Be the local hub

⏱ 50 min7 steps

When customers trust you, they ask you about things you don't sell. Who's a good plumber? What should I ask a caterer? A guide that answers that well makes you the first name they think of, and the businesses in it have a reason to share it. Claude drafts the plan and gathers each 's public details. You ask the partners yourself. Partners going quiet is the usual sticking point. Start with whoever says yes.

partner A local business that serves the same customers as you but doesn't compete with you. All words

Steps

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Pick the question your customers ask next
Pick a question next to your work, not about it. A dog groomer might write "How to choose a dog walker or boarding kennel in [town]". A garden center might cover choosing a landscaper. A wedding photographer might write a planning guide that lists local venues and florists. A bike shop might map local group rides and clubs.

The businesses in it are your partners: they serve the same customers, and they don't compete with you.
1. Write the question, the way a customer would ask it.
2. List five to ten businesses you'd mention, from ones you've worked with or would send a friend to.
That's not what I see
The obvious guide is about choosing a business like mine.
Then you'd be ranking your own competitors, and nobody would trust it. Pick the question that comes before or after your job instead, where you're a neutral voice.
Start a new chat and set the rules
This sets the rules for the guide before Claude writes any of it. No reviews or rankings, and details about any business only from that business's own public pages.

drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. The guide goes out under your name, so you check every line.
1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
2. Copy the prompt below.
```
I own a small business, [what you do], and I want to write a local guide called [the guide's working title] for my customers, one that other local businesses would want to share. You'll help me plan it in this chat. The rules: no reviews, star ratings, scores, rankings or "best" claims. Details about any business come only from its own public website or listing, with the link. If you can't find something, write "couldn't find". Never include details about private people. Write FILL IN for anything I haven't given you. If I'm paid or get anything for a listing or a link, the guide says so right next to it. Ask me one question at a time.
```
1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the parts in square brackets with what you do and a working title, like How to choose a dog walker in Riverside.
2. Send it, then answer Claude's questions one at a time.
prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsAI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words
You should see:
Claude says it understands the rules, then asks its first question about the guide.
That's not what I see
Claude called someone "the best" or "top-rated".
Reply: No rankings or "best" claims. Describe what they do, from their own page. Then carry on.
Have Claude draft the "how to choose" part
The useful part of the guide is what you know from doing the work. This prompt turns your answers into questions to ask, things to check and warning signs, without naming any businesses.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Draft the "how to choose" part of the guide, from my answers. Include: the questions a customer should ask before they pick someone; what to check, like a license or insurance where the job needs it; the warning signs I've seen; and what the job usually involves, step by step. Use what I tell you. Mark every line that's your addition, so I can check it. Don't name any businesses in this part.
```
1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
2. Check every line marked as Claude's addition against what you know.
You should see:
A "how to choose" section with questions, checks, warning signs and steps, with some lines marked as Claude's additions.
That's not what I see
Claude says a license is required, and I'm not sure it is here.
Rules differ by state and town. Check with your state's licensing board, or take the line out. Write "check the rules where you are" instead of guessing.
Have Claude gather each partner's public details
This prompt gathers each business's details from its own website or listing, with a link for each, in alphabetical order. Never add star ratings, review scores, or reviews you wrote or were given for the guide.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Search the web for each business on my list. From each one's own website or listing only, write: the name, what they do in one line, the area they serve, their website, and their business phone. Give the link where you found each detail. Write "couldn't find" for anything missing. Don't add reviews, ratings or opinions. Put them in alphabetical order. If you can't search the web in this chat, say so and stop. Don't list anything from memory. My list: [the businesses you'd include]
```
1. Paste it into the same chat. Replace the part in square brackets with your list from Step 1.
2. Send it.
3. Open each link and check the details are really there.
You should see:
An alphabetical list of businesses, each with a few details and a link, and "couldn't find" for anything missing.
That's not what I see
Claude answered without looking anything up.
is built in. If you see a Web search switch under +, turn it on. Then reply: Search the web for this, and give me a link for each thing you found. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner has to turn web search on for the workspace first. If it still can't look things up, copy the details from each business's site yourself.web search Claude looking things up on the internet during a chat. Its answer comes with links to the pages it used. All words
A detail Claude found doesn't match the business's own site.
Use what the business's own site says, or leave it out and ask them when you send the message in the next step.
Have Claude draft the message asking partners
Ask each business before you list it. Asking catches wrong details, and a partner who said yes is far more likely to share the guide. This prompt drafts the message. You send it yourself.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Write a short, friendly message I can send to each business on the list. Say what the guide is and who it's for. Show the details I'd list for them and ask them to check each one. Ask whether they're OK being listed, and whether they'd like to share the guide with their own customers when it's ready. Don't promise them any customers, visits or sales. Keep it under 120 words.
```
1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
2. Send the message to each business, with their details filled in.
You should see:
A short message with a space for each business's details, asking them to check and say OK.
That's not what I see
A business didn't answer.
Leave them out of this version. You can add them later if they say yes. A guide with five partners who share it beats one with twenty who don't know they're in it.
Have Claude write a disclosure for any paid link
If you get paid, get a referral fee or anything of value for a listing or a link, or the business is family, readers have to be told, right next to it. That's the FTC's guidance, checked on 2026-10-20: put the close to the recommendation, in plain words, where it's hard to miss. A note only at the bottom of the page, or only on a separate page, isn't enough. The FTC also bans fake reviews, and bans running a "review" site that claims to be independent when it covers businesses like yours. This isn't legal advice. The two FTC pages are under Helpful extras at the end of this lesson.

This prompt asks you about each business in turn, then writes a plain disclosure for each yes.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Ask me, one business at a time, whether I get anything from them: money, a referral fee, free or cheaper work, a swap of referrals, or a family or close business tie. Don't guess. For each yes, write a short disclosure in plain words that sits right next to the listing, like "We get a referral fee if you book through this link." or "Sam's Kennels is run by my brother." If there are none, write "No paid listings or ties". Never put a disclosure only at the bottom of the page.
```
1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
disclosure A plain line telling readers you get paid, or get something of value, for a listing or a link. All words
You should see:
Claude asks about each business in turn, then lists each yes with a one-line disclosure, or writes "No paid listings or ties".
That's not what I see
A partner offered to pay to be listed first.
Keep the list in alphabetical order. If you take money for a listing, say so next to it, plainly. Don't let payment change what you write about anyone.
Put the guide outline on one page
This prompt saves the outline with the rules at the top, ready to build.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Put the guide on one page called Guide outline: the working title; who it's for; the "how to choose" part; the listings from partners who said yes, with their links; and each disclosure next to its listing. Keep every FILL IN. At the top, write these rules: Details only from each business's own public pages. Listed only with their OK. No reviews, ratings or rankings. Anything paid is disclosed right next to it.
```
1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
2. Keep only the businesses who said yes. Take out any still waiting.
3. Copy the page into a note or a document called Guide outline.
If you ever want to make the guide into a website, go to the Build something new section's lesson "Build track: a comparison site". It uses , and it sets up the pages, the links and the disclosures. When it asks about your and products, tell Claude this is a guide to local businesses, not products: no prices, no buy links, listings in alphabetical order, and no "best for" picks. Paste your Guide outline's rules in. If you plan to earn from referral or affiliate links, read "What to build, and what you need first" in the same section first.
Claude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All wordsniche One narrow topic or kind of product, like mahjong sets or protein powder. All words
You should see:
One page with the rules at the top, then the guide's parts, with disclosures next to any paid listing.
That's not what I see
Some partners haven't answered yet.
Mark them FILL IN, waiting for OK, and take them out before anything goes public.

Your challenge

Draft the guide outline for one question your customers ask that sits next to what you sell. Send the permission message to three partners this week, and list only the ones who say yes.

Helpful extras

Last checked 2026-10-21

Build something new › 1. Grow, in the app

Be the local hub

One-page card · print it or keep it open

What you'll do

When customers trust you, they ask you about things you don't sell. Who's a good plumber?

The steps

Pick the question your customers ask next

Start a new chat and set the rules

I own a small business, [what you do], and I want to write a local guide called [the guide's working title] for my customers, one that other local businesses would want to share. You'll help me plan it in this chat. The rules: no reviews, star ratings, scores, rankings or "best" claims. Details about any business come only from its own public website or listing, with the link. If you can't find something, write "couldn't find". Never include details about private people. Write FILL IN for anything I haven't given you. If I'm paid or get anything for a listing or a link, the guide says so right next to it. Ask me one question at a time.

Have Claude draft the "how to choose" part

Draft the "how to choose" part of the guide, from my answers. Include: the questions a customer should ask before they pick someone; what to check, like a license or insurance where the job needs it; the warning signs I've seen; and what the job usually involves, step by step. Use what I tell you. Mark every line that's your addition, so I can check it. Don't name any businesses in this part.

Have Claude gather each partner's public details

Search the web for each business on my list. From each one's own website or listing only, write: the name, what they do in one line, the area they serve, their website, and their business phone. Give the link where you found each detail. Write "couldn't find" for anything missing. Don't add reviews, ratings or opinions. Put them in alphabetical order. If you can't search the web in this chat, say so and stop. Don't list anything from memory. My list: [the businesses you'd include]

Have Claude draft the message asking partners

Write a short, friendly message I can send to each business on the list. Say what the guide is and who it's for. Show the details I'd list for them and ask them to check each one. Ask whether they're OK being listed, and whether they'd like to share the guide with their own customers when it's ready. Don't promise them any customers, visits or sales. Keep it under 120 words.

Have Claude write a disclosure for any paid link

Ask me, one business at a time, whether I get anything from them: money, a referral fee, free or cheaper work, a swap of referrals, or a family or close business tie. Don't guess. For each yes, write a short disclosure in plain words that sits right next to the listing, like "We get a referral fee if you book through this link." or "Sam's Kennels is run by my brother." If there are none, write "No paid listings or ties". Never put a disclosure only at the bottom of the page.

Put the guide outline on one page

Put the guide on one page called Guide outline: the working title; who it's for; the "how to choose" part; the listings from partners who said yes, with their links; and each disclosure next to its listing. Keep every FILL IN. At the top, write these rules: Details only from each business's own public pages. Listed only with their OK. No reviews, ratings or rankings. Anything paid is disclosed right next to it.

If it goes wrong

The obvious guide is about choosing a business like mine. Then you'd be ranking your own competitors, and nobody would trust it. Pick the question that comes before or after your job instead, where you're a neutral voice.
Claude called someone "the best" or "top-rated". Reply: No rankings or "best" claims. Describe what they do, from their own page. Then carry on.
Claude says a license is required, and I'm not sure it is here. Rules differ by state and town. Check with your state's licensing board, or take the line out. Write "check the rules where you are" instead of guessing.
Claude answered without looking anything up. Web search is built in. If you see a Web search switch under +, turn it on. Then reply: Search the web for this, and give me a link for each thing you found. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner has to turn web search on for the workspace first. If it still can't look things up, copy the details from each business's site yourself.

Words

partner: A local business that serves the same customers as you but doesn't compete with you.
disclosure: A plain line telling readers you get paid, or get something of value, for a listing or a link.