planning content. It connects to QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva and Docusign, and Anthropic says you approve before anything sends, posts or pays. Here's what two owners who've used it say.
Claude for Legal: Contract Review and Vendor Checks
Watch Part 1: Claude has a legal team now, and small business owners can use it too
Anthropic lists 20 connectors and 12 practice area plugins for legal teams, and big legal teams like Accenture Legal already use it. You don't need a law firm to benefit. Every business signs contracts and pays vendors, so review contract and vendor check are the two I'd start with. Attach a contract, or point Claude at the folder it's in. The compliance check skill can also look at a referral program with cash rewards or customer testimonials in your ads before you launch them.
Claude for Financial Advisors: Portfolio Reviews
Watch Part 2: Claude for Financial Advisors setup: skills and connectors
Financial advisors can connect Claude to their custodians, portfolio platforms, CRMs and planning tools, then use skills for client meeting prep, portfolio rebalance reviews and estate and tax briefs. I wanted to test it because of my finance background, so I ran the portfolio rebalance skill on my own positions. You don't have to share account numbers, account names or your own name. Your positions are enough.
The Bottom Line on Claude Plugins and Skills
Anthropic is putting out more resources for more roles every month, and the owners who benefit are the ones who open Customize and read what's there. Those two skills alone, review contract and vendor check, can save you from signing something you didn't read closely or paying someone you didn't check. Next week I'm covering how accountants and CPAs use Claude, and what it means for your books and tax season.
Book a free AI diagnostic with me
45 minutes to look at your business and find which of these skills will save you the most time first. Know a small business owner buried in admin? Send them this link, and I'll take care of them.
