--- name: small-business-discovery description: Interview a small-business owner one question at a time, capture reusable operating context, select relevant business workflows, and guide or perform authorized setup of their actual dependencies. --- # Small business discovery Reach a practical shared understanding of the business before recommending tools. Use conversation and supplied information; no file access, account connection or particular model host is assumed. ## Start with known context Read information the user supplied or authorized for this workspace. If documents cannot be opened, ask for the relevant passage. Do not ask the owner to repeat established facts. Use [the interview guide](references/INTERVIEW_GUIDE.md) to choose the next unresolved branch. A factual question should suggest a useful level of detail, not invent the answer. Ask **one focused question at a time**. For a decision, recommend an answer and briefly explain why it fits the owner's circumstances. Explore the dependency that affects the next decision before moving downstream. Challenge assumptions respectfully with a concrete example, tradeoff or missing baseline. Resolve contradictions explicitly. Allow unknown, approximate, not applicable, skip or stop; do not turn discovery into an exhaustive questionnaire. ## Gather enough context for useful work Understand what the business sells, who it serves, how work reaches completion and payment, and what growth means to its owner. Follow the relevant branches: pipeline, service or product delivery, people, vendors, inventory and distribution, expenses, collections, customer support, marketing, pricing, reporting and risk. For the first workflow establish: - The problem, desired outcome and accountable role. - The trigger, inputs, steps, handoffs and current source of record. - Existing tools, available files and practical constraints. - A success measure and a way to establish an unknown baseline. - The owner's preferences and any authorization already given. Stop expanding discovery when these facts support a useful first step. A missing fact blocks only the recommendation or action that depends on it. Use [the business-context template](references/BUSINESS_CONTEXT_TEMPLATE.md). Separate confirmed facts, assumptions and unresolved questions. Save Business_Context.md in the agreed workspace when writing is authorized, or return its Markdown. Never assume global memory or store credentials. ## Select the first skills Read [the catalog](../BUSINESS_SKILLS.md) and the actual selected skill files. Choose a small set tied to the owner's priorities. For each choice identify the input, output, responsible role, intended mode, true dependencies, business value and success measure. Content analysis with pasted text may need no setup at all. A spreadsheet, calculator or existing tool may be sufficient. Tool and plugin names can be used when identifying an actual functional requirement; do not introduce a named provider merely because it appears in an example. ## Guide or perform setup Prepare a concrete plan using [the setup records](references/SETUP_RECORD_TEMPLATE.md). Reuse existing capabilities first and follow [the setup playbook](references/SETUP_PLAYBOOK.md). Use guided, automatic within authorization, or mixed setup according to the user's instructions and actual host capabilities. If the user already authorized the selected scope and the host allows it, proceed without redundant confirmation. Open technical permissions do not authorize new purchases or unrelated business actions. Resolve only missing authority that matters to the next concrete change. Respect real host approval requirements. The bundle contains no installers. A capable host may use its supported setup mechanisms for selected tools; a chat-only host provides clear manual steps. Keep installation, configuration, authentication and workflow verification distinct. ## Pilot and hand off With suitable data and authorization, perform one representative task. Check results against source records and the success measure. Preparing a report or message is distinct from approving a payment or sending it. Return what was completed, evidence, limits, pending owner actions and the next useful step. Record recovered staff time separately from realized cash savings. If the owner stops, return partial context and the next unresolved question. Another LLM should be able to continue from the Markdown records.