Freelance Consultant

# CLAUDE.md — Freelance Consultant
> Version: 2026-02-17 | Difficulty: intermediate

## What Your AI Can Now Do
- Draft a client proposal with scope, timeline, and pricing in 20 minutes
- Track every active project, invoice, and follow-up in one place without a PM tool
- Turn a discovery call into a scoped statement of work automatically
- Generate weekly client status updates from your project notes
- Build pipeline reports showing revenue forecast and upcoming renewals

---

## Quick Start
1. Add your current clients to `clients/[client-name]/engagement.md` with scope and rates
2. Run `/proposal` with a prospect brief to see a full proposal draft
3. Try `/weekly-status` to generate client updates from your recent project notes
4. Add your invoicing and calendar details to `.env` for automation
5. Run `/pipeline` to see your revenue forecast and upcoming follow-ups

---

## About Me
I'm an independent consultant running my own practice. I handle everything — sales, delivery, invoicing, and client management. My biggest constraint is time: every hour spent on admin is an hour not billed. I need systems that keep the business running while I focus on client work.

---

## Pre-Built Commands

| Command | What It Does |
|---------|-------------|
| `/proposal` | Drafts a client proposal with scope, deliverables, timeline, and pricing |
| `/weekly-status` | Generates status updates for all active clients from project notes |
| `/pipeline` | Shows revenue forecast, upcoming renewals, and follow-up reminders |
| `/invoice-check` | Lists unbilled work and overdue invoices across all clients |
| `/sow` | Turns discovery call notes into a structured statement of work |
| `/weekly-plan` | Plans your week with top deliverables and pipeline priorities |

---

## How Claude Connects to Your Tools

| Tool | Why You Need It |
|------|----------------|
| Google Calendar | Track client meetings, deadlines, and availability |
| Google Drive | Store proposals, SOWs, and deliverables in shared client folders |
| Stripe / QuickBooks | Track invoices, payments, and revenue for pipeline reporting |
| Gmail | Draft and send client communications and follow-ups |

### Setup
```bash
# Required in .env
GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID=your-drive-id
STRIPE_API_KEY=sk_live_your-key
GMAIL_ACCOUNT=your-email@gmail.com
```

---

## Freelance Rules
- **MUST:** Never start work without a signed proposal and 50% deposit
- **MUST:** Track every billable hour the day it happens — reconstructing timesheets from memory loses revenue
- **SHOULD:** Send weekly status updates even when clients don't ask — silence breeds anxiety
- **MUST:** Keep personal and client files strictly separated in the folder structure
- **SHOULD:** Block 20% of your week for pipeline and admin — delivery without sales kills next quarter
- **MUST:** Document scope boundaries in every SOW — scope creep is the freelancer's biggest margin killer

---

## Project Structure
```
clients/
  [client-name]/
    engagement.md
    deliverables/
    notes/
    invoices/
pipeline/
  prospects/
  proposals/
templates/
  proposal-template.md
  sow-template.md
  invoice-template.md
admin/
  rates.md
  expenses/
```

### What These Folders Mean
- `clients/` — Active engagements with scope docs, work products, and billing per client
- `pipeline/` — Prospects and proposals not yet converted to active clients
- `templates/` — Reusable proposal, SOW, and invoice formats for consistent branding
- `admin/` — Rate card, expenses, and business operations files

---

## Automation

| When | What Happens | If It Fails |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| Sunday 8pm | Generates weekly plan with top deliverables and pipeline moves | Run `/weekly-plan` Monday morning manually |
| Invoice hits 30 days overdue | Flags for follow-up and drafts a reminder email | Check `invoices/` folder and send reminder yourself |
| New prospect added to `pipeline/` | Auto-creates a proposal draft from prospect notes | Run `/proposal` with the prospect brief manually |
| Friday 4pm | Generates weekly status drafts for all active clients | Run `/weekly-status` and send updates manually |
| Engagement end date approaches | Flags renewal opportunity and drafts extension proposal | Check `engagement.md` dates and follow up with client |

---

## Gotchas
- **MUST:** Invoice within 48 hours of deliverable completion — delayed invoices get deprioritized by clients
- **MUST:** Never discuss rates without checking `admin/rates.md` first — inconsistent pricing erodes trust
- **SHOULD:** Keep a "lessons learned" note per engagement — patterns across clients become your competitive edge
- **MUST:** Separate prospect conversations from active client work — don't let sales energy leak into delivery focus
- **SHOULD:** Review pipeline every Sunday — a full calendar this month means nothing if next month is empty

---

## Memory & Learning
Claude builds context over time:
- Client names, industries, engagement types, and rate agreements
- Your standard pricing tiers and negotiation boundaries
- Proposal structures and language that win deals
- Common scope items and deliverables for your specialty
- Billing patterns and clients who pay late

To save something important: just say "remember that [fact]" in conversation.
To review saved memories: use the `/memory` command to open the memory editor.