BREAKUP
Consider this your first AI renovation walkthrough, room by room. We are training your Claude the right way so it actually thinks and sounds like you. Whether you're coming over from another AI tool, setting up Claude for the very first time, or retraining Claude once and for all this guide walks you through everything it needs to know to actually work for you: your world, your voice, your business.
By the end of your 30 minute-ish session, you'll have two things created for you: a Brand Profile that tells Claude everything about who you are and what you're building and a Voice Profile that trains it to sound like you. You'll then learn how to set up a Business Brain project in Claude with these files and from that point forward, every chat you start in your Claude project will know everything it needs to know about your business.
Work through each step in order. Don't rush it. Grab your drink of choice and let's get started.
How this interactive guide works: Each step has a prompt ready to copy into your AI. Paste the output into the text box below it. At every compile step, and at the very end, you can download everything as a clean markdown file ready to upload into Claude.
🔒 Everything you type stays in your browser only. Your responses are never transmitted to or stored on any external server. We don’t collect your data. Hit Download Progress in the top banner anytime to save a backup.
If you're migrating from ChatGPT or another AI, don't skip this step. Export your data first. It's your IP. Save it to your computer regardless of what you do with it. Then come back and start Round 1. If you're brand new or already on Claude, skip straight to Round 1.
Custom Instructions
Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions. Copy both fields and save to a doc on your computer.
Memory
Settings → Personalization → Memory → Manage Memory. Copy everything and save it.
Once you have everything saved, come back here and hit Start Round 1.
Nothing to export. Every round in this guide has a Starting Fresh box written specifically for you. Just use those instead of the migration prompts. You’re good to go.
▶ Quick heads-up: what to expect from your AI (click to expand)
A good response is dense and specific. 3–5 paragraphs, headers or bullets, full of real details about YOU (names, numbers, actual language you use). If it feels generic, it’s not good enough.
If your AI gives you a weak response, reply with one of these:
• Too short? “Go deeper. Pull from everything you actually know about me. I want specifics, not generalities.”
• Refuses? “Do your best based on what you do remember. Guess from patterns and flag it so I can confirm.”
• Sounds robotic? Normal. Your old AI IS a robot. We fix the tone in Speak and again in Work Round 3.
• Hallucinating? You’re reviewing every round anyway. Delete what’s wrong before you move on.
Think is the first phase of the Think/Speak/Work framework... and it's where everything starts.
This section will give Claude the full picture of your world: who you are, your business, your clients, your offers, how you work. All of it gives Claude the real context it needs to actually work for you, not just a blank slate. Ten rounds. One complete Brand Profile.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• Family, relationships, what matters most?
• How do you spend your time?
• What are you working on personally?
You can go back at any time. Your answers auto-save as you type.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• What gets in your way?
• How do you make decisions — gut, research, or both?
• What are your big, audacious goals? The ones you might not say out loud?
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• How is it structured — solo, team, contractors, partners?
• What’s your brand name and how do you describe what you do?
• Tagline or go-to positioning statement?
If you’re early stage, just share where you are. We’ll go deeper on clients and offers next.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• What’s actually going on in their world right now?
• What have they already tried that didn’t work?
• What do they really want?
• What would make them trust you enough to invest?
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• For each offer: what it is, price, who it’s for, what transformation it delivers, how it’s delivered.
• How do your offers connect? Where does a client usually start?
Only have one offer right now? Totally fine. Just describe it.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• Named framework, signature process, philosophy, or signature approach?
• How does it connect to your offers?
Nothing named yet? Describe your approach in your own words. Skip if it doesn’t apply yet.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• How do you welcome them? How do you communicate during delivery?
• What makes working with you feel different?
• How do you wrap things up, celebrate wins, ask for feedback, or set them up for what’s next? If you haven't fully built this out yet, share what you would want it to feel like. What kind of experience do you want your clients or customers to have from the moment they say yes to the moment they are done?
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• What kind of content do you create? What topics do you talk about?
• Any funnels, freebies, email sequences, or lead magnets running? If you are just getting started with content or marketing, share where you want to show up and what you want to be known for.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• How do you create content? How do you handle clients?
• What tools do you rely on?
• What have you built to make things more consistent? If you are winging most of it right now, that is fine too. Just describe what a typical week looks like for you. Skip anything that does not apply.
This is the final round of Think. It’s your catch-all for the quirks, the context, the things that would take a new hire six months to figure out. The unwritten rules. The “we don’t do it that way” stuff. The context only you carry.
This round is often the most valuable one. Don’t skip it.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• Context only you carry that a new hire would take 6 months to figure out?
• Anything else someone would need to know to truly get you?
Compile Your Brand Profile
This is the final step in your Think Round. It pulls all of your answers together into one complete file that becomes your Brand Profile document. Hold on to it. You will need it during the Work section when you build your Business Brain inside Claude.
This downloads a complete markdown file of everything you built in the Think rounds, formatted and labeled as your Brand Profile, ready to upload to Claude.
📂 To open your .md file: Mac right-click the file, Open With, TextEdit. Windows right-click the file, Open With, Notepad or WordPad.
🔍 Brand Profile Review
Before you move on, open your file and actually read it. Your AI extracted what it remembered, but memories aren't always accurate. Outdated info, old projects, things you never said out loud. It all ends up in there. Go through it. Keep what's right. Fix what's off. Delete what doesn't belong. This file is the foundation everything else runs on. It's worth the time to scrub it for accuracy.
▶ 💛 Heads up: this is your Voice Profile v1 (tap to read)
The version you’re about to build gets Claude from “generic AI” to “sounds close to me.” That’s huge. For most people, that’s enough to ship.
If you want “sounds exactly like me wrote it” (cadence, signature phrases, structural tells, the whole thing), that’s what Off My Plate is built for. For now, this is enough. Keep going.
Speak is the second phase of the Think/Speak/Work framework. This is not about creating an elevator pitch or a polished brand statement. It’s about locking in your actual tone of voice: how you write when you’re in flow, how you naturally show up in your content, and how you communicate and work with AI so Claude can match your style, not just your words.
Three rounds. One Voice Profile. And a note: the best writing samples you can give Claude are your own. You’ll have a chance to paste real examples in the Voice Layer at the end of this section. Don’t skip it.
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• What made it feel right?
• Now think of something that felt totally off. What was wrong with it?
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• Direct or warm?
• Want someone to just get it done or check in first?
• What makes you feel like someone actually gets you?
• What makes you cringe?
▶ Starting fresh? Answer this instead
• Want to be challenged or want someone to just execute?
• How do you think and work out loud?
No wrong answers. Just describe your natural style.
Find 3–5 pieces of content you have written that felt most like you: captions, emails, copy, anything. Label each one Write Like This. Find 1–2 that felt completely off. Label them Don't Write Like This. Paste them below.
If you already have a saved doc of your writing, pull your best examples from it and paste them here. Don't upload the whole doc. Curate it. What goes in this box becomes part of your Voice Profile, and that single file is what Claude will reference every time it writes in your voice. Make it count.
Compile Your Voice Profile
This is the final step in your Speak Round. It pulls all of your answers together into one complete file that becomes your Voice Profile document. Hold on to it. You will need it during the Work section when you build your Business Brain inside Claude.
⚠️ Download before you close this tab. If you close this browser without downloading, you will lose all of your work. This is your only copy.
This downloads a complete markdown file of everything you built in the Speak rounds, formatted and labeled as your Voice Profile, ready to upload to Claude.
📂 To open your .md file: Mac right-click the file, Open With, TextEdit. Windows right-click the file, Open With, Notepad or WordPad.
▶ 🔍 Voice Profile Review: read before you move on
Before you move on, open your file and actually read it. Your AI extracted what it remembered about your voice, but it doesn't always get it right. Read every line. Keep what sounds like you. Fix what doesn't. Delete what's off. This file is what Claude will use to write in your voice. Accuracy here matters.
This is the first real build moment. You're creating a Project inside Claude, a container that holds your Brand Profile, your Voice Profile, and every business conversation that matters from this point forward.
Because the way to get the BEST out of Claude chats is to let it reference the work you've already put in by compiling your business brain in one core project. Once complete, everything you've loaded in this project is referenced every time you open a new chat. That's what makes this your new AI brain.
Setting Up Your Business Brain:
- Go to claude.ai and sign in.
- In the left sidebar, click Projects → New Project. A "Create a personal project" window will pop up.
- In the "What are you working on?" field, name it "[Your Name or Brand Name] Business Brain." (Example: "Nicole's Business Brain" or "The Brand Vibe's Business Brain.")
- In the "What are you trying to achieve?" field, don't overthink this one. Claude isn't using it to interpret your brand or affect how it reads your uploaded files. Write a one-line summary if you want (example: "Training Claude to think, speak, and work like my brand") or leave it blank. Either works.
- Click Create project. The container is built.
▶ 💭 Wait, what's that "Memory" section? (tap to read)
When you open your fresh Business Brain Project, you'll see a section called Memory near Instructions and Files. Resist the urge to fill it in.
Memory is a running note Claude writes to itself about you as you chat inside this Project. It builds itself up automatically over time. You don't load it. You don't seed it. You don't duplicate your Brand Profile into it.
TL;DR: See it. Wave at it. Leave it alone. Keep going.
You're going to upload both the Brand Profile you compiled in Think and the Voice Profile you compiled in Speak, directly into the Project you just built.
▶ ⚠️ Read this first. The #1 mistake people make
Do NOT upload your files to the chat window at the bottom of the page. That's a one-time attachment. It won't load in future conversations, and your Business Brain will stay empty.
Upload them to the Files section inside your Project. Look on the right side of your Project page for a section labeled Files with a + sign next to it. That's where they go. NOT the paperclip icon in the chat bar at the bottom.
Quick steps:
- Open Your Business Brain Project in Claude.
- On the right side of the Project page, find the Files section with the + sign next to it.
- Click the + sign and upload your Brand Profile .md file.
- Click the + sign again and upload your Voice Profile .md file.
- Confirm both files appear listed under Files. If you see them, you're good.
Backup: Download everything in one file
Prefer one master file with everything you typed across the whole workbook? Grab it here and upload it as an all-in-one backup.
▶ 🎉 First conversation inside your new Business Brain (tap to read)
Project Instructions are the short directive that sits on top of your Project. It loads every single time you open a new conversation inside Your Business Brain. You're not writing these. Claude is. It just read your Brand Profile and Voice Profile, so it already knows how to instruct itself.
▶ ⚠️ Real talk. Do NOT skip this next part (tap for the story)
Your old AI wrote your Brand and Voice Profiles like a robot, because it IS one. So Claude hands you robot instructions back, and every conversation inside your Business Brain gets filtered through them.
The fix is the second prompt below. Run it right after the first one, before you paste anything into your Project Instructions field.
That rewritten version is what you paste into your Project Instructions field. Not the first one. The rewritten one. Trust me. I lived a week inside a robot brain before I figured this out. Do not do that.
Drop the rewritten version into Project Instructions
Copy the rewritten output (not the first one). In your Business Brain Project, click the pencil icon next to your Project name at the top of the page, or tap the three-dot menu and choose “Edit project details.” Find the Project Instructions field, clear the starter text, paste your rewritten version, and save.
Done. You just gave your Business Brain a personality. 💅
User Preferences are different from Project Instructions. These load across every single Claude conversation you ever have, not just inside Your Business Brain Project. This is the setting that makes a brand-new chat in any corner of Claude feel like it already knows you.
In that same chat from Round 3, paste this next:
Drop the output into User Preferences
Copy Claude's output. Click your profile icon in the bottom left of Claude (the little circle with your name next to it) → Settings. Profile is the default tab that opens, and the User Preferences field is right there. Paste and save.
Done. These now load in every Claude conversation you ever start. Forever. Even the random ones. 💅
▶ 🤔 "Wait, so why do I even need a Business Brain?" (tap to read)
Fair question. Got this a lot in testing. Short version:
User Preferences = your name tag. A few paragraphs that tell Claude who you are and how you talk. Loads everywhere.
Business Brain = your library. The actual frameworks, offers, voice samples, and IP Claude pulls from when it builds things for you. Protected space. Nothing random leaks in.
One is identity. The other is infrastructure. You need both.
And if you want Claude to actually remember things, build on your files, and run your business like a real operating system? That's not User Preferences. That's not even a Project. That's Skills + Cowork mode, where Claude has persistent access to your folders, tools, and custom workflows. It's a whole different level. It's why I built Off My Plate. More on that in a sec. 👀
This is the moment you find out if it worked. Open a fresh conversation inside Your Business Brain and run the prompt below. If it sounds like you (the real you, not the AI impression of you), your Business Brain is alive and you are officially done.
What "passing" looks like
It should sound close to how you'd actually say it. Close enough that you nod, smile, maybe laugh. If it nails the vibe, you're done with this workbook. Move on and celebrate. 🎉
Real talk though: close is not spot-on. It'll still feel a little flat, a little generic, a little missing-that-thing-only-you-have. That's because your Business Brain is built on what you already know about yourself, and most of us have never actually sat down and extracted the stuff that makes us sound like us. The signature phrases. The non-negotiables. The messaging pillars. The voice rules you've never written down.
That's what Off My Plate does. It drags all of that out of your head, formats it into real Brand and Voice profiles, and builds your three AI team members right inside your Claude. That's when Claude stops sounding close and starts sounding like you wrote it yourself.
You’re one tap away ✨
confirm each one, then celebrate
You just unlocked Level 1.
here's what Level 2 looks like
A Brand Profile, a Voice Profile, and a trained Claude Project with custom Instructions and User Preferences. Claude knows you now. That's real. That's yours. Forever.
This workbook got your Business Brain up and running. Level 2 builds the team that runs it: a Brand Voice Editor that catches what doesn't sound like you, a Brand Copywriter that writes your bios, emails, and sales copy on command, and a Content Strategist that runs on our signature VIBES™ Content Framework, so every post has a job.
And it's even easier than this Breakup guide! Get interviewed by an AI brand strategist on the same brand framework Nicole uses with her $5,000 consulting clients. You talk. It listens then builds your brand team entirely from your answers so it's fully customized to you.
I spent almost two decades in corporate as an exec working in roles like VP of Sales, Creative Director, and Chief Marketing Officer before I decided I wanted to build something of my own. So I started my company, The Brand Vibe®, and haven't looked back.
Since then, I've founded multiple brands while watching my kids grow up before my eyes (my oldest is off to college this fall!). I'm also late-diagnosed ADHD which was a surprise to no one in my life.
My life is beautiful chaos and AI is the reason I can do the most while actually doing the least.
Not because I handed my business to a robot. Because I built a brand strong enough to train one. AI is a tool I use as a strategist, consultant, and CEO. It's not replacing me, but it will replace those who don't embrace it...
The fact that you're here, going through this framework shows me that's not you. The Breakup is the first level of using AI to your advantage and when you're ready to go deeper & build an AI team that can truly work for you, Off My Plate is where you build the rest.
xo, former Chief Everything Officer
Come Say Hi!
I've been renovating my brand (and life) with AI these days and sharing the journey over on Instagram. Let's connect! Slide into my DMs and let me know how The Breakup is working for you!
Think is done.
Take a breath.
You just gave Claude more context about your world than 95% of entrepreneurs ever bother to. That’s not nothing. That’s the foundation every brand you admire is missing.
Speak is next. It’s only 4 rounds. Then you’re onto Work.
stretch. drink water. keep going.
Your progress auto-saves in this browser, but if you close this tab without downloading, it’s gone. If you’re taking a real break, hit Download Progress in the top banner first. You can reload anytime with Upload Progress.
Do I need to pay for Claude to do this?+
Nope. As of early 2026, Projects are available on the free plan, which means you can build your entire Business Brain without paying a dime. Upgrade to Pro later if you want more usage, access to the more powerful Opus model, and unlimited Projects. But you are not locked out of anything in this workbook by being on the free tier.
Will I lose my work if I close the tab?+
Your answers auto-save to your browser as you type, so if you refresh, they’ll still be there. BUT: if you clear your browser, use a different device, or your browser crashes, it’s gone. That’s why there’s a Download Progress button in the banner that saves a backup file of everything. Use it. Restore it anytime with Upload Progress.
How long does this actually take?+
Migrating from ChatGPT or another AI? About 30 minutes, because your old AI does most of the talking. Starting fresh and typing your own answers? Budget 60–90 and don’t rush it. Either way you can split it across sessions. Just hit Download Progress before you walk away.
What’s the difference between this and Off My Plate?+
This workbook gets you a Brand Profile (your business brain) and a Voice Profile v1 (sounds close to you) that you upload into Claude. That’s Level 1. It’s huge and it’s free.
Off My Plate is Level 2. A coached, guided experience that extracts your brand messaging and positioning, builds out your Brand Islands and Content Pillars, applies our VIBES™ Signature Content Framework to your brand, and builds your three AI team members: your Brand Voice Editor, Brand Copywriter, and Content Strategist. Built on your brand, yours forever. Even easier than this workbook.
I already bought Off My Plate. Should I do this workbook first?+
Totally up to you, but here’s how they fit together. Off My Plate walks you through this same framework (brand brain, voice, messaging) in a guided chat experience, plus goes way deeper on positioning, Brand Islands, Content Pillars, and builds your three custom Claude Skills. If you do this workbook first, you’ll show up to Off My Plate with your Brand Profile and Voice Profile v1 already in hand, which means you can upload them straight in and speed through the early questions. Off My Plate actually kicks off by asking if you already have these, so nothing is duplicate work. Either order works. Doing both is where the real magic lives.
Do I have to use Claude? Can I upload the Brand Profile to other AIs?+
Technically yes. The Brand Profile is just a markdown file. You could upload it to any AI. But this workbook is built specifically for Claude’s Projects feature, which is the cleanest way to keep a persistent Business Brain that every new chat instantly knows about. Other tools don’t do it as well yet.
Is my data safe?+
Yes. Everything you type lives in your browser only. Nothing gets transmitted to a server, nothing gets stored anywhere, I don’t see it, no one sees it. That’s also why you need to save your progress manually if you want a copy.
I’m stuck. Who do I talk to?+
Email my team at hello@thebrandvibe.com and tell us exactly where you got stuck. We read everything and we’ll get back to you.