Insights

Practical thinking for business leaders

Clear, no-jargon perspectives on technology, governance and getting real value from your investment.

Product Innovation in an AI World: When does AI actually belong in your product?

Last week I contended that one of the strongest competitive edges is building what your competitors can't easily copy. This week I want to pause on another awkward question: “Does AI belong in that product or solution?” The AI quote writer would have been a great demo on how to integrate AI. It would have made the sales pitch sound current. But it would have done nothing about the acute problem customers were experiencing and wanted solved.

Clive Schwartz · Oct 4 · 3 min read

Product Innovation in an AI World. Building What Competitors Can’t Copy

Competing in an AI world by fixing your customers’ friction before chasing flashy new features. The next conversation that usually surfaces for me is: “What now? AI is in the product. It drafts, it summarises, it answers questions. And now we’re starting to look exactly like everyone else.” How do we stand out?

Sep 28 · 3 min read

Product Innovation in an AI World. How do I compete?

Product Innovation in an AI World. How do I compete? I hear this question most weeks now. In conversations with leaders and business owners who have just watched a competitor announce an AI feature or a new product integration. Their concern is real!

Sep 20 · 3 min read

The Solo Operator's AI Reality Check

The one place most people consider AI an easy adoption, is in a SME business of 1-5 employees. In particular Solo Entrepreneurs! AI is very good at making low value work feel important. It rewards motion. BUT motion is not the same as progress.

Jul 25 · 3 min read

Strategy

Small Team, Big Trap: Building for Yourself, Not Your Customer

When I started coding (many years ago), I built an app that I was very proud of at the time. It had functions and features I wanted. I was impressed with my own level of polish, I had achieve, it felt right to me. Then I put it in front of the others who I had envisaged would use it. They looked at it politely, complimented me, but never used it. That gap between what I loved and what they needed took me a while to understand.

Jul 15 · 3 min read

Strategy

The Digital Paper Trail: Are You Covered?

In the world of technology, a handshake can very easily seal the deal and get work started on a trust basis. Where you have an established relationship, this very often works and the legal or contractual side catches up. But you learn quickly that a handshake and a good relationship are not enough to protect your business if something goes wrong.

Jun 9 · 2 min read

Leadership

The Subscription Trap: Are You Paying for Tools You’ve Forgotten About?

It is very easy to fall into the subscription trap. We ask 3 simple question to determine the value vs cost for all your software and platform subscriptions. The goal is a tech stack where every tool earns its place and where your monthly spend reflects genuine business value.

Jun 3 · 2 min read

Leadership

🗺️ Helpful? - Roadmaps as Expectation Anchors

Ever provided a “draft” roadmap and now it’s written in “stone”? I learnt very early on that no matter how many “caveats” I put on a roadmap presentation, it became what I was measured against from then on.

Mar 24 · 2 min read

Leadership

From Complexity to Coherence: Rethinking Your Technology Landscape

I often get asked this by business leaders looking to embark on Digital Transformation. I hear everything from "this should be easy" to "this feels overwhelming." The truth, in my experience, sits somewhere in between.

Mar 19 · 1 min read

Leadership

🏃‍➡️Clarity Over Urgency in Digital Transformation🏃‍➡️

Digital and AI transformation conversations for any organisation should now be part of business as usual. If you are not thinking about it, you are falling, if not already behind!

Mar 16 · 2 min read

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