Field notes
Notes on automation.
Practical notes on automation, AI and owning your software — written for the people running the business, not engineers.
20 October 2026
· 10 min readHow to choose an AI automation agency: questions to ask and red flags to avoid
How to choose an AI automation agency — the questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and what you should own at the end of the project.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readAI agent vs chatbot vs automation: what does your business actually need?
AI agents, chatbots and workflow automation compared — what each one does, what it costs to get wrong, and a simple test for choosing the right one.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readWhat is agentic AI? A plain-English guide for business owners
Agentic AI explained without the hype: what an AI agent is, how it differs from a chatbot, where it helps a small business and where it needs a person.
20 October 2026
· 8 min readHow much does an AI agent cost? What actually affects the price
What affects the cost of an AI agent — build vs running costs, the factors that make a project bigger or smaller, and hidden costs to ask about.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readn8n vs Zapier vs Make: which automation tool should your business use?
n8n vs Zapier vs Make compared for business automation — ease of use, flexibility, AI features and data control, plus when to build custom.
20 October 2026
· 10 min read10 practical AI agent examples for small businesses (and where a person stays in charge)
Ten realistic AI agent examples for small businesses — inbox triage, document extraction, support and more — and where a person should check the work.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readAI and workflow automation for CA firms in India: where to start
AI and workflow automation for CA firms in India — what to automate first for GST, TDS, ROC and ITR work, what to keep manual, and DPDP Act points.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readAI receptionists for UK small businesses: what they can do, the rules, and whether you need one
AI receptionists for UK small businesses — what they handle well, where they fall short, and the UK GDPR and call-recording points to get right.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readGenerative engine optimisation (GEO): how to get your business cited by ChatGPT and Google's AI answers
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) for small businesses — how AI search tools choose sources, and what to change on your site to get cited.
20 October 2026
· 8 min readCRM automation: what to automate first (and what to leave alone)
CRM automation for small businesses — the eight automations that save the most time, how to keep CRM data clean, and where people stay in charge.
20 October 2026
· 9 min readBusiness process automation for UK small businesses: a practical guide
How UK small businesses can automate onboarding, invoicing, approvals and reporting — where to start, the tools involved and UK GDPR points.
1 September 2026
· 5 min readWhat an AI agent can (and can't) do for customer support
A grounded look at where AI agents genuinely save time in customer support — and where a human still needs to be in the loop.
18 August 2026
· 4 min readOne-time software vs. the subscription treadmill
Why paying once for a system you own can work out better than another monthly SaaS bill — and what to actually check before choosing either.
4 August 2026
· 5 min readWhat manual data entry actually costs your business
A simple way to work out what re-typing the same information across tools is really costing your team — and when it's worth automating.