What You Need (2 minutes)

1. A computer with a terminal

2. A Claude Pro subscription

If not, go get it. I’ll wait.

3. Node.js installed

Go to nodejs.org, click the big green button, install it.

That’s it. Don’t read the documentation (unless you really want to).

Just install it.

Mac: open “Terminal” from Applications.

Windows: use “Command Prompt” or “PowerShell.”

If those words mean nothing, just search your computer for “terminal” and open the first result.

$20/month if you pay monthly, $17/month if you pay annual at claude.ai.

Install Claude Code (3 minutes)

Open your terminal.

Type this.

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Hit enter:

That’s it. It’ll churn for 30 seconds and then you’re done.

cd Documents

claude

If you’re not already logged in, it’ll ask you to log in.

Use your Claude account.

Follow the prompts.

You’re in.

Now you’re in Claude Code, inside a project (Documents, if you followed the above) folder.

Extra: Make a Simple Webpage (3 mins)

Type something like:

Create a simple webpage that says “Hello, I’m [your name]” with a clean, modern design. 

Watch what happens.

Claude Code will:

1. Think about what you asked
2. Create the files
3. Show you what it did
4. And ask you permissions along the way

There’s an HTML file in there. You can use an auto-complete like in the above screenshot, by pressing “Tab” on your keyboard.

You just “built” a webpage.

Took maybe 90 seconds.

You’ll see the mode switch to Plan Mode.

Here’s what it does:

Claude Code analyzes your project (or the root folder you’re in, or any folders you copy paste to tell it to look at), makes a plan, and shows it to you for feedback.

You get to review, ask questions, say “no, not like that,” and only then say “go.”

Try this:

I want to add a contact form to my webpage where visitors can enter their name and email. Show me your plan first.

Claude will lay out exactly what it intends to do. Which files it’ll create. What code it’ll add. Why.

Read the plan. You don’t need to understand every line.

Look for the following:

1. Does the description match what I asked for?
2. Is it creating a reasonable number of files? (2-3 for something simple, not 47)
3. Does the explanation make sense in plain English?

If it looks right, tell it to proceed.

If something feels off, just say what feels off. In plain English. “I don’t want it to send emails, just collect the info” or “Make the design more minimal.”

This is the loop: describe, review plan, adjust, approve, see results.

That’s it. That’s the whole workflow.

It’s about COMMUNICATION and SPECIFICITY

Here’s what I wish someone had told me when I started:

Your first 10 prompts will be mediocre, because you haven’t learned how to describe what you want yet.

You’ll say

“make it look nice”

when you mean

This is normal. It’s not a coding problem. It’s a communication problem.

The founders who get scary-good with Claude Code aren’t the ones who learn technical jargon.

They’re the ones who get specific about outcomes, with their language.

In my hundreds of hours using Claude Code, I’ve learned that it’s more of a clear communication problem than anything.

For example, these will bring wildly different results:

Add a testimonials section

Add a testimonials section with 3 cards, each showing a quote, the person’s name, and their company. Use the same styling as the rest of the page” = excellent.

Specificity is the skill.

And if you’re a founder, you’ve been building that muscle every time you’ve written a product brief, a pitch deck, or drafted an email or slack message to the team.

Now type (and hit enter after each command):

Awesome, right? Stay with me.

Plan Mode: Your Safety Net

Type Shift+Tab twice.