Picture stories

Before and after, in pictures.

Eight small businesses, each drowning in one everyday job, and what changed when the job started doing itself. No jargon. Just the story.

Made-up people, based on everyday problems, so the results are illustrations, not promises. Each story matches a worked example or live demo on this site.

Mike · electrician Made-up story

Too many emails, not enough hours

Meet MikeWhen Mike started out as an electrician, he got five emails a day. He answered them over a cup of tea.

Now it's sixty a dayQuotes, complaints, invoices and junk, all in one inbox. Some wait days for a reply.

The emails sort themselvesEach email is read, labelled and the details saved into a simple app. Complaints are flagged, with a reply drafted.

Ten minutes, with a coffeeMike checks the app each morning. Nothing slips through, and he's back on the tools.

Watch Mike's morning, live → · About email and enquiry automation →

Ruth · office manager Made-up story

29 people, one spreadsheet, and a lost Friday afternoon

Meet RuthRuth runs the office at a small finance firm. Every Friday, 29 advisers each need their own figures, and nobody else's.

Twenty-nine timesCopy a tab. Paste it into an email. Check the address. Send. Then the next one. Every Friday afternoon.

One buttonOne button saves each person's tab as a PDF and emails it to them. A quick check comes first: "28 ready, 1 held back".

Friday, 2:10pmDone in minutes. The afternoon goes back to Ruth, and nobody sees the wrong figures.

Read the full scenario → · About Excel and spreadsheet automation →

Dev · karate instructor Made-up story

The karate club whose timetable lived in the instructor's head

Meet DevDev runs a busy karate club at two venues, with classes by age and belt. Something changes every term.

"Which class?"The website is a term behind, so parents message instead. Every grading gets written up three times.

It updates itselfThe timetable lives in a simple spreadsheet, and the website updates from it. Parents can find the right class themselves.

Back on the matFewer questions, more new families, and more time teaching.

Read the full scenario → · About connecting your business apps →

Amara · studio manager Made-up story

Sixty spreadsheets, a studio full of Macs, and "that needs Windows"

Meet AmaraAmara manages a design studio of Mac users. Every project has its own spreadsheet: about sixty of them.

Most of a dayEvery month-end she opens each file, copies the numbers and writes each client a letter. She was told "that needs Windows".

Read the whole folderExcel reads every file in the folder at once, on her Mac. Anything over budget lights up red.

Month-end in minutesThe client letters are made in one go, and overspends are caught early.

Read the full scenario → · About workflow automation →

Jess · salon owner Made-up story

The empty chair on Saturday

Meet JessJess runs a three-chair salon. Bookings arrive by phone and Instagram, into a paper diary.

The empty chairAbout four people a week simply forget. That's around £180 a week in empty chairs.

A nudge the day beforeCustomers book online and get a reminder the day before. Cancelled slots go to a waiting list.

A fuller SaturdayFewer no-shows, fewer calls mid-haircut, and full chairs.

Read the full scenario → · About booking and appointment reminder automation →

Tom · plumber Made-up story

Quotes written at 10pm

Meet TomTom and his partner visit 8 to 10 homes a week to quote for jobs, jotting notes on a pad.

10pm, againThe quotes get typed up late at night. Some are late, some never go, and nobody follows up.

Two minutes, on siteA short form on his phone. Prices are worked out for him, and a proper quote is emailed the same day.

Evenings backPolite follow-ups go out by themselves. More jobs won, and the evenings are his again.

Read the full scenario → · About workflow automation →

Sophie · online shop Made-up story

Copying orders into the spreadsheet

Meet SophieSophie sells gifts on her own website and on a marketplace. Business is growing.

Every afternoonShe copies every order into one spreadsheet by hand. Twice last month, she sold something already out of stock.

Orders flow inBoth shops feed one spreadsheet automatically, and the stock count goes down with each sale.

Packing list at 8amA packing list is ready every morning, and low stock sends her a message.

Read the full scenario → · About connecting your business apps →

Helen · bookkeeper Made-up story

Chasing clients for their paperwork

Meet HelenHelen keeps the books for 40 small businesses. Each month she needs their statements and receipts.

"Just a reminder…"The first week of every month goes on chasing, re-chasing and ticking off who's sent what.

Reminders write themselvesPolite emails go out on set dates, listing exactly what's missing. Uploads tick themselves off.

A Monday summaryShe sees who's done and who needs a call, and gets back to the actual books.

Read the full scenario → · About invoice and payment reminder automation →

Which story sounds like yours?

Tell Bea about the job that eats your week. You'll get an honest answer and a rough price in about a minute.

Ask Bea what you could save →Read the full scenarios