ChatGPT Business setup: what the owner does on the first day

The first day, step by step

1. Seats and billing: Workspace settings > Billing. Start with at least 2 standard seats, monthly or annual, paid by card; an added seat is charged right away for the rest of the period.
2. Invitations and roles: invite the team and make one person Admin for day-to-day changes; keep Owner for whoever handles billing.
3. Sign-in: turn on single sign-on if the company uses an identity provider; multi-factor authentication is available too.
4. Plugins and connectors: in the Admin console under Plugins, decide which plugins the workspace allows; on Business that applies to the whole workspace.
5. The first skills: turn two or three methods everyone repeats into skills. Create one with @skill-creator in ChatGPT Work, or write it as a folder with a SKILL.md; in the desktop app they're listed under Skills in the sidebar. To give a skill to the whole workspace, package it in a plugin and allow it under Plugins. ChatGPT skills vs Claude skills has more.
6. Custom GPTs: list the ones the team relies on and plan their move before 11 December 2026, when they retire.

From OpenAI's billing help (the archived copy of 27 July 2026), the ChatGPT Business page and ChatGPT's Plugin controls, read 5 November 2026. SCIM, role-based access and data residency come with Enterprise.

A worked example: a ten-person agency's first day

Illustration: a made-up business. A ten-person marketing agency buys ChatGPT Business on annual billing. The founder, as Owner:

1. Buys ten standard seats and makes the operations manager an Admin, who invites everyone.
2. Turns on single sign-on through the agency's identity provider.
3. Allows two plugins, for the agency's drive and project tool, and adds the agency's pod as a custom connector, so the campaign-brief and client-report skills are there on day one.
4. Lists the four GPTs the team uses and rewrites the two that matter as skills before December.

AI Skill Pod is this site's product. Pod pricing: Free up to 3 members and 10 skills; Team $5 per seat a month from 3 seats.

Next step: ChatGPT skills and Claude skills

Before you write the first skills, see how ChatGPT's compare with Claude's. ChatGPT skills vs Claude skills sets them side by side.

Questions

How do I set up ChatGPT Business?

As the owner: choose the seats and billing in Workspace settings, invite the team and pick an Admin, turn on single sign-on if you use an identity provider, decide which plugins the workspace allows, add the team's first skills, and plan the move of any custom GPTs before 11 December 2026.

Who can manage billing in ChatGPT Business?

Only Owners. OpenAI's billing help says Owners see invoices, change the card, cancel and switch between monthly and annual billing, and that a schedule change takes effect at renewal. Self-serve Business takes credit and debit cards only.

Can members add connectors in ChatGPT Business?

Not custom ones. On Business, only admins and owners create and publish plugins for custom MCP servers; members use what's published. Business sets plugin availability for the whole workspace.