The Ladder: how I hand real work to AI across four companies

Every task in my business climbs the same ladder: in my head, written down, handed off, runs itself. Here's the one-page version. The bonus for the technical half is 5 files from the setup I actually use to run my companies with AI.

The bonus for the technical half: the starter kit

• Pass file templateHow I write a chunk of work so an AI agent can finish it cold without asking anybody anything.
• End-of-session checklistWhat every session writes down before it ends, so the next one doesn't start from zero.
• The GOTCHAS patternOne dated fact per line about how things actually behave. Read whole at the start of every session.
• CLAUDE.md skeletonThe operating instructions Claude Code reads every session, with my business details taken out.
• Redaction gate checklistHow I keep AI-written content from naming anything that shouldn't be public.