5-step AI research workflow for solopreneurs

The 5-step workflow

Step 1 — Define the question (5 min)

Write one sentence: "I need to understand [topic] so I can [decision/action]."

This scope statement becomes the first line of every prompt in this workflow. It keeps Claude focused on what matters.

Step 2 — Map the landscape (15 min)

Open Perplexity. Ask: "Give me a structured overview of [topic] with citations. Focus on: [3 sub-questions]."

Paste the output into a fresh Claude Project. This is your research scratchpad.

Step 3 — Go deep on gaps (20 min)

For each gap in the Perplexity overview, ask Claude: "Based on what we have so far, what are the 3 things I still don't understand about [subtopic]?"

Then search those gaps — Consensus for academic claims, Firecrawl for specific pages, NotebookLM for PDFs.

Step 4 — Synthesise (10 min)

Ask Claude: "Synthesise everything in this project into a briefing doc: key facts, open questions, implications for [my decision]. Max 400 words."

Step 5 — Extract actions (5 min)

Final prompt: "Based on this briefing, what are the 3 things I should do next? Be specific."

Tools used

One rule

Never paste raw search results into a deliverable. Always route them through Claude for synthesis first.