Notes from the studio.
Practical thinking on brands, websites, AI and automation, for founders and teams who want more reach and real growth.

10 business tasks you can automate this month
Ten everyday tasks that eat hours every week, how to automate each one with tools you probably already use, and where to keep a person in charge.
Read the article
How to run an automation audit in one afternoon
A simple, four-step method to find which tasks in your business are worth automating first, with a scoring sheet you can use today.

AI chatbots for small business: what works and what backfires
A well-built AI assistant answers customers in seconds. A badly built one damages trust. How to build the good kind, step by step.

Brand identity vs logo: what you're actually paying for
A logo is one piece of a brand identity. Here's what a full identity includes, why it matters for growth, and how to tell which one you need.

How to brief a designer so you get the brand you pictured
Most disappointing design work starts with a vague brief. A simple template for briefing a designer or agency, and the mistakes to avoid.

Rebrand or refresh? Six signs it's time
How to tell whether your brand needs a rebrand, a refresh or just more consistency, and how to change without losing the recognition you've built.

What a brand guidelines document should include: a checklist
A practical checklist for brand guidelines that people will actually use, from logo rules and colour codes to tone of voice and templates.

What a modern business website needs: a 2026 checklist
The essentials every business website should get right, from the first five seconds to speed, trust, search and tracking. Use it to audit your own site.

Why your website is slow, and how to fix it
The most common reasons business websites load slowly, how to measure it in five minutes, and the fixes that make the biggest difference.

Website, landing page or funnel: which do you need?
Three tools that often get confused. What each one is for, when to use it, and how they work together to turn attention into customers.

What affects the cost of a website, and how to budget for one
Why website quotes vary so much, the factors that really drive the price, the running costs people forget, and how to get a quote you can compare.

Sales funnels explained: the simple version
What a sales funnel really is, the five stages every business has whether it plans them or not, and how to build a simple one that works.

SEO basics every small business site should get right
The search engine fundamentals that matter most for a small business website, explained without jargon, with a checklist you can work through in a weekend.

Email flows that keep selling while you sleep
The five automated email flows every business should have, what to put in each one, and how to set them up without sounding like a robot.

How to turn website visitors into booked calls
Practical changes that help a service business turn more website visitors into booked calls, from the offer and the button to the booking flow and follow-up.

AI imagery and video for brands: where it shines, where it doesn't
How brands can use AI images and video well: the jobs it does brilliantly, where it still falls short, and the rules to set before you start.

Content that compounds: build a library, not a feed
Why most business content disappears in a day, and how to build a content library that keeps bringing in customers for years, with a simple weekly system.

Everyone's using AI. Few are profiting from it.
Nearly nine in ten organisations use AI, yet only about a third say it adds to profit. What separates the two groups, and how to get on the right side.

Agentic AI, explained for business owners
What "agentic AI" actually means, where it earns its keep in a small business, and how to start without betting the company on a buzzword.

Will AI replace your team? What the 2026 data says
The headlines say replacement. The research mostly says reshaping. What the Dallas Fed, BCG and others found, and what it means for a growing business.