Mac Sweeny
What it is
Work from sources to a checked draft
I would use this sequence when testing a document task in Claude.
- 01
Choose the sources
Use relevant material you are permitted to share.
- 02
Define the task
Ask for a specific output and make gaps or uncertainty explicit.
- 03
Check the draft
Verify important details against the original documents before using it.
Keep the original sources available. Fluent writing is not evidence that every detail is correct.
What is Claude consulting?
Quick answer
Claude consulting is independent advice on whether Anthropic's Claude is the right AI assistant for your business, which plan to put your team on, and which workflows to point it at first. I use Claude every day in real client work and I do not resell seats, so the recommendation is just the recommendation. AI Consulting is A$1,195 per month + GST, with a call each fortnight, clarity on what to build in Claude or ChatGPT and practical guidance on how to do it. No lock-in.
Claude is the AI assistant built by Anthropic. From the outside it looks like every other chat assistant: you type, it answers. What businesses actually pick it for is the unglamorous work. Long documents. Drafting that sounds like a person wrote it. Analysis where you need the reasoning shown, not just an answer.
Claude consulting is the layer before any of that. A Claude consultant should do four things: work out whether Claude fits the work you do, design the first two or three use cases, pick the plan tier that matches how your team will actually use it, and sequence the rollout so it does not die after the first week. None of that requires you to commit to anything.
What it is not: I am not an Anthropic partner or reseller. I do not sell Claude seats, I take no commission on them, and I have no reason to talk you into a tier you do not need. If the right answer for your business is ChatGPT, or both, or neither yet, that is the answer you will get. My Claude vs ChatGPT comparison is written the same way.
One more thing worth knowing: the demand for this is new. Search volume for the exact phrase claude consulting first registered in June 2026. Claude for business first registered measurable volume in July 2026, at roughly 760 searches a month in the US. Claude enterprise went from 190 to 4,400 searches a month in the US over twelve months, and from nothing to 590 a month in Australia. Most businesses asking these questions are asking them for the first time, which is a reasonable reason to get a second opinion before you spend.
What you walk away with
Three things, in this order.
A straight answer on fit
Claude suits some work and not others. You leave knowing which of your workflows it is actually good at, and which ones you should not point it at yet.
The right plan, not the biggest one
Free, Pro, Team and Enterprise buy very different things. Most businesses I speak to are about to overbuy. We work out the tier that matches what you will actually do with it.
A sequence you can start on Monday
Two or three workflows, in order, with the people named. We agree what needs to be written up as part of the scope.
Common questions
Is Claude the right AI for my business?
It depends on the work, not the brand. Claude is strong on long documents, careful writing, analysis and anything where tone and accuracy matter more than novelty features. If most of your AI use is image generation, or your team already lives inside another vendor's assistant, the honest answer may be no, or may be Claude alongside something else. That is what a session is for: I look at your actual workflows and tell you which tool fits which job.
Claude or ChatGPT: which should a business pick?
Most businesses I talk to end up running both, because they are good at different things. Claude tends to win on long documents, drafting in your voice and careful analysis. ChatGPT tends to win on breadth: file-based data analysis, image generation, voice, and a bigger ecosystem of integrations. If you only want to pay for one, choose per workflow rather than per brand, and be honest about which workflows you actually run every week.
What does a Claude rollout actually look like?
Pick two or three real workflows first, prove them with a small group over two to four weeks, then buy seats for the people who will use them. Run working sessions on live work instead of a demo, set a simple rule about what data goes in, and check usage after a month. The rollouts that stall almost always bought seats for everyone on day one and never defined a single workflow.
Do you build with Claude as well as advise on it?
Consulting covers advice and planning. Custom development is A$150/hour + GST, with a separate project scope, estimated hours and terms before work starts. Development is a separate engagement with agreed scope and terms.
Official resources
Explore the tools and check current details with the people who make them.
