Solopreneur Second Brain · $1,000, one time

Your first hire is already on your laptop. It just hasn't been onboarded yet.

You already pay for Claude, and it's capable of handling a real share of your admin, but it starts every conversation knowing nothing about your business. I write the onboarding for it, build it the skills your weekly work needs and set it up with you on a video call, so it's running before we hang up. It's the exact setup I run my own business on.

Book my install call See what's included

If Claude isn't handling at least three of your recurring tasks by the end of our install call, I'll keep working with you until it is. The 14-day tune-up call is included, and your Claude subscription is separate.

You've probably thought about hiring help, and you've probably noticed Claude isn't quite it yet.

Somewhere around the time the proposals, follow-ups, client notes and inbox started eating your evenings, you started wondering whether it was time for a VA or an assistant. Then you remembered that any new person needs weeks of training before they're useful, and that you'd be the one doing the training.

So you tried Claude instead, and it's impressive for about five minutes, until you realize you have to explain who your clients are, what you charge and how you like things worded every single time you open a new chat. The answers come back sounding like they could be for anyone, because as far as Claude knows, they are.

The part most people miss is that the model isn't the problem, and neither are you. Nobody would expect a new hire to do good work on day one without an onboarding binder, a tour of the tools and someone showing them how the job gets done, and Claude has had none of that.

Think of it as the onboarding binder you'd write for a first hire, except I write it for you.

When you bring on a good assistant, you sit them down and tell them who you are, what you sell, who your clients are, how you sound and how things get done around here. The Solopreneur Second Brain is that same onboarding, written in a form Claude reads before every task.

It lives in an Obsidian vault, which is simply a folder of plain text notes on your own computer, and it's connected to Claude Cowork so Claude can use it while it works in the tools you've connected, like your email, calendar and files. You never have to learn Obsidian or any note-taking system to use it, because you just ask Claude for what you need in plain English.

The part everyone else skips is the writing. Free templates and courses hand you an empty structure and ask you to fill it in yourself, which is the hardest part of the job, so I write your binder from your questionnaire before we ever get on a call, and the day you install it, Claude already knows your business.

I didn't design this in the abstract, either, because the Second Brain is the exact setup I run my own business on, so everything I install for you is something I rely on myself.

Here's how your first hire gets onboarded, step by step.

  1. The interview

    You start by booking your install call from my calendar, usually about a week out. Before then, you fill out a questionnaire about your business that covers the same things you'd tell a new hire in their first week, like your offers, your clients, how you write and the tasks that eat your time.

  2. The binder

    I build your vault from your answers, covering who you are, what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sound and how your work gets done, so Claude can read it before every task. If your answers tell me this isn't a good fit for your business, I'll say so before I build anything, and you won't owe me anything.

  3. The job duties

    I build 3-5 custom skills for the things you do every week, so something like “draft a follow-up for today's discovery call” becomes a one-line request instead of a ten-minute prompt, and I set up 1-2 automations or scheduled tasks that run on their own for the routine stuff.

  4. Day one

    We get on a 90-minute install and setup call over video, and I walk you through installing everything on your Mac or Windows computer and connecting your tools, then we run each skill together once so you've seen it work on your own business before we hang up.

  5. The two-week check-in

    About 14 days later, we get on a 30-minute video call and tune whatever felt off once you've used it for real work, whether that's a skill that needs adjusting or a part of your business the binder should cover better.

Here's everything included in the $1,000.

A questionnaire built around your business

It does the work of a new-hire interview, so you never face a blank template.

Your onboarding binder

An Obsidian vault I write about your offers, clients, voice and processes, stored as plain files on your own computer that you own outright.

3-5 custom skills

Built for your recurring work, so the tasks you repeat every week turn into one-line requests.

1-2 automations or scheduled tasks

Set up to run on their own for the routine stuff, so some of the work happens without you asking.

A 90-minute install and setup call

We do it together over video, and I connect the tools you use along the way. Every connection available in the Claude marketplace is covered, so we'll get the ones you rely on hooked up before we finish.

A 30-minute review call at 14 days

A tune-up over video to adjust anything that doesn't fit once you've used it for a couple of weeks of real work.

One thing to know up front is that the $1,000 covers my work, and your Claude subscription is separate. You pay Anthropic directly for a plan that includes Cowork, and I'll tell you which one you need before we start. The setup works on either a Mac or a Windows computer.

This is built for one person running a service business, and it's not for everyone.

It's a good fit if:

  • You run a service business on your own, like consulting, coaching, design, bookkeeping, real estate or an agency of one, and admin is eating hours you'd rather bill.
  • You already pay for Claude or ChatGPT but mostly use it as a blank chat.
  • You've thought about hiring a VA or assistant and haven't pulled the trigger yet.
  • You want the result without learning a new productivity system, and you'd be happy never hearing the word “Zettelkasten.”

It's probably not a fit if:

  • You enjoy building your own systems and would rather follow a tutorial and tinker, in which case the free templates out there will serve you well.
  • You need a whole team trained on AI, since this is set up for one person's work.
  • You need a custom app or internal tool rather than an assistant, and a Prototyping Sprint is the better place to start.
  • You're not sure yet whether AI belongs in your work at all, in which case a Role Review for $250 will give you a straight answer first.

Hey, I'm Austin.

I build software and AI systems for businesses, and I mean the actual tools rather than slide decks about them. I'm based in Middle Tennessee, and this setup happens entirely over video calls, so it works wherever you are.

After working with 20+ Nashville business owners, the pattern I keep seeing is that smart people aren't behind on AI because they're not technical enough, but because nobody has set it up around how their business really runs.

The Second Brain is the exact setup I run my own business on, with Claude working from an Obsidian vault every day, so what I install for you is the same thing I depend on myself rather than something I read about online.

Read the full story
Austin Hardcastle

Here's what people say about working with me.

"He offers help for how you actually work, not just plug and play stuff."

Jay Tippens, Surface Experts Nashville

"Austin has a bias to action that cuts through the hype cycles and gets to, 'What can we do right now?' He can drop into any business problem and offer creative but practical solutions."

DJ Tosh, Entrepreneur/Business Owner

"AI has a way of feeling scary and intimidating. Austin is able to talk about it in a way that makes you feel confident about what's next."

Robert Greathouse, Referrals on Demand Marketing

"I'd dabbled with AI before and thought we couldn't get much out of it since we have a pretty niche business. But Austin has been showing us ways we can work it into our existing processes without investing a ton of time. We were booking more calls after one week."

Zach Beaston, Barndo Kit Co

One questionnaire, one install call and a first hire who already knows your business, for $1,000.

$1,000 one time

A VA is a monthly bill, and they still need you to train them before they're useful. This is a one-time fee, the training is the part I do, and what you end up with is a written-down version of your business that belongs to you, sitting in plain files on your own computer where any AI tool you use later can read it.

  • Your onboarding binder, an Obsidian vault written from your questionnaire
  • 3-5 custom skills for the work you repeat every week
  • 1-2 automations or scheduled tasks
  • A 90-minute install and setup call over video, booked from my calendar and usually about a week out
  • A 30-minute review call over video for the 14-day tune-up

I send the invoice after the install call. It works on Mac or Windows, and your Claude subscription is paid separately to Anthropic.

Book my install call

If Claude isn't handling at least three of your recurring tasks by the end of our install call, I'll keep working with you until it is, and if I read your questionnaire and don't think this is a good fit for your business, I'll tell you before I build anything, and you won't owe me anything.

Questions people reasonably ask before they buy.

I'm not technical, and I've never used Obsidian. Is that a problem?

Not at all, because you won't need to learn Obsidian to use this. You talk to Claude in plain English the way you would with an assistant, and Obsidian is just a window onto your notes if you ever want to look at them. I handle the install with you on our 90-minute video call, and we run each skill together before the call ends so you've seen it work.

Is my business data safe?

Your vault is a folder of plain text files on your own computer, so you own it outright, and your tools connect to Claude through your own accounts rather than through anything of mine. I do keep a copy of your questionnaire and your vault after we're done, and I want to be plain about that, but I won't use it. When Claude reads a note to do a task, that text is handled under the terms of your own Claude plan, the same as anything you'd paste into a chat today, and if there's something you'd rather it never see, we simply leave it out of the vault.

Which of my tools can it connect to?

Every connection available in the Claude marketplace is one I guarantee, so if a tool you use is listed there, we'll get it connected together on the install call and you'll see Claude working in it before we hang up.

Does it work on a Mac and on Windows?

Yes, it works on either one, and I'll walk you through the install on whichever computer you use for your business.

Why wouldn't I just use one of the free templates?

You could, and if you like building systems, you might enjoy it. The template is the easy part, though, and the hard part is writing down your own business well enough that Claude can use it and then wiring up the skills and connections, which is why so many DIY vaults end up half-filled or still full of someone else's example business. I write yours from your questionnaire and install it with you, so you skip straight to using it.

Do I need to pay for Claude on top of this?

Yes, and I'd rather be upfront about it. The $1,000 covers my work, and your Claude subscription is separate and paid directly to Anthropic, on a plan that includes Cowork, so I'll point you to the right plan before we start.

What happens when the AI tools change next year?

This is one of the better reasons to do it this way. Because your binder is well-written plain text that you own, it doesn't depend on any one app, so if you switch models or tools later, the knowledge about your business comes with you. The skills may need an update over time, but the hardest part, your business written down clearly, stays yours.

I use ChatGPT, not Claude. Does this still work?

The setup is built for Claude Cowork, because that's where the skills, automations and tool connections live and it's what I build with every day. If you're committed to ChatGPT, this probably isn't the right offer for you, and I'd rather tell you that now than after you've paid.

What if it doesn't fit my business once I've used it for a while?

That's what the 14-day tune-up is for. After two weeks of real work, we get on a 30-minute video call and adjust whatever felt off, whether that's a skill that needs reworking or a part of your business the binder should cover better.

Give your first hire a proper first day.

Fill out the questionnaire, and I'll write your onboarding binder, build the skills for the work you repeat every week and set it all up with you on a video call, so Claude starts its first day already knowing your business.

If you're not sure yet whether AI belongs in your work, start with a Role Review for $250, and I'll give you a straight answer first.

Book my install call

If Claude isn't handling at least three of your recurring tasks by the end of our install call, I'll keep working with you until it is, and if it isn't a fit, I'll tell you before I build anything, and you won't owe me anything.