AI for local businesses
You don't need an AI strategy. You need your week back.
We find the work that eats your week: the jobs you repeat, and the ones that just aren't your strong suit. We build the fix and show you how to run it yourself. In plain English, start to finish.
- EmailsReplied
- InvoicesPaid
- WebsiteBuilt
- BookkeepingUp to date
- Social mediaPlanned
- Built for local businesses
- Plain English, no jargon
The honest bit
You've been told you need AI for about two years now.
Maybe you signed up for something. Watched a video at eleven at night. Asked a chatbot one question and never went back.
And you're still catching up on admin on a Sunday, because when it's your business, it all lands on you.
You're not behind. You just haven't been shown how AI fits your business.
How it works
Three steps. Always these three.
Every job runs the same way, whether it's a website or the admin behind it. You always know which step you're on and what you get at the end of it.
Review
We find where your week actually goes.
The detailed look, once you've had the free call and want to go further. An hour with you, recorded with your permission so nothing gets lost. Then we write it up: the jobs you repeat, which are worth doing something about, and which honestly aren't. You keep the write-up either way.
- Written analysis
- Shortlist, ranked
- Yours to keep
Build
We build the thing, and it works on day one.
Usually days rather than months, because we're building one useful thing, not a platform. It fits round how you already work. We don't ask you to change your business to suit the software.
- The working thing
- Fits your systems
- Short written how-to
Adopt
We show you how to run it, in your voice.
This is a step, not a favour at the end. We sit with you until you can run it without us, including getting the AI to sound like your business. If we've done this right, you stop needing us.
- In-person session
- Plain-English how-to
- Check-in after
And after that
We don't hand it over and disappear. We'll stick around if you want us.
Once you're up and running, you can keep us on for a monthly fee, so you're not on your own with it. We'll keep an eye on things, sort out anything that stops working, and help with the next job when you're ready. Your choice, never a condition.
What we do
Three ways we can help, and plenty more.
These are what people ask us for most. If your problem's something else, tell us anyway. If we can help, we will. If we can't, we'll say so.
Websites
A site that answers the phone when you can't.
- A clear, quick site with a contact form that actually arrives
- A monthly piece of writing, in your voice, so the site isn't frozen in 2019
- Small tools, like a quote estimator, that give a visitor a reason to get in touch
- Search set up properly from day one
New builds and rescues · anywhere in the UK
Operations
The job you do every week, done by pressing a button.
- The admin you're not paid to be good at: quotes, timetables, stock
- Working out what's actually profitable
- Research and portal work that eats afternoons
- A dashboard that tells you what's worth knowing
In person · East Dulwich and neighbours
Social media strategy
A three-month plan you can actually follow.
- What to post, when, and why it's worth posting
- Built from what's working in your sector right now
- Handed over ready for you to run
Strategy and planning only · we don't run your accounts
Work
Things we've actually built.
We're new as Plainly Powered. We're not new at this. Here's real work, with real names on it.
-
Bar · East Dulwich
Kix Bar
Bookkeeping and VAT, streamlined. The admin a bar owner isn't paid to be good at, now quicker to keep on top of.
-
Charity
Lisieux Trust
A full site rebuild. Won by turning up with the new homepage already designed, instead of a proposal describing one.
-
Supported living
Supported Living Gateway
Voice notes turned into finished, publishable articles. A job the team hadn't thought a machine could help with.
The free bit
The Plain Report
Half an hour on the phone, and we'll show you how AI can help your business.
Afterwards we'll send you a short written report on what we talked about: the ideas, in order, in plain English, with any that aren't worth it marked "leave this alone". No slides. No score out of ten.
It's yours whether or not you ever work with us.
If you'd like our help after that, the next step is the Review: a deeper, paid look at your business.
Who we are
Two people. You'll get both of us.
No account managers. The people who do the work are the people you meet.
Mark
Consulting & delivery
Sits down with you, works out what's actually going on, and builds the fix. Forty-odd years in software, more than thirty of them in senior roles in financial services, leading big changes to the systems people use and the way they work. Now mentors business owners who want to grow.
Leah
Operations & strategy
Twenty-five years of keeping big projects on track and helping people settle into new ways of working, most of it in financial services. Still runs the day-to-day admin and compliance for a property business, so knows what a week of admin feels like. Takes the jobs you repeat and makes them repeatable, and leads the social media strategy.
Questions
The things people actually ask.
How are you different from every other AI company?
We start with your week, not with a tool. We don't sell any particular product and we don't get paid by one, so if the answer is a spreadsheet and a better habit, that's what we'll tell you. Most of what we do isn't impressive to look at. It just gives you Friday afternoon back.
How do I know if I'm ready for this?
If there's something you do over and over, and it's still on your mind at the weekend, you're ready. You don't need clean data, a tech person or a plan. Working that out is what the free call is for.
What can't AI do for me?
Plenty. It won't know your customers like you do, it gets things wrong with total confidence, and it shouldn't be left to send anything important unchecked. We build it so a person checks the bits that matter. If AI isn't the right answer for you at all, we'll say so on the call, and you'll have lost half an hour.
What happens after you leave?
You run it. That's the point of step three. We're not finished when the thing works, we're finished when you can use it without calling us. If you'd like us to stay on and pick up the next piece, we can, but it's your choice.
How much of my time will this take?
About an hour to start, and not much after that. You've already got enough on your plate, so we won't bury you in workshops. We do the digging and come back when there's something to decide.
Is my data safe?
We'll tell you exactly what information goes where before anything is switched on, in plain terms. If something we propose would send your customer details to another company, you'll hear that from us first and you decide.
How do you charge?
We quote the piece of work, not an hourly rate, and you'll have a fixed price in writing before anything starts. No meter running, no invoice you didn't expect.