# Before we meet

Help us make your AI consultation useful for your business.

## Start with a few answers

Open `fact-finder.md` in a text editor and type below the questions, or copy the questions into your reply. Aim for about ten minutes; rough answers are fine. The first four questions are enough to get started. If you'd rather talk it through, bring your notes to the session.

Tell us what you do, where work gets stuck and what you'd like to leave the consultation knowing or being able to do. You don't need to know which AI product or technical solution you need.

Prefer having AI ask the questions? Open `guided-fact-finder.md`, copy its prompt into your own assistant and follow along. You can use an existing Business Brain if you have one. Review the resulting brief before sharing it with us.

## If you'd like to try something first

The included `free-starter/` folder contains the free Business Brain guide. Open `free-starter/guide.html` and follow the starter in your own Claude or Codex. It helps you describe your business and try one small task.

This is optional. You don't need to buy the paid Business Brain package, start another subscription or finish a setup before speaking with us. If you're unsure which account is suitable, leave that for the consultation.

If you do try it, tell us what worked, what needed correcting and where you got stuck. Keep the full business files in your own folder. A short summary is enough for us to prepare.

## What to return

Reply to the person arranging your consultation through the agreed contact channel with your fact-finder answers or reviewed consultation brief. If timing allows, send it at least one working day before we meet.

One short, sanitised example of a task can help, but isn't required. For example, describe the type of enquiry you answer repeatedly or provide an invented set of meeting notes. Say whether an example is real and redacted or entirely illustrative.

Only share material you're authorised to provide. Leave out customer names, personal details, credentials, bank information and private account links. We don't need your full inbox, client database or complete Business Brain. If a task involves sensitive material, describe it in general terms and we'll agree how to work with it.

This guide doesn't submit or save your answers for us. Send only the version you've checked and chosen to share.

## What to have with you

For a demonstration, bring your questions and an example of the work you want to improve. For an agreed hands-on session, bring your usual laptop and make sure you can sign into your own approved AI account. If you don't have one yet or can't access it, tell us rather than buying or changing anything just for the meeting.

It helps if the person who understands the work attends. If you want account or system changes, someone with authority to approve those changes may need to join. We'll agree that scope first.

We'll use your answers to choose relevant examples and identify a sensible next step. Any custom build, connection or ongoing support will be discussed separately.