Start Building

You've got the expertise. Here's how to start shipping it.

This page walks you through getting set up with Claude Code — the AI build tool I use for every product. No coding background needed. If you can describe what your product should do, Claude Code can build it.

"Your expertise is the product. AI is just the factory."

Step 1: Pick your interface

Claude Code comes in three flavours. All use the same AI. The difference is where you work.

Claude Code on the Web

Go to claude.ai/code in your browser. No install. Click and go. You get a full development environment in the browser — file editor, terminal, and Claude side by side.

Best for: Getting started today. Zero setup. Works on any machine.

Claude Code Desktop App

Download the Mac or Windows app from claude.ai/download. Same as the web version, but runs as a native app on your machine with access to your local files.

Best for: Regular building. Feels like a real dev tool. Works with your local folders.

Claude Code CLI (Terminal)

Install via terminal: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. This is the power-user version — runs in your terminal alongside git, your editor, and everything else. It's what I use daily.

Best for: Once you're hooked. Maximum control. This is the full factory.

My recommendation: Start with the web version. You'll be building in under 60 seconds. Move to the desktop app or CLI when you want more control. You don't need to decide now — they all produce the same output.

Step 2: Your first build (15 minutes)

Don't start with your big product idea. Start with something small to learn how the conversation works. Here's a real example:

1Open Claude Code (whichever interface you chose).

2Describe something from your domain. Not a full product. Just one useful thing.

      I'm a program manager with 25 years in automotive. I need a checklist

      generator that takes a project milestone name and outputs the standard

      review items for that milestone based on ASPICE process areas.

3Let it build. Then refine. Claude will generate a working tool. It won't be perfect. Tell it what's wrong: "The SWE.4 items are missing the test evidence column" or "Add a severity rating to each item." This back-and-forth is the build process.

4Ship it. Your first build doesn't need to be sellable. It needs to prove to you that your domain knowledge translates directly into working software.

The key insight: Claude doesn't know your domain. YOU do. When you say "that's not how ASPICE reviews work" or "compliance auditors need to see X" — that's your 25 years talking. That expertise is what makes the product valuable. Claude just types faster than you.

Step 3: Figure out what to build for real

Your first build was practice. Now let's find the product hiding in your expertise.

Download the free Expertise-to-Product Guide — it walks you through the full process. The short version:

What do juniors in your field get wrong? That's a training tool or checklist product.
What takes your team hours that shouldn't? That's an automation product.
What do you explain to every new client? That's a self-service product.
What would you build if you could snap your fingers? That's the one. Build that.

Use the Is This a Product? Scorecard to pressure-test your idea. 10 questions. 100 points. Tells you whether it's worth building or worth binning.

Step 4: Level up your setup

Once you're building regularly, these make the process faster:

Claude Power Kit — My entire Claude Code setup, packaged. 35+ commands, 15+ skills, 18 agent prompts. Two-minute install. This is how I ship a product a week.
SaaS Starter Kit — One command scaffolds a full Next.js + Stripe + Prisma app with your branding. Not a boilerplate — generates a unique project every time.
CLAUDE.md files — A file in your project root that tells Claude Code about your project's rules, patterns, and context. Every product I build has one. It's how the AI remembers what matters between sessions.

Common mistakes (so you can skip them)

Starting too big. "Build me a full SaaS platform" on day one. Start with one screen that solves one problem. Expand from there.
Under-describing your domain. Claude is smart but it doesn't have your 25 years. When something's wrong, explain WHY it's wrong in domain terms. "A compliance auditor would reject this because..." is gold.
Not iterating. First output is a draft, not a product. The builds that ship well go through 20+ rounds of refinement. That's normal.
Waiting for permission. You don't need a technical co-founder. You don't need to learn JavaScript. You need your expertise and a conversation with Claude. That's it.

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