Borrowd
AI needs good engineering: what separates a demo from something you can run
A chatbot demo takes an afternoon. A dependable AI system takes the same engineering discipline as any other business software. Here's what to insist on.
Notes from the job
Practical writing on automation, integrations and building software for smaller businesses. Written by us, not a content agency.
The £40,000 spreadsheet: what your manual processes really cost
Most SMEs badly underestimate what manual admin costs them. Here's the simple sum we run in every discovery call, and why the answer is usually bigger than people expect.
- AI Rory · 9 min
- Design Amy · 6 min
The best software for field teams is the one that works with wet hands
Tools built for the office fail on a boat, a building site or a delivery round. What we learned designing a location-aware app for sailors.
- AI Rory · 8 min
Let an AI agent do the lookups, and keep your best people for the conversations
Most enquiries need the same five lookups before anyone can reply. An AI agent can do them in seconds and leave a draft for a human to approve.
- Integration Rory · 7 min
Selling on more channels without selling stock you don't have
Adding your own website, B&Q or another marketplace should grow your sales, not your admin. Here is how to keep one stock number true everywhere.
- Integration Rory · 7 min
E-invoicing is coming in 2029. Is your accounting set-up ready?
Emailed PDFs won't count as VAT invoices from April 2029. What's confirmed, what isn't, and the sensible steps to take now.
- Automation Amy · 7 min
Stop paying commission on your own bookings
Listing sites take a cut of every booking and plugins charge monthly. For businesses with a steady stream of bookings, building your own can pay back quickly.
- AI Rory · 8 min
Your first AI project: how to pick one that pays back
Half of UK businesses are using AI, but many still don't know where it would help them. A simple way to choose a first project that's worth doing.
- Process Rory · 6 min
Why borrow a senior engineer instead of hiring one?
Hiring a senior engineer is slow, expensive and a big commitment. For many projects, borrowing one for a few months is the better answer.
- Process Amy · 8 min
When off-the-shelf software stops fitting: buy, build or connect?
Most businesses should buy software most of the time. Here's how to tell when you've outgrown it, and which of the three options to reach for.
- AIRory · Coming soon
Stop asking what AI can cut. Ask what you could grow with the time.
Most AI conversations start with headcount and savings. For a growing business the bigger prize is the time it frees to win more customers and sell more.
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