Set Up Your AI Assistant in 15 Minutes

(No Tech Skills Required)

Get your first AI colleague working today – even if you’ve never used AI before

No more ‘almost right’ outputs that need fixing

Step 1: Set Up Your Paid Account (2 min)
Step 2: Create Your Project (1 min)
Step 3: Create and Upload Your Role (3 min)
Step 4: Upload some Test Training Documents(2 min)
Step 5: Take it for a Spin (3 min)

This is Chapter 0 of ‘Ditch Rework Build Teamwork’ – get the full system setup created so you can refine as you learn more.

Still haven’t set up an AI assistant?

Don’t worry—you’re not the only genius with other priorities!

I’ve got you. You don’t need to be a full-on nerd to do this.

But you do need a few key bits in place so you can focus on the strategies in the book—not waste time hunting for the “on” switch.

No Reddit rabbit holes, no geek speak, and definitely no parade of 27-year-old YouTubers with ring lights and background blur.

Why Your AI Needs “Training” (Click to understand the concept)

It helps to think about this the same way you would in the real world. Here’s a 4-step model that explains it quickly.

System Prompt: Job description (defines role & high-level responsibilities)
Training Files: Employee handbook (examples & guidelines)
Your Prompts: Daily instructions (real-time direction)
Feedback: Performance reviews (continuous improvement)

Don’t worry – the setup process handles all of this for you.

Let’s work out the right starting point for you...

Do this the easy way and use a computer not your phone. It’s much quicker and easier and less error prone!

Have you used the “Project” feature in ChatGPT or Claude?

Note: This isn’t just a one-off chat. A project means creating a named workspace with the job description and the training manuals. If this doesn’t mean anything to you, you can click no.

Time for some context: AI Colleagues 101

Let’s be honest. You didn’t put off setting up AI because you’re technologically challenged. You put it off because you’ve been busy being useful to the world while everyone else was playing with the new shiny toy.

The good news? While your competitors waste hours on trial and error putting sticking plasters over their poorly trained AI systems, this tactical blueprint gives you the edge. No faffing about—just clear steps to supercharge your workflow.

I’ve kept this deliberately simple, evergreen, and beginner-friendly—so you can set something up today and start riding.

You’d give a new hire a probation period—give your AI the same. Synchronisation takes time.

What is an AI assistant and why should I care

An AI assistant isn’t just another tool—it’s a digital colleague that:

Drafts emails, content, and social posts that sound like you—not a corporate robot
Analyses information and filters out the noise
Handles the stuff that drains your mental energy
Adapts to your working style (if you set it up right)

The key difference between a typical AI setup and a Clever Clogs approach is the training strategy. Most people starting out can fall into the trap of relying on long, detailed prompts every time they ask for something—a tedious, fragile process that creates more work than it saves.

The key to having a better collaborative assistant is onboarding it like you would a human, anticipating how you can help your colleague understand your business, and how you roll too.

Which AI platform won’t waste my time?

Either ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro will work well when you’re starting out. Both cost about £20/month and have what you need:

The ability to create projects (so your AI doesn’t get amnesia every conversation)
The ability to set a role that guides the assistant on your principles
The ability to upload training files to make it smarter about your business

My recommendation? Pick ONE and move on. You wouldn’t hire two humans to do one job because training them would be a time suck. The same applies here. Focus on getting one working well, then if you want, set up an assistant on other platform(s) that have these abilities.

Let’s start by setting up your AI platform, then there’s a place to add your fill-in-the-blanks customisation files (added below). But just before that, let’s look at how to think about using the experience you already have training an assistant and map that into the AI world.

Let’s go and recruit your new AI hire.

Choose your platform:

STEP 1: SET-up or renew your paid account

Think of this like telling HR you want a new staff member. You need to pay to employ someone to help. It’s around £15-20 a month, and if you’ve not used a free trial, grab that before paying.

Need Setup Help?

Creating a paid account for your AI assistant? Use the official setup instructions for the platform you’re using:

🔗 Open AI
🔗 Claude Quick Start

1. How do I set up PAID ChatGPT in 5 minutes?

Answer: Go to chat.openai.com, create an account, subscribe to Plus, click “My Projects,” create a new project, paste in your system prompt, upload the starter file, and save your setup.

A. Create Your Account

Visit the ChatGPT pricing page.
Click “Sign Up” button
Create a password
Acknowledge the “verify your email” message

B. Subscribe to ChatGPT Plus

Click your profile icon
Select “My Plan” or “Upgrade to Plus”
Complete the payment process

1. How do I set up PAID Claude in 5 minutes?

Visit claude.ai, create an account, subscribe to Pro, create a Project, configure with your system prompt, upload the starter file, and start your conversation.

A. Create Your Account IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE ALREADY

Visit claude.ai
Click “Sign Up”
Create a password and verify your email

B. Subscribe to Claude Pro

Make sure you’re logged in
Click on your username icon to start the process to set up a monthly subscription
Then follow these instructions on the Anthropic website.
Once the payment process is complete you can move onto step 2.

Step 2: Create a Project to Store Your AI’s Role and Training

IMPORTANT: Create a new project, don’t edit an existing one so you can roll back to your old assistant if you want to. Think of this like making sure your new starter has a desk, with a place to do their work and access their training materials.

2. Create a New ChatGPT Project

In the left hand side bar look for “Projects”
Hover your mouse over “Projects” and click the + that appears when you hover
Name your new project something like “My AI New Colleague”

2. Create a New CLAUDE Project

in the left hand side bar look for “Projects”
Click on “Projects”
Click on the button on the right hand side “+New Project”
Name your new project something like “My AI New Colleague”

STEP 3: Personalise your project with your assistant’s Role

This is where you set up the desk with what they need to work—your company details, your audience, how you help, and how they help you with that.

3. Configure YouR ROLE

ChatGPT: Go to Project Settings and paste your System Prompt into the System Instructions field (This defines tone, behaviour, and assistant role)
Claude: In your Project Settings, use the Project Instructions (optional) box at the top of the page (This sets tone, context, and working style)
Save and close your role prompt window.

Instructions for readers

Cut and paste the role description in this box (marked by the scicissors —8<— ) and fill in the bracketed sections with your specific details. This gives you a taste of the collaborative AI approach.

Note: For more in-depth advice, grab the full book.

———8<———-

Create a System Prompt for a Collaborative AI Agent

Use the lite version R.E.A.L. Blueprint below this prompt (or the full one from the book resources web page).
Generate a polished, complete system prompt from it—no placeholders.
Output the final result as clean, usable text.
Do not include any preamble, notes, or meta commentary—just the final system prompt.

ROLE

You are an AI colleague, [Colleague Name]. You support [Your Name]‘s work as a [job title] for [Business Name], a [business type], based in [geographic location].

You flex across three modes depending on [Your Name’s] workflow needs:

Assistant – Handle delegated tasks accurately and quickly.
Peer – Offer context-aware, industry-standard practical input.
Mentor – Review strategy and workflows, coach, and encourage.

ENVIRONMENT

My website is [www.my–domain.com]. I work with [avatars] who [struggle to] and want to [transform to this instead].

When someone asks me what I do at a networking event I say: [Elevator pitch]

When they ask more about me, I tell them: [your origin story and motivation in a sentence]

I write in [UK English]. Match my tone, personality, and values from any materials I’ve uploaded. These are good examples of what I say, what I talk about and how I sound.

ACTIONS

Support me with:

admin tasks like
- [delegation wishlist]
professional tasks like
- [peer-collaboration wishlist]
difficult things I’d like a mentor to help with like
- [coaching wishlist].

LANGUAGE + LIMITS

Keep my tone clear, calm, and useful. Informal English aimed at a reading age of 12–15 years.
Do not use overly hypey language. Do not add lots of AI commentary.
Use my training materials for tone and scope before using wider sources.
Respect my voice. Don’t water me down or make my ideas and expressions bland.
I take inspiration from [someone I admire], and I avoid sounding like [someone I avoid].

———8<———-

✅ Want to go deeper? Grab the full template explained in the book (p.159). This free version gives you a taster of what’s possible.

5. Update Your ChatGpt System Instructions

in the left hand side bar look for “Projects”
Click on “Projects”
Click on the button on the right hand side “+New Project”
Name your new project something like “My AI New Colleague”

5. Update Your CLAUDE System Instructions

in the left hand side bar look for “Projects”
Click on “Projects”
Click on the button on the right hand side “+New Project”
Name your new project something like “My AI New Colleague”

STEP 4: Upload Training Materials (The Employee Handbook)

Now let’s give your AI colleague the background info it needs to actually help you.

4. Upload Some training material

Think of this step like showing your assistant the key websites you visit, or key files on on your computer, books and courses you’ve made.

IMPORTANT: Remember quality over quantity! Don’t treat your colleague’s storage like a dumping ground.

Include key information about your business, clients, and services, using the full R.E.A.L. assistant template, if you have the book.
Add examples of your work that showcase your tone and style, eg ebooks, blog and social media posts
Background infomation like “about us” website wording, and your offer descriptions.
Your book if you’ve written one.

STEP 5: Start Using Your AI Colleague

[Band name] is my favourite band. Can you guess why?
Write [celebrity’s] life story in the style of [Quentin Tarantino/ Jerry Seinfeld/Monty Python (or whoever you’d get to ghostwrite for you).

Let’s make sure your new hire knows what they’re doing.

6. Test it works

Want to make sure your setup is actually working?
Paste this into your AI:
“Based on what I’ve shared, can you explain what you think my business does and how you can support me?”

The AI should now respond using your tone, structure, and training — ready to act like a proper colleague.

7. Do some simple tasks

You can ask your assistant anything, but if you;re looking for a bit of inspiration, try something like this.

Read my LinkedIn Bio I pasted in below and give me 5 tips to make it more appealing for my target audience and explain why it’s an improvement.
Turn this [ebook] into [five blog posts that encourage my avatar to sign up to my newsletter. to receive it.
How would you describe my brand to a stranger?

8. Have some fun

Humans enjoy talking to colleagues, some chit-chat between tasks, and you can do that with your assistant too.

Have watercooler moments and chat about your hobbies.
Talk about the region you live in.
Practice your foreign language skills.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CREATING AI ASSISTAnTS

SECTION 1: SETUP And TECHNICAL CONCERNS

Q: Do I really need to pay for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro?

A: Yes, the free versions don’t have Projects – the feature that lets your AI colleague remember the role it needs to play, and your business context between conversations. Without Projects, you’re back to writing novel-length prompts every time. The £20/month pays for itself in the first week when you stop rewriting the same instructions repeatedly. Plus you can’t protect your content from being used as training materials.

Q: What if I’m not technical enough to set this up?

A: This guide uses the “collaborative AI” approach from Chapter 1-3 of “Ditch Rework Build Teamwork.” Instead of complex technical configurations, you’re simply onboarding your AI like you would a human colleague – with a job description (system prompt), training materials (your examples), and clear expectations.
The R.E.A.L. Blueprint (Chapter 4) breaks this down into four simple components that any business owner can handle. If you can hire a person, you can set up an AI colleague using the same thinking process.
For the complete system with all 10 principles and advanced troubleshooting, see the full book.

Q. How is this different from just using ChatGPT normally?

A: Regular ChatGPT forgets everything between conversations. With Projects, your AI remembers your business, your tone, your clients, and your processes. It’s like the difference between explaining your job to a stranger every day vs. working with a colleague who knows your business inside out.

SECTION 2: BUSINESS VALUE AND ROI

Q Will this actually save me time or just create more work

A: The book’s Principle 1 (Communicate Clearly) specifically addresses this concern. Most people waste time with AI because they haven’t trained it properly, leading to endless re-prompting and fixing “almost right” outputs.
With proper setup using the methods in Chapters 4-6, users typically save 8-12 hours per week because their AI:
Understands their intent, not just literal instructions
Stays focused on the actual task
Delivers consistent, on-brand results
The 15-minute setup investment pays back within your first day of use.
The complete methodology with all 10 C.O.N.T.R.O.L.L.E.D. principles is detailed in the full book.

Q What if my clients find out I’m using AI?

A: The Clever Clogs AI approach is about AI-human collaboration, not replacement. You’re still the strategist, decision-maker, and quality controller. Think of it like using spell-check or calculators – tools that help you deliver better work faster. Many successful business owners are open about using AI as a productivity multiplier.

Q Can I trust AI with sensitive business information?

A: Both ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro have business-grade privacy policies. Your data isn’t used to train their models providing you turn that feature off. However, never upload truly confidential information (client lists, financial data, passwords). Use AI for content creation, planning, and general business tasks – not sensitive data processing.

How is this different from prompt libraries and templates?

A: Prompt libraries give you one off scripts. This book builds you a 24/7 colleague. Instead of hunting for the “perfect prompt,” you train an AI system that adapts to your business, remembers your preferences, and gets better over time. It’s the difference between reading lines and having a conversation.

Q What if my industry is too specialised?

A: The book includes examples from coaches, consultants, up to global businesses. The R.E.A.L. Blueprint and the C.O.N.T.R.O.L.L.E.D. method adapts to any industry – you customise it with your expertise, clients, and workflows.

SECTION 3: PLATFORM And TECHNICAL CHOICES

Q. Should I choose ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro?

A: Both work excellently for this setup. ChatGPT Plus typically has faster responses. Claude Pro handles longer documents better. Pick one and master it – you can always set up the other later if you decide to become a power user. Most users find success with whichever they try first. Because everything about this system is principle based, it is easy to move from one “type in and chat” AI platform to another.

Q: What if the AI platforms change their features?

A: Once you’ve modelled your processes and thinking, you can move your AI brain across platforms. All the models have different strengths, suit different tasks, and shift weekly as their owners fine-tune their operation based on efficiency, performance and customer feedback. Assume whatever platform you choose will change and work around that. Don’t pin your hopes on one setup working perfectly forever, it just won’t work out that way.

Q: Do I need different AI assistants for different parts of my business?

A: Start with one well-trained assistant that knows your entire business. Once that’s working smoothly as a sounding board and delegation system, you can think about more complicated setups. But master the basics first – don’t complicate before you need to. The more complicated it is, the more brittle, unpredictable and hard-to-support your system becomes.

SECTION 4: RESULTS & EXPECTATIONS

Q: How do I know if my setup is working correctly?

A: Use the provided test prompts: “Based on what I’ve shared, explain what my business does and how you can support me.” A properly set up AI will respond using your tone and business context, not generic assistant language. If you get generic responses, revisit the setup steps.

Q: What if I don’t like the AI’s writing style?

A: That’s exactly why this setup includes training files with your examples. The AI learns your tone, vocabulary, and approach from your existing content. If the style isn’t quite right, you simply add more examples of how you want things written. It’s like coaching a new team member.

Q: What if my AI assistant gives me wrong information?

A: Always fact-check AI output, especially for legal, technical or financial information and important customer facing work. This setup trains your AI on your business knowledge, making it more accurate for your specific context. For factual claims, verify independently. For creative and planning tasks, AI reliability is much higher.

SECTION 5: TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT

Q: What if my AI assistant gives me wrong information?

A: Always fact-check AI output, especially for legal, technical or financial information and all important customer-facing work. This setup trains your AI on your business knowledge, making it more accurate for your specific context. For factual claims, verify independently, and ask your assistant for its sources.

Q: My AI isn’t remembering our previous conversations – what’s wrong?

A: This usually means the current chat or the Project setup wasn’t completed correctly. Check that you’re chatting within the new project (not the general ChatGPT/Claude interface) and that your system prompt and training materials saved properly. The troubleshooting section covers the most common setup issues.

Q: Can this help me scale my business without hiring more people?

A: This directly addresses what the book calls “Principle 10: Delegate the Grind.” The Business Ironman avatar (detailed in the book) specifically struggles with this – wanting to maintain control while needing to scale operations.
The collaborative AI approach excels at:
Content creation and planning (Chapter 14)
Routine communication (Principle 1: Communicate Clearly)
Research and analysis (Principle 8: Transparency First)
This frees you to focus on strategy, client relationships, and growth – the high-value activities only you can do. It’s not about replacing people but removing bottlenecks so you can serve more clients without drowning in admin work.
The complete delegation framework, including what to automate and what to keep human, is covered in Part 5 of the book.