Self-Serve Setup

No contact required. Use these prompts to build your first agent in 30 minutes.

Option 1: Claude + Google Drive (Easiest — 15 min)

What you get: An AI assistant that can search your documents and answer questions.

Step 1: Set Up Google Drive

Go to drive.google.com
Create a folder called “AI Agent Knowledge”
Upload relevant files (PDFs, spreadsheets, notes)

Step 2: Connect to Claude

Go to claude.ai/projects
Create a new Project
Click “Project Knowledge” → “Add Content” → “Connect to Google Drive”
Select your “AI Agent Knowledge” folder

Step 3: First Prompt

Copy and paste this into Claude:

You are my research assistant for business acquisition. I uploaded files to the Knowledge section.

Your job:
1. Search through all documents when I ask questions
2. Summarize findings in 3-5 bullet points
3. Cite which file the information came from
4. If you can't find the answer, say so

First task: What industries are mentioned in my documents? List them with one-sentence descriptions.

Step 4: Test It

Ask: “Find all companies with revenue between $1M and $5M mentioned in my files”

Option 2: n8n Automation (Intermediate — 30 min)

What you get: An agent that checks your email and takes actions automatically.

Step 1: Install n8n

Cloud (easiest):

Go to n8n.io/cloud
Sign up (free tier: 100 executions/month)

Step 2: Create Your First Workflow

Copy this prompt into Claude to generate your workflow:

I want to build an n8n workflow that:
[DESCRIBE WHAT YOU WANT]

Examples:
- "Checks my Gmail every hour for emails from recruiters and sends me a summary"
- "Scrapes a website daily and emails me if new listings match my criteria"

Give me:
1. The exact n8n nodes to use
2. The configuration for each node
3. Any API keys or credentials I need

Copy-Paste Prompt Library

Business Research

Industry Analysis:

Analyze the [INDUSTRY] industry for me. I need:
1. Market size and growth rate
2. Key players (top 10)
3. Recent M&A activity
4. Typical valuation multiples
5. Main risks and opportunities

Cite your sources. If you're uncertain, say so.

Company Research:

Research [COMPANY NAME]:
1. What do they do? (one sentence)
2. How do they make money?
3. Who are their competitors?
4. Any recent news or red flags?
5. Estimated revenue (if public info available)

Focus on acquisition-relevant information.

Due Diligence

Document Review:

Review this [CONTRACT/AGREEMENT/LEASE]:
[ATTACH OR PASTE DOCUMENT]

Identify:
1. Key terms and obligations
2. Red flags or unusual clauses
3. Things that could hurt valuation
4. Questions for my lawyer
5. Deal-breakers

Explain in plain English, not legalese.

Common Mistakes

❌ Don’t Do This

“Make me rich” — Too vague. Agents do exactly what you ask.
No guardrails — Start with read-only. Add actions slowly.
Skip testing — Test with fake data before real operations.

✅ Do This Instead

Start with a heartbeat — “Check and report” before “check and act”
Set boundaries — Define what the agent CANNOT do
Human-in-the-loop for money — Never auto-send payments

Quick Reference

You Want…	Use This	Cost	Setup Time
Research assistant	Claude + Google Drive	$20/mo	15 min
Email automation	n8n	Free-$20/mo	30 min
Full autonomy	OpenClaw	$20-50/mo	1-2 hours
Simple integrations	Zapier	Free-$20/mo	15 min

Next: See a full production system →