A free guide by New Money School
Side Hustle
If you already know how to use Claude better than your friends and family, you can start a $1-3,000/month side hustle this weekend by setting up Custom Claude Projects for the salon, dental office, and coffee shop down the street. The full playbook — pricing, 5 vertical-specific Project templates, the exact pitch, and the Friday-to-Tuesday delivery plan.
Why This Works Right Now
Every small business owner you know has heard about AI for two years. They’re terrified of falling behind — and they have zero time to learn it themselves. The salon owner is cutting hair. The dentist is in surgery. The coffee shop manager is closing the till. They don’t need a course. They need someone to set it up for them, hand them a 15-minute Loom, and show them what to do tomorrow morning. That’s you.
Who This Is For
You can already build a Claude Project, write decent custom instructions, and connect Gmail or Google Drive without looking it up. You don’t need to be a developer. You don’t need an LLC, a website, or a brand. You need one weekend, one client, and one workflow. Everything compounds from there.
This guide assumes you can deliver a Claude Project this weekend. If you can’t yet, run through the Set Up Claude in 1 Day guide first — then come back.
The OfferWhat You’re Actually Selling
Don’t sell “AI consulting.” Sell one specific workflow, fixed-price, done in two weeks. Productized beats hourly every time. Here’s the package:
The Custom Claude Project Package
• 1 intake call (30 min — you find their #1 most-hated weekly task)
• 1 Custom Claude Project (built by you, on their account, with custom instructions tailored to their voice and brand)
• Connectors set up to their tools (Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, whatever they use)
• 1 Loom video (15 min, walking them through how to use it)
• 1 follow-up call (30 min, 1 week later, to fix anything not working)
• Delivered in 10 business days max. Most done in a weekend + 1 follow-up.
The pitch in one line: “I’ll save you at least 5 hours a week by setting up an AI assistant for [the thing you hate doing], in two weeks, for a fixed price.”
PricingWhat To Charge (And When)
Don’t guess at price. Use this ladder — it’s the fastest path from $0 to your first $3K/month.
Client 1 (your network)
FREE — in exchange for a testimonial & case study
Build it for someone who already trusts you. The deal: free build in exchange for a 1-paragraph written testimonial, permission to use the case study (with screenshots / time saved), and 2 referrals if they’re happy. This is your portfolio.
Clients 2-3 (warm intros from client 1)
$500 setup — one-time, no retainer
Cheap on purpose. You’re building speed and refining your delivery. They get a screaming deal, you get 2 more case studies and 4 more referrals. By the end of this stage you’ve done 3 builds and you can do them in your sleep.
Clients 4-10 (cold pitched / referrals)
$1,000-1,500 setup + $500/month retainer
Your speed is now the leverage. You can deliver in 1 weekend instead of 2. The retainer is $500/mo for monthly tweaks, training updates, and adding one new mini-workflow per quarter. 5 retainer clients = $2,500/mo recurring before any new builds.
Once you have 10 case studies
$2,500-3,500 setup + $750-1,500/month retainer
You’re no longer a freelancer — you’re a productized service with proof. You raise prices until you stop closing 100% of pitches and start closing 60-70%. That’s the right price.
The Math Most People Don’t See
Five retainer clients at $750/mo = $3,750/month recurring. Add one new $2,500 build per month and you’re at $6,250/month working ~5 hours per client per month. That’s the side hustle ceiling. Past that, you’re running an agency — different game.
Project 1Salon — Booking + Upsell Concierge
Ideal client: salon owner / 1-5 stylistsSaves 6-10 hrs/week
The pain: The owner spends every evening texting clients back, confirming appointments, suggesting what services to add, and manually rebooking the regulars. What you build: A Claude Project trained on their service menu, pricing, and recurring client list. They paste a booking inquiry, Claude drafts the response — with the right service recommendation, an upsell, and a rebook reminder. Connect Gmail or text inbox so they can drop messages in instantly.
What goes in the Project:
- Service menu + current pricing (PDF or Google Doc)
- Brand voice guide (3-5 sample texts they’ve sent before, in their actual voice)
- Top 20 regulars + their typical service / cadence (so Claude can rebook them properly)
- Upsell logic (e.g. “client booking color → suggest gloss add-on,” “haircut → suggest 6-week rebook”)
- Tone rules (no exclamation marks, no emojis except hearts, never push more than 1 upsell per message)
The Loom shows them: open Project → paste client text → Claude drafts response → copy → send. 90 seconds per inquiry instead of 8 minutes. Pitch line: “I’ll set you up to answer every booking inquiry in 90 seconds with the right upsell baked in — you’ll close 20% more rebooks.”
Project 2Dental Office — Insurance + Pre/Post-Visit Concierge
Ideal client: solo or 2-doc dental practiceSaves front desk 8-12 hrs/week
The pain: The front desk fields the same insurance questions a hundred times a week (“is this covered?”, “what’s my deductible?”, “what’s the out-of-pocket on a crown?”), then writes individual post-op care emails and appointment reminders. What you build: A Claude Project trained on the practice’s in-network insurance plans, common procedure codes/costs, and a library of post-op instruction templates. Front desk pastes a patient question or appointment context, Claude drafts the response.
What goes in the Project:
- List of in-network insurance plans + common patient FAQs the practice gets
- Procedure code → typical cost cheat sheet (cleaning, crown, root canal, whitening, etc.)
- Post-op care instructions for the 10 most common procedures (templates the dentist already trusts)
- Appointment reminder templates (24hr, 2hr, no-show follow-up)
- Hard rule: never quote actual cost without front-desk confirmation — always say “estimated based on plan, please confirm with our office” (HIPAA/liability safety)
The Loom shows them: patient calls / emails → front desk pastes question into Project → Claude drafts the answer → front desk reviews and sends. Pitch line: “Your front desk will spend 8 fewer hours a week on insurance and post-op questions — with HIPAA-safe guardrails baked in.”
Project 3Coffee Shop / Cafe — Staff Training + Daily Ops
Ideal client: 1-3 location independent cafeSaves owner 5-8 hrs/week
The pain: Owner re-explains the same drink recipes to every new hire, writes the same opening/closing checklists, fields the same vendor emails, and chases inventory orders. What you build: A Claude Project that’s the staff’s “manager on call” — recipes, opening/closing flows, vendor contacts, common-question playbook.
What goes in the Project:
- Full drink menu with recipes, ratios, and customizations (so a new barista can ask “how do I make an oat milk Cortado?”)
- Opening checklist + closing checklist + cash drop procedure
- Vendor contacts (roaster, dairy, baked goods) + reorder cadence
- Customer FAQ template (allergens, hours, gift cards, wholesale, catering)
- Owner’s personal “decision tree” for the 10 things staff usually text the owner about (so they stop)
The Loom shows: new hire opens Project on a tablet at the counter → asks “how do I make X drink” or “customer is asking about Y, what do I do.” Pitch line: “Your staff will stop texting you on your day off — they’ll have the answers in 5 seconds, in your voice.”
Project 4Real Estate Agent — Listing + Showing Concierge
Ideal client: solo agent / 2-3 person teamSaves 10+ hrs/week
The pain: Listing descriptions take 90 minutes each. Every showing requires pre-research on the property and the buyer. Open house follow-ups never get sent because they’re too time-consuming. What you build: A Project trained on the agent’s past listings, brand voice, and the local market — that drafts listing copy, builds pre-showing briefs, and writes follow-up emails after open houses.
What goes in the Project:
- 5-10 of the agent’s past listing descriptions they liked (voice training)
- Local neighborhood guides (school ratings, walkability, commute notes, what each block is known for)
- Buyer persona templates (first-time buyer / move-up / downsizer / investor)
- Open house follow-up templates (within 24hr, within 1 week, “you didn’t buy this one but…”)
- Compliance rules (no fair-housing-violating language, MLS-safe descriptions)
The Loom shows: agent pastes property details → Claude drafts listing in their voice. Or: pastes a buyer profile + property → Claude builds a 1-page pre-showing brief. Pitch line: “Listings drafted in 5 minutes, every open house followed up the same day, every showing prepped — without you working past 7pm.”
Project 5Boutique / Retail — Customer Email + Product Description Engine
Ideal client: small boutique, online + IRLSaves owner 6-9 hrs/week
The pain: The owner writes every product description by hand, replies to every “does this run small?” email personally, and forgets to send post-purchase thank-yous. What you build: A Project that drafts on-brand product descriptions in seconds, answers customer service emails with the right product details, and templates the post-purchase sequence.
What goes in the Project:
- Brand voice guide (5-10 product descriptions the owner wrote and loves)
- Product line catalog with materials, fit notes, sizing quirks (the “runs small,” “true to size,” “wash cold” details)
- Common customer email templates: shipping, returns, restocks, gift wrap, sizing
- Post-purchase sequence (thank-you, care instructions, restock alerts, 30-day check-in)
- Tone rules (warm, never corporate, no exclamation marks except in subject lines)
The Loom shows: owner uploads new product photo + brief description → Claude writes the listing copy. Customer email arrives → paste into Project → reply drafted. Pitch line: “Your customer emails answered in 30 seconds and your new product listings drafted in 2 minutes — in YOUR voice, not generic Shopify copy.”
PitchThe Exact Email & Walk-In Script
Don’t cold email mass lists. Pick 5 local businesses you genuinely like — the salon you go to, the coffee shop you visit, the dentist you trust. Walk in (or send the email). The hit rate is 30-50% because you’re not a stranger pitching software, you’re a real person offering to fix one specific thing.
CopyEmail Template — To Send Cold
Subject: Quick AI question for [Business Name]
Hi [Owner Name],
I’m a regular at [your business] and have been thinking about how AI could save you a few hours a week on the stuff that’s probably eating your evenings — like [specific thing relevant to their business: booking confirmations / patient FAQs / new staff training / listing descriptions].
I build custom AI assistants for small businesses for a living, and I’d love to set one up for you for free in exchange for letting me use it as a case study.
It takes me about a weekend. You get an AI assistant trained on YOUR voice and YOUR workflows that saves your team 5+ hours a week. I get a testimonial.
Worth a 20-min coffee to figure out which one would help most? My calendar: [link to Calendly or just propose 2 times].
[Your name] [Optional: 1-line credibility — “I’ve been working with Claude for 2 years” or “I built one for [past client] and it saved them 8 hours a week”]
CopyWalk-In Script — To Say In Person (60 seconds)
“Hey [Owner Name] — quick question, not a sales thing. I build custom AI assistants for small businesses, and I’ve been a customer here for [X months/years]. I’m looking for one or two local businesses to build a free AI assistant for in exchange for using it as a case study.
For a [salon / dental office / coffee shop] like yours, the obvious thing would be [specific workflow]. I’d need about a weekend, and you’d save your team [5-10] hours a week from then on.
You’d be the only [business type] I’m building one for — want to grab 20 minutes this week to see if it’s a fit?”
If they say yes: get on their calendar before you walk out. Don’t leave with “I’ll email you.”
If they say maybe later: “Totally — one quick thing: who do you know who’s drowning in [the workflow] and would say yes today?” (Referral path.)
If they say no: “No worries — what would’ve made this a yes?” (Their answer is your pitch refinement for the next 5 walk-ins.)
DeliveryFriday Pitch → Tuesday Live
Once they say yes, here’s the exact 5-day path. Doing it this fast is the moat — agencies take 4-6 weeks for the same thing.
Friday: 30-min intake call Three questions only: “What’s the one task you do every week that you wish someone else would do?” · “Walk me through how you do it today, step by step.” · “Show me 3-5 examples of the output (emails, descriptions, replies) you’ve already written that you like.” Don’t over-design. The first build is the simplest version of the workflow.
Saturday: Build the Project (3-4 hours) Set up the Project on their Claude account (or yours, then transfer). Write the custom instructions using their voice samples + workflow. Upload reference docs. Connect the relevant Connectors (Gmail, Drive, Calendar). Test it 5-10 times with real-world inputs.
Sunday: Record the 15-min Loom Walk through: how to open the Project, how to use it for the 3 most common scenarios, what to do if something looks off, how to send you a question. Keep it under 15 min — they won’t watch longer.
Monday: Send the handoff email Email with: Loom link, the Project link, a 1-page “cheat sheet” PDF (3 best prompts to start with), your follow-up call calendar link. Tell them to use it for one week, then book the follow-up.
Tuesday-Friday next week: They use it. You wait. Don’t check in too much. They need to actually use it. After day 5, send: “How’s it going? Anything you’d want me to adjust?”
Following week: 30-min follow-up call — pitch the retainer Walk through what’s working, fix anything that isn’t. End with: “The way most clients keep this useful long-term is a $500/mo retainer — I check in monthly, update the Project as your business changes, and add one new mini-workflow each quarter. Want me to send the agreement?”
RetainTurn One Project Into Recurring Revenue
A one-time $1,500 build is fine. A $500/mo retainer for 12 months is $6,000 per client — with 4-5 hours of work per month. Most clients say yes if you frame it right.
What The Retainer Includes
• Monthly check-in call (30 min) — what’s working, what to tweak
• Project updates — their voice changes, services change, prices change. You keep it current.
• One new mini-workflow per quarter — they grow with you
• Priority email support — reply within 1 business day
• Annual full audit + rebuild — once a year, fresh build with everything they’ve learned in 12 months
The Cancellation Trick That Keeps Clients
Build into the agreement: if they cancel, the Project keeps running on their account — they own it. They’re paying for ongoing optimization, not access. This removes the “I feel trapped” resistance, and 90%+ stay anyway because the optimization actually saves them more than $500/mo in their own time.
ObjectionsWhat They’ll Push Back On
“I don’t want AI replying to my customers without me reading it.”
Right answer: It doesn’t. Claude drafts. You (or your team) reviews and sends. The time saved is in the drafting, not the deciding. Frame this loud and clear up front — it’s the #1 objection.
“What if I cancel my Claude subscription — do I lose everything?”
Right answer: They own the Project. They own the custom instructions. If they cancel Claude, the Project stops running but they keep the IP. Worst case they re-import to whatever they switch to. Frame it as: “The Project IS the asset, not the subscription.”
“That’s expensive for a small business.”
Right answer: Math. “Your front desk spends 8 hours a week on this. At $25/hr that’s $800/month in labor on a single workflow. The Project costs $500/mo and gets that 8 hours back. You’re net up $300/month from day one — before counting the customer experience improvement.” Don’t debate price. Show the math.
“What if it makes a mistake?”
Right answer: “Same as a new employee in their first week — you review the first 50 outputs, correct anything off, and the Project gets sharper. Within 2 weeks it’s producing work you trust enough to send with a glance instead of a full edit. We adjust the instructions whenever something feels off.”
NextDo This By Sunday Night
Saturday morning: Pick the ONE person in your network who runs a business that fits one of the 5 templates above. Text them: “Quick question — if I built you a custom AI assistant for free in exchange for being able to use it as a case study, would that be useful? Takes me a weekend.”
Sunday morning: If they say yes, do the 30-min intake. Build it Sunday afternoon. Loom Sunday night. They’re live by Monday.
By Friday: Get the testimonial. Walk into 3 local businesses with the case study. “I just built one of these for [name], here’s the result — want one for $500?”
The whole hustle is downstream of one client. Get them by Sunday night and the next 90 days build themselves.