LaunchReady.ai
Professional Continuing Education
Course Catalog · Summer 2026
SMB 101C
Getting Started with Claude: A Working Session (Small Business Edition)
A three-hour applied working session for owners of established small businesses. You work a real example with Claude; you leave with a finished result, one automation you own that persists after class, and your result on The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment.
Placement Meets you at Level 1: The Cadet → Trains toward Level 2: The Ensign
I. Course Information
| Course number | SMB 101C |
|---|---|
| Course title | Getting Started with Claude: A Working Session (Small Business Edition) |
| Track | SMB: Small Business |
| Platform | C: Claude (Anthropic) |
| Term | Summer 2026 |
| Offerings | Tuesday, July 21, 2026 (pilot cohort); 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., coffee and registration from 8:30 a.m. |
| Location | Launch Fishers, 12175 Visionary Way, Fishers, IN 46038 |
| Format | In-person guided laboratory with applied individual work |
| Contact hours | 3.0 |
| Credit | Non-credit professional continuing education |
| Tuition | The July 21 cohort is a pilot (no tuition charge). Current session dates are on the events page. |
| Instructor of record | Harrison Painter, Founder, LaunchReady.ai; author, You Have Already Been Replaced by AI |
II. How Course Numbers Work
The first digit of every LaunchReady course number is the level of The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency the course meets you at. SMB 101C meets you at Level 1: The Cadet, assumes no prior AI experience, and trains toward Level 2: The Ensign. A 300-level course meets you at Level 3: The Lieutenant and trains toward Level 4: The Commander. The letter suffix names the platform taught in the room: C for Claude, with parallel sections planned for other platforms as the catalog grows.
Placement is measured: the free 10-minute assessment gives you your current level and, with it, your course number. Every course closes by re-checking where you stand.
III. Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Distinguish Claude's three working modes (Chat, Code, Cowork) and select the appropriate mode for a given task.
- Construct an effective request using the five-part structure: objective, source material, audience, quality requirements, and output format.
- Configure account-level personalization (Instructions for Claude) so every session begins with their professional context.
- Write plain-language operating guardrails (Cowork Global instructions) governing approval, boundaries, and preferences.
- Verify AI-generated output against source material and identify fabricated or unsupported content.
- Complete a real work product in a dedicated Cowork Project using safe-workspace practices: an isolated folder, copied files, scoped access, and step-by-step approval.
- Recognize Claude's power tools (connectors, plugins, and artifacts) and build a simple artifact of their own.
- Build one automation they own: a Project that does a real job on command and can be run again in one step.
- Interpret their 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment result and identify the next capability to practice.
IV. Course Schedule
The timeline applies identically to both sections. Each unit pairs a brief instructor demonstration with guided hands-on practice on your own machine.
| Time | Unit | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00-0:10 | Welcome | Course overview, outcomes, data-handling policy |
| 0:10-0:30 | Unit 1 | First working result: Claude's three modes; the five-part request structure |
| 0:30-0:55 | Unit 2 | Personalization: configuring Instructions for Claude from a professional profile |
| 0:55-1:10 | Unit 3 | Operating guardrails: Cowork Global instructions; the instruction hierarchy |
| 1:10-1:25 | Unit 4 | Verification: checking AI output against source material |
| 1:25-1:35 | Break | |
| 1:35-2:12 | Unit 5 | Applied laboratory: completing a work product from the shared example in a Cowork Project using safe-workspace practices |
| 2:12-2:25 | Unit 6 | Power tools: a guided tour of connectors, plugins, and artifacts, and building one artifact |
| 2:25-2:45 | Unit 7 | Build your automation: assembling a Project that does a real job on command, saved to run again in one step |
| 2:45-2:55 | Unit 8 | The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment |
| 2:55-3:00 | Unit 9 | Results review, completion requirements, and continuing pathways |
V. Prerequisites and Completion
Before class Four prerequisites
An active paid Claude subscription (Pro plan or higher; Cowork is available on paid plans only). A personal laptop that passes Anthropic's Cowork readiness check, completed at registration. The Claude desktop application installed with Cowork enabled. No work needs to be prepared or brought; the session provides the practice material. Optional: bring one task from your own business to try, and come with one process you would like to improve for the closing discussion.
In the room Safe workspace, real work
All applied work uses a dedicated working folder containing copies (never originals), Cowork access scoped to that folder only, and step-by-step approval throughout. Everyone works from the provided sample material, so no private data is required; participants who choose to bring their own use only material they own or have permission to use.
To complete The Completion Badge
Awarded for full attendance, a submitted work product from the applied laboratory (objective, source material, one directed revision, one verification action, and a saved output), one automation built in class (a Project setup that can be run again in one step), the 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment, and a demonstrated-skill checklist confirmed with an instructor.
VI. Frequently Asked Questions
What is SMB 101C?
SMB 101C is LaunchReady's applied introduction to Claude for owners of established small businesses: a three-hour, in-person working session where participants complete one real piece of their own work with Claude, build one automation they own that persists after class, and finish with The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment. In the course code, SMB is the track, 101 is the level and course number, and C is the platform (Claude).
What level of The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency is SMB 101C for?
The first digit of every LaunchReady course number is the level of The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency the course meets you at. SMB 101C meets you at Level 1: The Cadet, assumes no prior AI experience, and trains toward Level 2: The Ensign. The free 10-minute assessment works as the placement step for the catalog.
What are the prerequisites for SMB 101C?
Three things: an active paid Claude subscription (Pro plan or higher, since Cowork is available on paid plans only), a personal laptop that passes Anthropic's Cowork readiness check, and the Claude desktop application installed with Cowork enabled per the course setup portal. No work needs to be brought; the session provides the practice material.
How much does SMB 101C cost?
The July 21, 2026 cohort at Launch Fishers is a pilot with no tuition charge. Participants provide their own paid Claude subscription. Current session dates and pricing are on the events page.
How do I register for SMB 101C?
Registration runs through the events page, where each upcoming working session lists its date, location, and reservation form. Setup instructions and the Cowork readiness check are provided at registration, before the course date.
Register for an upcoming working session, or bring SMB 101C to your team as custom company training.
The 7 Levels of AI Proficiency assessment is free and takes 10 minutes.