Strategic Links Members · Cohort #1

Hire your first AI employee in four weeks.

A small, live cohort for Strategic Links members who are tired of reading about AI and ready to actually install one inside their business. Four Wednesdays. Fourteen seats. One working AI employee by the time you're done.

Claim your $500 seat → See the curriculum

StartsWed, May 6 · 8pm ET

Format4 weeks · live + recorded

Cohort size14 seats max

The Promise

By the end of four Wednesdays, you will not "understand AI better." You will have a working AI employee running inside your business, set up, trained on your context, and handling real work you currently do yourself.

Week 1

A real Claude Project, set up

One area of your business, fully configured with your docs, voice, and operating rules.

Week 2

Your first automated task

Three repetitive tasks identified. At least one automated end-to-end.

Week 4

A 90-day roadmap

A plan you actually want to execute, not a list of tools you'll never open.

Who This Is For

This room is small. To make sure you're in the right one.

Fourteen seats is a deliberate choice. It means the work is personal, the feedback is real, and the people across the table from you are serious. Here's how to tell if you belong here.

You belong here if

You run something (a firm, a practice, a consultancy, a team) and you're the one doing work a trained operator should be doing.
You've played with ChatGPT or Claude but never actually built something production-grade with it.
You want a clear, working system by the end of the month, not another library of bookmarked videos.
You can commit to four 90-minute Wednesdays and a couple of hours of homework between them.
You're willing to bring real work into the room. Real proposals, real pipelines, real client problems.

This is not for you if

You want someone else to do the setup for you. That's the higher-tier implementation track, not this cohort.
You're looking for generic "prompts you can steal." There are free YouTube videos for that.
You expect custom 1:1 consulting, hardware deployment, or done-for-you automation at this price point.
You can't show up live. Recordings exist, but this cohort works because the room does the work together.

Why Claude Over ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a chatbot. Claude is a workplace. Here's the difference that matters for this cohort.

Claude interface showing project workspace

Projects

Persistent business context

Claude Projects hold your docs, voice, and operating rules across every conversation. ChatGPT starts fresh each time.

Skills

Repeatable, structured output

Claude Skills let you package a process once and run it the same way every time. No prompt re-engineering on each use.

Integrations

Connected tool thinking

Claude connects to your CRM, calendar, Slack, and email. It works where your business already runs.

The Curriculum

Four weeks. Four working pieces. One AI employee at the end.

Each week is 90 minutes, live on Zoom, recorded the same day. Each week ends with a specific artifact you'll have built by the next time we meet.

Week 01 May 6 · 8pm ET

Foundation

Turn Claude into your AI employee

We stop treating AI like a search engine and start treating it like a trained staffer. You'll pick one area of your business (sales, ops, client work, content, finance) and configure a Claude Project with the context, instructions, and reference material it needs to act like someone who actually works there.

You walk out with

A Claude Project set up for one clear area of your business.

Week 02 May 13 · 8pm ET

Automation

Automating your computer with Claude

Now we move from "Claude can answer questions" to "Claude can do things." You'll audit the repetitive tasks eating your week, pick three, and automate the first one live during the session. This is where people stop being impressed by AI and start relying on it.

You walk out with

Three repetitive tasks identified, and one fully automated.

Week 03 May 20 · 8pm ET

Skill Building

Custom AI automations and multiple sessions

We build what Anthropic calls a "Skill": a reusable procedure your AI employee can run on command. You'll take one weekly process that matters to your business and package it into something Claude executes the same way, every time. This is where one-off tricks become infrastructure.

You walk out with

One complete Skill built for a recurring weekly process.

Week 04 May 27 · 8pm ET

Roadmap

AGI-aligned demo + your 90-day roadmap

Live demo of a more advanced AI employee setup running against the kind of work we've been discussing all month, so you see where this goes. Then we build your 90-day roadmap: what to deploy next, in what order, with what guardrails, so your setup stays useful as the models keep getting better.

You walk out with

A personal 90-day AI employee roadmap, ready to execute Monday.

Optional 05 Jun 3 · 8pm ET

Office Hours

Open refinement session

A working hour for whoever shows up. Bring what you built, what broke, what you're stuck on. Get eyes on it, ship fixes live, and leave with your system cleaner than it came in.

Inside The Cohort

Real setups. Real outputs.

Screenshots from actual work members build across the four weeks, not polished demos, what it looks like in practice.

Claude Project configured with business context

Claude operating a browser for automation

In Practice

What "AI as an employee" actually looks like

Four examples of the kind of work your AI employee should be handling by the end of the month.

Claude-style Proposal Assistant AI employee example 01

I need a proposal draft for a Strategic Links member who does defense consulting and wants to automate business development.

Done. I drafted the offer structure, mapped their highest-value workflow bottlenecks, and wrote a 3-phase rollout for a Worker → Manager path. Pproposal-draft.html

Shows how an AI employee can draft proposals and reduce turnaround time.

Claude-style CRM Manager AI employee example 02

What deals need attention this week?

Three items need follow-up: one proposal is stale for 9 days, one invoice is overdue, and one warm introduction from the last golf event has not been acted on. I drafted the emails and prioritized them by revenue potential. Cpipeline-brief.pdf

Shows pipeline hygiene, follow-up discipline, and relationship maintenance.

Claude-style Financial Analyst AI employee example 03

Run the monthly analysis and tell me where cash gets tight.

May is the pressure point. If two receivables slip, cash dips below the comfort line. I generated a 90-day projection and listed the top 5 actions that protect runway this month. $cashflow-actions.csv

Shows how AI employees can surface financial pressure before it becomes a problem.

Claude-style Brand Strategist AI employee example 04

Build a brand direction for Strategic Links that feels premium, trusted, and future-ready.

I built the brand system. Positioning, tone, visual direction, color logic, and a first-pass web page are ready for review. Bbrand-guide.html

Shows creative and strategic work being handled in a structured, reusable way.

Connected Tool Thinking

Your AI employee plugs into the tools you already use

Point of the cohort is not "chat with Claude." It's AI employees connected to the systems where your work actually happens.

Connected tools: CRM and communication

Where AI employees become operational

HubSpot

Slack follow-up and team coordination

Knowledge base and SOP support

Gmail

Calendar handling and reminders

Meeting prep and recap support

Members need to see AI employees as connected workers, not isolated chat windows.

Scheduling and meeting support

Practical coordination work that steals time

Calendar

Prep, reminders, and recap generation

Invites, follow-up, and summary drafts

Internal coordination

Agent-led communication examples

Meeting notes into organized knowledge

Useful for reducing the coordination load that keeps people from high-value work.

The Weekly Rhythm

What a week in the cohort actually feels like

The work between sessions matters as much as the sessions themselves. Here's how the week runs, and how support works while it does.

Live 90-minute session

Wednesday evenings on Zoom. Part demo, part build, part Q&A. Recorded and posted within 24 hours.

Wednesdays

One meaningful exercise

Each week ends with a specific thing to build. Submit before the next session and I'll review it before we meet again.

Between sessions

Community Q&A

Post questions in the cohort space any time. Responses within 48 hours, often faster, because other members help too.

Daily

Quick-help DMs

Stuck on something narrow? Send a DM. I respond within 48 hours to keep you moving.

As needed

What's Included

Everything the $500 covers

A short list on purpose. This cohort does a few specific things well, rather than throwing twenty bonuses at you that you'll never open.

Four live sessions

90 minutes each, Wednesdays at 8pm ET. Live demos, live builds, real feedback on your actual work.

Session recordings

Everything posted within 24 hours. Yours to keep, rewatch, and revisit when you're implementing.

Weekly exercises

One clear assignment per week. Reviewed before the next session so you never fall behind.

Cohort community

Async space where you can ask, share, and see how others are setting up their own AI employees.

Templates & prompts

The Claude Project starter, Skill scaffolds, and the prompts I use with my own clients, not generic lists.

Optional office hours

A fifth Wednesday (June 3) for open refinement. Bring whatever's broken and we fix it together.

To Be Clear: What's Not Included

This cohort is a structured on-ramp, not a consulting engagement. Custom 1:1 implementation, dedicated hardware deployment (our CubiCrew box service), and extended advisory all live in the higher tiers. Members who want those can upgrade after the cohort, but nothing about the $500 seat assumes or requires it.

Vince Quarles

Founder · CubiCrew

Creative Technologist and AI Systems Architect. Previously ran DVNC Tech for 8 years. Now building CubiCrew, a managed service deploying AI employees on dedicated hardware for SMBs and nonprofits.

20+ years in tech and creative education Raised $2.4M+ in grants for nonprofits Trained 125+ professionals in AI integration Trained 1,100+ youth in tech and digital literacy Runs a 100% AI company that's brought in six figures in revenue within 1 year

Your Instructor

I teach this the way I wish someone had taught me: as operations, not theory.

Most AI training treats the tool like a novelty. I treat it like a hire. That shift is the entire point of this cohort: once you start thinking about Claude as a trained employee with a job description, a scope, and a review cadence, the work you give it gets serious, and the output does too.

I run a company that does this for real clients. The frameworks you'll learn here (the Project setup, the Skill scaffolding, the 90-day roadmap) are the same ones I use when CubiCrew deploys an AI employee inside an actual business. This cohort is the beginner version of that work, delivered live, at a price Strategic Links members can say yes to without a committee.

If you show up, do the work, and bring real problems into the room, you'll leave with something running. That's the whole deal.

FAQ

Things people ask before they reserve a seat

Do I need to be technical? +

No. The cohort is built for operators and professionals, not engineers. If you can use a web browser, a Google Doc, and follow along with a live demo, you can do this work. The goal isn't to turn you into a developer. It's to turn you into someone who directs AI labor well.

What if I can't make a live session? +

Every session is recorded and posted within 24 hours. If you miss one, you can catch up, submit the exercise, and stay on track. That said, the cohort works because people show up. If you already know you'll miss two or more sessions, this probably isn't the right run for you. Wait for Cohort #2.

Do I need to already have a Claude subscription? +

Yes. A Claude Pro subscription ($20/month) is required to complete the exercises. We'll walk through setup in Week 1 if you don't already have one. That cost is on top of the $500 seat.

What's the refund policy? +

No refunds. We're looking for committed professionals who are serious about the work. If something comes up, you have two options: gift your seat to another qualified person, or hold your spot for a future cohort. Email me at vince@braidge.ai and we'll sort it out.

Why only 14 seats? +

Because at 14, I can actually read your exercises, respond to your questions, and give feedback on the specific work you bring in. Above that, "cohort" becomes "webinar." The whole design of this program assumes you get attention, and that only works with a small room.

What happens after the cohort ends? +

You keep the recordings, the templates, and whatever you built. Members who want to go deeper can upgrade into the implementation track: dedicated hardware deployment through CubiCrew's managed service, longer-term advisory, or custom work. There's no pressure to do any of that. The $500 seat is complete on its own terms.

What if the cohort doesn't fill? +

The cohort runs with 6 or more members. Below that, we postpone and relaunch two weeks later, and everyone who reserved rolls to the new start date, or gets a full refund if the timing doesn't work. Either way, you're not stuck.

Reserve your seat

One of fourteen. Four Wednesdays. One working AI employee.

Enrollment closes Sunday, May 4, or when the room is full, whichever comes first. If you've read this far, you already know if it's for you.

Cohort Starts

Wed, May 6 · 8pm ET

Investment

$500 · one-time

Seats Left

14 of 14

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