Creating a Claude Team Workspace

This guide walks the Primary Owner through setting up Empower's Team workspace — the person whose card is on file and who stays in control of billing, members, and settings.

Allow 15 uninterrupted minutes.

Before You Start

Have these ready:

• Credit card for billing ($20–$25/seat/month depending on annual vs. monthly)
• The email address that will be the workspace owner (a company email, strongly preferred)
• Names and emails of the people you want to invite (the list can wait, but it's faster to have it)

Important — Primary Ownership is permanent. Whoever clicks "Start your Team" on the plan page becomes the Primary Owner and the role cannot be transferred. If you're setting this up for Empower, make sure you click that button — not a delegate. Everything else can be delegated later; this one can't.

Step 1: Install Claude

The Team workspace is created at claude.ai in a browser, but you'll want the desktop app afterward.

1. Go to https://claude.ai/download
2. Click Download for your OS.
3. Open the downloaded file:
   • Mac: drag Claude into Applications
   • Windows: run the installer
4. Launch Claude.

For mobile, see Lesson 04.

Step 2: Sign In or Create Your Account

1. Click Sign in with Google or Continue with email.
2. Use the email you identified as the workspace owner.
3. Verify if prompted.

You now have a Free account. The next step upgrades it and creates the workspace.

Step 3: Start the Team Workspace

1. Go to https://claude.ai/plans (or profile icon → Upgrade).
2. Find the Team card.
3. Click Start your Team.
4. Enter a workspace name — "Empower," or a short abbreviation.
5. Enter billing details (note: annual is $20/seat, monthly is $25/seat).
6. Choose how many seats to start with. Minimum is 5. Start with 5–6 seats — adding more is a single click and is prorated, so there's no benefit to pre-buying empty chairs.
7. Confirm.

You should land in the new workspace with the name in the top-left.

Common snag: if you don't see the Team card, you're probably already on a personal Pro or Max plan. Downgrade to Free first (or contact Anthropic support), then the Team option appears.

Step 4: Invite Your First Members

Don't invite everyone at once. Start with 2–3 people who will pilot the workspace — typically a technical champion and one heavy-user role.

1. Top-left → workspace name → Settings (or https://claude.ai/settings/members).
2. Click Invite members.
3. Enter email addresses.
4. Set each role:
   • Member — normal user
   • Owner — can manage members, billing, settings (but not remove the Primary Owner)
   • Primary Owner — you. Don't assign to anyone else.
5. Send invites.

Invitees receive an email, click the link, create an account (or sign in), and land in your workspace.

Full role breakdown: Lesson 11.

Step 5: Add External Advisors or Consultants (Optional)

If Empower works with outside advisors, invite them the same way. Set their role to Member — they don't need admin powers. Remove them when the engagement ends; they lose access immediately.

Step 6: Confirm Everything Works

Before pilot users start daily work, verify:

• You can start a new chat inside the workspace and get a response
• You can create a Project (Lesson 06)
• At least one invited member has accepted and can also start chats
• Billing at Settings → Billing shows the correct seat count and card

Fix any of these before expanding to more users. Troubleshooting with 2 people is far faster than with 10.

If Something Goes Wrong

Problem	Fix
Can't find "Start your Team"	Make sure you're signed in. If you're on a paid personal plan, downgrade to Free first.
Email already has a Team workspace	Use a different email, or contact Anthropic support.
Billing rejected	Try a different card. Some corporate cards need pre-authorization from finance.
Invite didn't arrive	Check spam, resend, spell-check the email.
Member signed in but sees "Personal" workspace	They clicked the wrong link. Have them accept from the original invite email.

Anything else → support.anthropic.com.

Try This Now

Only complete Step 3 (workspace creation) if Empower is ready to commit. Otherwise, walk through Steps 1–2 with a test account so you understand the flow before the real day.

What Happens Next

With the workspace live and pilots inside, the next moves:

1. Create role-based Projects — Lesson 06, Lesson 09
2. Build a starter prompt library — Lesson 15
3. Install the mobile app — Lesson 04
4. Plan the growth roadmap — Lesson 20

Don't expand past 3 active users until the first 2–3 are getting value. Wide rollout before the pilot works is how most AI initiatives stall.

Continue to Lesson 11.