AI for business

  • AI for business, AI for VAs, Getting started with AI

    Do you need to keep up with every Claude and ChatGPT update?

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    Keeping up with every Claude update and ChatGPT update isn’t needed if your business is set up properly. Start with an AI business brain: a set of plain files that holds who you help, what you sell, how you sound and the rules your AI follows, so any AI tool can read it and work the way you do. The AI agents come second.

    I’m Karen Vivarelli, an AI Operations Strategist in Perth, Western Australia. I teach and build AI for business owners, and my focus is implementing AI properly. This post walks through a carousel I shared this week, with more room to explain.

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    What’s changed in AI lately?

    There’s always something new. In the past few weeks we’ve had ChatGPT DOTs, Claude Managed Agents and a change to Claude Cowork. Then there’s the next model release. The list goes on.

    The Cowork change is a good example. Since 6 October, new Cowork tasks on Claude’s Pro and Max plans run on Anthropic’s servers instead of your computer. Your files stay put, but the work happens in the cloud. Anthropic’s Help Centre explains the change.

    I heard about the Cowork change from Dr Nici Sweaney. I’m inside her AI for Impact Hub, and she’s who I follow for the latest AI updates.

    So before you spend hours keeping up with all of it, and less time growing your business, here’s what I’d do.

    Why set up your foundations before chasing updates?

    Your foundations are the part that doesn’t change. They’re yours, and they stay put while everything else keeps updating.

    Ask yourself this: if your AI tool changed tomorrow, where would your business live?

    Your processes. Your voice. Your agent instructions. Your rules for what AI can and can’t do. If they only live inside one AI app, they move when it moves.

    And please don’t say “in my head”, or “in hundreds of tabs on my laptop”.

    What is an AI business brain?

    An AI business brain is a set of plain files that holds how your business works (who you help, what you sell, how you sound and your rules for AI), so any AI tool can read it and work the way you do.

    I spent ten years as a VA and OBM. Most of that work was getting what lived in a founder’s head out and written down, so a team could run with it. AI needs exactly the same thing.

    Where does my AI brain live?

    Mine lives in plain files I own. Who I help. What I sell. How I sound. The rules every agent follows, starting with the biggest one: draft, don’t send.

    It all lives on my computer, backed up to GitHub. If that’s new to you, think of it as a safe online home for files that saves every version, so I can see what changed and when.

    How do AI agents fit on top of the brain?

    On top of my brain sits my AI team. Seven agents, each with a name, a job card and only the tools that job needs.

    One runs my day. One drafts my content. One looks after my inbox. One is a security agent that checks the others’ set-up. I trained them all, and I’m always in charge.

    The work flows in the same order every time:

    1. The agent reads my brain for the job: my voice and my rules.
    2. It does the work, like drafting a post or an inbox reply.
    3. It hands me a draft. Nothing goes out until I say yes, and every piece of work and every decision gets logged.

    The brain first, then the agent, then me. And I see it all on my dashboard.

    What happens if your AI tool changes?

    I’m not locked into one tool, and neither should you be. Instead of worrying about switching tools, I already have Claude and ChatGPT plugged in.

    My HQ runs in Claude Code on my own computer, so the Cowork change didn’t touch it. And because everything is written down, my AI could rebuild most of my set-up in another tool.

    That’s what implementing AI properly means to me. The tools will keep changing. Your brain stays yours.

    Who is an AI business brain for?

    If you’re a coach with a team, get what’s in your head extracted into your AI brain, so your team and your AI work from the same page.

    If you’re a virtual assistant or OBM setting up AI for your clients, set it up properly, in a way that outlasts the next tool change.

    How do I set up AI in my business?

    Start with the brain. Write down who you help, what you sell, how you sound and your rules for AI, in files you own.

    Then add your AI agents on top, each with one job and only the tools that job needs. Keep yourself as the one who says yes.

    Frequently asked questions

    Do I need to keep up with every Claude and ChatGPT update?

    No. If how your business works is written down in files you own, a new update matters a lot less. Set up your AI business brain first, then decide which updates are worth your time.

    What is an AI business brain?

    It’s a set of plain files that holds how your business works: who you help, what you sell, how you sound and your rules for AI. Any AI tool can read it and work the way you do.

    What changed with Claude Cowork in October 2026?

    Since 6 October 2026, new Cowork tasks on Claude’s Pro and Max plans run on Anthropic’s servers instead of your computer. Your files stay on your computer, but the work happens in the cloud. Anthropic points anyone who needs tasks to run only on their own computer to Claude Code.

    Should I use Claude or ChatGPT for my business?

    You can use both. I have Claude and ChatGPT plugged in. Because my business brain is written down in plain files, my AI could rebuild most of my set-up in another tool if I ever needed to switch.

    Where should I start with AI in my business?

    Start with the brain, then the agents. Get what’s in your head written down in files you own, then give each AI agent one job, only the tools it needs, and a rule that nothing goes out without your yes.

    Want to build your AI brain with me?

    I’m teaching it from Perth in my free online workshop, Build Your AI Brain, on Thursday 29 October at 10am Perth time (12pm Brisbane, 1pm Sydney). There’s a replay if you can’t make it live.

    SAVE YOUR SPOT FOR THE WORKSHOP
  • AI for business, Behind the scenes

    How I use Claude to run my business

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    How I use Claude to run my business

    Every weekday at 8am, while I’m getting the kids to school, my business briefs me. An AI agent I built with Claude puts together my day: what’s on, the emails that need me, and my priorities, with the ones that bring in income at the top.

    I’m Karen Vivarelli, an AI educator in Perth, Western Australia. I help women in business learn how to use AI, so AI does the busywork and your voice stays yours. This post shows how I use Claude in my own business, and the order I’d build it in if you want the same.

    Why I built an AI dashboard for my own business

    I started as a virtual assistant in 2016, then became an online business manager, then coached other VAs and OBMs. That’s 10 years of setting up tech and systems inside other people’s businesses.

    The founders I work with have plenty of ideas and plenty of clients. What they’re missing is systems. Everything lives in their head, in the notes app on their phone, in a messy Google Drive, or in the dozens of tabs open in their browser.

    Most of them already use AI: ChatGPT for a caption, Claude for an email, Gemini or Copilot for something else. It’s handy, but every new chat starts from zero. It doesn’t know your offers or how you like things said, and you’re still the one holding it all together.

    I wanted AI to actually do the tasks, not just answer questions. So I tested how much it could take off my plate, starting with my own business.

    What my AI dashboard shows me every morning

    My dashboard is one page, in my brand colours, built with Claude. Each morning it shows:

    • The weather in Perth, so I know if it’s a good day to film content
    • My day, pulled from Google Calendar
    • The emails that need a reply from me, with why and what to do. The replies are already drafted in Gmail. I check them, edit them and press send myself.
    • My top priorities, pulled from Asana, with income-generating work at the top. When I tick one off, it ticks off in Asana too.
    • My week at a glance, my goals for the month, and the wins I’ve had, because I’m terrible at counting my own.

    There’s also a film mode. With one click it hides client names, private details and email subjects, so I can show it safely.

    What is an AI team?

    Behind the dashboard is a small AI team, each with its own job. Frankie is my AI COO: everything comes through her, and she hands it to the right team member. Chloe handles marketing, Sabrina handles sales, Chris looks after security and governance, Danielle builds the tech and Drew does design.

    Every one of them works the same way: nothing gets sent or paid without my yes. They draft. I decide.

    How to build an AI dashboard for your business: the order I’d follow

    Most people jump straight to the shiny part, an agent or a dashboard, and that’s why AI feels like it isn’t working for them. This is the order I’d build it in:

    1. Start with the brain of your business. If you hired someone tomorrow, could they find out how you do things without asking you? If not, that’s your first job. This is your AI second brain: how you work, what you sell and how you sound, written down in files you own.
    2. Connect it to the tools you already use, like your inbox and your calendar.
    3. Give one AI team member one job, and train it. The inbox is a great place to start, because it takes so much time and leads slip through it.
    4. Build the view, so you can see your whole business at a glance instead of opening five different apps.
    5. Keep a human in charge. Decide up front what AI drafts for you, and what it never touches without your yes. For example, it should never send an email or post content for you.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can Claude run a small business? Claude can do a lot of the busywork: sorting your inbox, drafting replies, pulling your calendar and priorities into one place. It works best when it’s set up with your business information and a human makes the final decisions. In my business, Claude drafts and I approve.

    What is an AI second brain for business? It’s your business knowledge written down in one organised place: how you work, what you sell, who you help and how you sound. When AI can read it, it stops starting from zero and gives answers that sound like you.

    Do I need to be technical to use Claude this way? No. If you can explain how you do something to a new team member, you can teach it to AI. The first step is writing your business down, not code.

    Is it safe to let AI read my emails? Set the rules first. My AI drafts replies but never sends them, and nothing goes out, gets paid or gets posted without my yes. Decide what AI can draft and what it can never touch before you connect it.

    Where should I start with AI in my business? Start with the brain of your business, then give one AI team member one job. The inbox is a good first job because the time saved is easy to see.

    Want help building yours?

    This is what I now do for other business owners. It’s called the COO Build: your AI brain, your skills, a simple dashboard and one AI agent you train. I can build it with you, or teach you how to build it yourself. I also run AI workshops for teams.

    Book a free 30 minute chat