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Build track: a tool for a local business

⏱ 40 min5 steps

A tool for a local business is software for one business you know well: yours, a friend's, or one you've worked in. Scheduling, a portal, a daily report, an internal checklist. I've built tools like this for a local business.

A checklist for the team is rung 1 on the ladder from What to build. Customers' details or payments climb higher, in the business's own accounts.

The first real week always turns up a surprise or two. That's what it's for.

client The business you're building for, even if it's a friend's and nobody is paying yet. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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  1. Watch someone do the job today

    1. Sit with the person who does it, for one full round.
    2. Write down every step, every tool they open, and how long it takes.
    That's not what I see
    The owner says they know exactly what they need.
    Watch anyway. What people say they do and what they actually do are often different, and the difference is where the tool helps.

  2. Start Claude Code in your my-idea folder

    1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).

    2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:

      cd ~/Backyard/my-idea

      cd ~\Backyard\my-idea

    3. Check the says my-idea.

    4. Start . Type this and press Enter:

      claude
    Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All wordsClaude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All words

    You should see:

    Claude Code's name and version at the top, a line starting with ❯ where you type, and ⏵⏵ on in the bar at the bottom.

    auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All words
    That's not what I see
    It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
    The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first and The three files, so do those first, then come back.
    It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
    This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words

  3. Add the local-business part to your PRD

    This has Claude interview you about the job and the business, one question at a time, and add what you say to with a "Done means" list.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    I'm building a tool for a local business. Add a section to PRD.md called "Track: local business" and interview me, one question at a time, to fill it in: the weekly job, who does it today and how long it takes; what "better" means in their words; whose accounts and data it will live in; and who they call when it breaks. Then add this "Done means" list: it does one job the business does every week, faster or with fewer mistakes; the person who does that job has used it for a real week and says it helped; their data is in their accounts, not mine; and someone other than me knows how to use it. Show me the section before you save it. Don't build anything yet.
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
    2. Answer each question, then read the section and tell Claude what to fix.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsPRD.md One page on the problem, who it's for, and what "done" looks like. PRD stands for product requirements document. All words

    You should see:

    Claude asks you one question, about the weekly job, and waits for your answer. At the end, it shows you the section before it saves it.

    That's not what I see
    Claude says there's no PRD.md.
    Do The three files first, then come back to this step.
    It's easier to set it up in my own accounts.
    It is, today. It's a problem for both of you later. Set up the accounts in the business's name, with you added as a user. If you part ways, they keep everything.

  4. Build the smallest version that does the weekly job

    This is the "plan the build" prompt from Starter prompts. Claude shows a numbered plan, waits for your OK, then builds one step at a time. One job, done well. What good looks like goes at the end.

    Build with made-up test data. Real customers' or people's details go in only once the tool lives in the right accounts.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Goal: build the smallest version from PRD.md for the people it names, to the quality bar I give at the end. How to work: 1. Read PRD.md and CLAUDE.md first. 2. Plan before you build. Write the plan as a numbered list of small steps, each one something I can check. Show it to me and wait for my OK. 3. For each step, say how we'll know it works, like "I open the page and see X". 4. Build one step at a time. After each step, check it yourself, tell me what you checked and what you didn't, then stop for me to look. Rules: Never say something works unless you checked it. Never buy, subscribe or sign up for anything. Never delete files without asking. Ask me when you're unsure, one question at a time. Start by reading the files and showing me the plan. The quality bar, what good looks like:
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V.
    2. Type a space, then what good looks like, like the person who does the job can do it without asking me anything.
    3. Press Enter.
    4. Read the plan. Ask about any step you don't follow, then type OK.
    5. After each step, look at what Claude made before you tell it to go on.

    If the tool needs an anywhere, the business signs up for it in its own name, and adds you as a user. Claude never signs up for anything.

    account A sign-in with a company, like a domain, email or hosting. Whoever owns the account controls what's in it. All words

    You should see:

    Claude reads PRD.md and , then shows you a numbered plan of small steps and waits for your OK.

    CLAUDE.md A note to Claude about how to work in this project. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session in that folder. All words
    That's not what I see
    They keep asking for more features.
    Write each one under Not doing yet in PRD.md and say when you'll look at them. One job done well first.
    Claude says it needs to install something first.
    In auto mode it won't install programs for you. Ask it: Can we build the first version with nothing to install? If the answer is no, ask it to name the program and where it comes from, and install it yourself.
    PRD.md has more than one Track section.
    Tell Claude: Build only the "Track: local business" section for now.

  5. Have them use it for a real week

    Not a . A real week, on real work.

    1. Show the person who does the job how to use it, then leave them to it.
    2. At the end of the week, ask whether it helped, in their words. Write down what they say.

    The mistakes I see most: building what you think they need instead of watching first, keeping their logins, or data in your accounts, and no plan for who they call when it breaks.

    Later: scheduled jobs like a daily digest or reminders, a health check that tells you before they notice, and then a version a second business could use.

    demo When someone shows software working, often on a call, usually to sell it. All wordsdomain Your website's name on the internet, like gethomebydark.com. You rent it by the year from a company called a registrar. All words
    That's not what I see
    They stopped using it after two days.
    Ask what got in the way, and watch them try again. It's usually one step that takes longer than the old way. Fix that one first.
    They can't open it on their own computer.
    It's only on your Macyour PC so far. Ask Claude: What's the simplest way for the person who does this job to use it on their own computer or phone? Anything that goes online signs up in the business's name, not mine.
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Your challenge

Sit with the person who does the job today, for one full round of it, before you build anything. Write down every step they take and how long it takes.

Last checked 2026-10-20

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