The 2026 Chapter
Same operator. Better tools.
Feb โ†’ Apr 2026
๐Ÿš€ What happened in 10 weeks

Zero coding background. No technical training. Just operator instinct, curiosity, and AI tools. Here's what came out of it:

  • Comprehensive construction project assessment โ€” rated a multi-million pound scheme with specific evidence on communication bottlenecks, handover quality, and delivery risk. The kind of output a consultancy would charge thousands for.
  • Built software from source code โ€” directed a Go source build with live bug-fixing. A non-developer supervising a source-code build.
  • Set up Google Cloud infrastructure โ€” cloud project, six APIs, OAuth consent screens. The kind of setup that trips up many developers.
  • Built a Chrome extension from scratch โ€” TabSaver: manifest, popup UI, dashboard, import/export, auto-generated PNG icons. Functional software without writing a line of code.
  • Complete business plan package in one session โ€” SWOT analysis, course manual, website mockup, social media content, and calendar. Ready to send to the client.
  • The Penny Drops โ€” a side project: AI-generated personal finance shorts on YouTube. Fully automated pipeline from script to published video. Mainly for fun and to demo what's possible.
  • Executed first commercial agreement for Project Quill โ€” AI-assisted legal and partnership structuring. First technical partner engaged.
January 2026
โšก AI enters the picture
Discovered AI agents. Flew to Vienna for ClawCon. Came home and started building. No tech background. Just operator instinct and curiosity.
๐Ÿ’ก The operator gap
25 years of financing, reporting, staffing, compliance, operations. I know exactly what's broken โ€” because I lived it.
1997 โ†’ present
๐Ÿ—๏ธ Construction professional
RIBA-nominated builds. Conservation areas. Listed buildings. Quality that builds lasting value.
1997 โ†’ present
๐Ÿ  Property investor
Freehold strategy. Buy, hold, improve, hold. Long-term capital growth from real assets.
1991 โ†’ 2016
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Hospitality operator
Built bars & restaurants across two cities. Learned what actually breaks in a small business โ€” at 2am, on a Tuesday.
25 years of building and operating.
Now building the tools I wish I'd had.

What I'm building now

Project QuillAI broker toolkit ยท 2026

AI toolkit for UK commercial finance brokers. Board level engagement.

AI toolkit Commercial finance Live
Freehold AcquisitionsUnderwriting intake ยท Live pilot

Venture loan intake model live. Phase 3 financial model delivered. First test of a repeatable underwriting intake framework.

Underwriting Financial modelling Live pilot
ClawSocial / OpenSauceLondon builder events

London-based builder events. ClawCon London (April, ~200 attendees). TouchBeach Bermondsey (May). Tobacco Dock next โ€” 10 June, fringe of London Tech Week.

Events Community 10 June
The Penny DropsYouTube ยท AI personal finance content

AI-generated personal finance YouTube shorts. Side project; live; parked for now.

The point

I'm not a developer. I'm not a startup founder in a hoodie. I'm a property and hospitality operator who picked up AI tools in January and built real, working things with them in weeks. If I can do it, the excuse that "it's too technical" doesn't hold up anymore.

Curious?
I'm always up for talking to other operators, builders, or anyone genuinely interested in what AI looks like when it meets the real world.
Get in touch โ†’