Workshop 01: Foundations
A four-week series for ambitious creatives to become experts at using AI to bring their most meaningful work to life.
AI has made it possible for one person to build what used to take an entire team. But the tools are only part of the equation. Foundations teaches the mental models, systems, and workflows that modern builders use to bring ideas to life.
Over four weeks, you’ll learn how to think differently about AI. You’ll stop seeing it as just a chatbot, and start relying on it as your go-to collaborator that understands your work like you do, creates content up to your standards, and enables you to do more of your best work.
The best way to learn is to build.
You’ll learn alongside a small group of creators, receive guidance from experienced practitioners, and leave every session having moved your work forward.
- Build what matters to you. Apply every workshop directly to your own business, idea, or creative project.
- Live weeknight workshops. Ask questions, receive feedback, and create alongside others in real time. Recorded for you to keep.
- Weekly office hours. Live weeknight office hours with the instructor.
- Small cohorts. Receive thoughtful feedback and individual guidance throughout the experience.
- Become part of a community. Share your progress, ask questions, and learn alongside other inspired builders in our group WhatsApp channel.
- Designed for working professionals. Evening workshops, lifetime recordings, and access to a library of practical tools and systems you can use immediately.
Course Syllabus
You’ll setup Claude Code, learn both how it works and how to apply best practices, and create a collaborator that understands your projects, goals, and way of thinking.
- Why Claude Code over any other AI tool
- A proven method for better AI generated output
- The limits of prompting and what to do instead
- Where most people struggle with Claude Code and how to not get stuck
- How Claude’s memory system works, and why it’s so crucial
- How to organize your projects for Claude Code to make better decisions
- Why MCPs and Plugins are so important and the simple path to using them
- How the modern builder approaches their tasks with an AI-native mindset
Move beyond one-off conversations and design repeatable systems to free up your time. Identify opportunities for automating work you repeat, and create processes that improve as you continue working. Never start from scratch.
- How to think in systems instead of being “in the work”
- Why automating everything is not the goal
- The shortcomings of AI and how to work with them to your advantage
- How to improve skills over time to become irreplaceable
- The art of skill design
- Polishing writing to feel less AI written and more human
- Where preserving your judgment is paramount, and how to not over-rely on AI
- How to turn poor results into learnings
- Stacking skills to create workflows
- Delegating more and more of your work to Claude Code
Learn how to use Claude Design to translate ideas into aesthetic assets such as decks, websites, apps, prototypes, and even videos. Communicate your standards, references, and creative judgment so your work feels intentional, recognizable, and unmistakably yours. Learn the fundamentals of good design and design thinking to apply to any design problem.
- Fundamentals of creative direction
- How to create unique designs, and avoid common AI looks
- Why your brand needs a design system
- Design thinking, and why it’s even more important to apply with Claude Code/Design
- How to turn one design into an entire design system
- Methods of visualizing your work & curating your aesthetic
- Borrowing ideas from other sites/apps/images
- How the pros are doing image & video generation
In the final workshop you’ll go beyond the fundamentals and learn how experts are using Claude Code to multiply their time, orchestrate an entire team of agents, utilize tools and skills within the AI ecosystem, and visualize their work. You’ll learn how to create working software that helps you or your team solve everyday problems (big or small). At this point, you’ll have a better understanding of AI than most entrepreneurs.
- Which advanced techniques are worth knowing and how to use them effortlessly
- Orchestrating teams of agents to collaborate
- Automating your planning routine to stay focused on the most meaningful work
- How interactive tools and playgrounds can help you solve problems (and how to build them without wasting time)
- When to create an app and when a one-off tool is enough
- How to use open source projects, safely, in your own projects
What You’ll Leave With
By the end of Foundations, you’ll have:
Expert-level knowledge of the most popular and useful AI tools
An AI collaborator that understands your work, goals, and standards
Repeatable systems that create leverage and save time
Experience applying design thinking to your challenges
A creative framework that keeps your work looking consistent
Personalized tools, workflows, and automations built around you
AI personalized to the way you think and act
The confidence to keep building whatever comes next
Stories from people who started building.
PHOEBECO-FOUNDER & CEOMANA allowed me to incorporate Claude to be an extension of who I am. I was able to feel comfortable in the quickly changing AI landscape and scale my business faster.
ALEXCONSULTANTI now use Claude Code regularly and it’s been a game-changer. The foundational concepts I learned also transferred to other tools and now I’m building agents to automate parts of my business.
JEREMYENTREPRENEURI’ve built software and web apps that I always wished existed, and now I’m building things for clients. That was never possible for me before, and it’s literally changed my life.
ALEXASTRATEGY & OPERATIONSDylan’s workshop is what made me comfortable enough to actually use Claude. Now I’m in Cowork multiple hours a day. I built my own AI assistant for work and automated most of the prep for the meetings I lead.
CHRISTOPHERWEALTH STRATEGISTThanks to Dylan, Claude now runs my agency.
Before you join.
Still curious? .
The Founding Cohort is the first Foundations cohort running under MANA Labs. It’s a chance to be part of the program from the beginning, with a small group of 12 people who will help shape the experience as MANA grows. The Founding Cohort runs September 16–October 7, 2026 and is priced at $1,250. Everyone who joins the Founding Cohort keeps founding member status and gets lifetime access to everything we add to Foundations over time. Future cohorts will start at $1,500, so the Founding Cohort is a one-time opportunity to get in at the beginning, at our founding rate, and be part of building what comes next.
Plan for about four to six hours each week: · 90 minutes in the live workshop. · 60 minutes in the weekly office hours (optional). · Two to four hours applying what you’ve learned to your own project.
We keep each cohort small to create space for meaningful discussion, individual feedback, and the opportunity to ask questions throughout every workshop. You’ll build alongside a group of ambitious creators while still receiving personal guidance from the MANA team. Our Founding Cohort is capped at 12 participants.
Every workshop is recorded and yours to keep. You’ll also have access to weekly office hours where you can ask questions, catch up, and get unstuck.
Usually. Some organizations restrict software installations or developer tools. If that’s the case, we recommend using a personal computer and your own Claude Pro account. We’ll help you determine the best setup before the Workshop begins.
Foundations centers around Claude Code, with ChatGPT and Gemini introduced where they’re the best tool for the job. More importantly, you’ll develop principles that transfer as the technology continues to evolve.
Yes, one. Foundations is built around Claude Code, so you’ll need a Claude Pro or Claude Max plan ($20/month+). It’s the one tool you’ll use in every workshop, and to keep building with long after the workshop ends. Everything else we use is free or optional.
You’ll have lifetime access to workshop recordings, templates, resources, and the growing MANA Library. Everything you build during the Workshop is yours to continue using and improve over time.