Second Shift Modern operations for ambitious UK businesses

Third section · Writing

Selected
writing.

A small body of essays on the work of operations — what we believe about the craft, how we approach specific problems, where we disagree with prevailing industry wisdom, and occasionally the regulatory terrain that shapes this work in the United Kingdom.

Organised by subject rather than date. We publish infrequently and only when we have something specific to say — subscribe by RSS to be told when something new appears.

Foundations

  1. No. 01

    How to tell when your business is ready for ops automation — and when it isn't

    A firm that sells a service ought to be able to describe the customer who should not buy it. A careful look at the shapes of business that are, and are not, ready.

    ·11 min

  2. No. 02

    The difference between tools and operations

    A business can buy an excellent tool and still have a broken operation. A note on why — and on the particular kind of judgement that bridges the two.

    ·9 min

  3. No. 03

    Local versus cloud AI for UK SMBs: when each makes sense

    A practical guide to where to run the models — on your own machines, in the public clouds, or both — and why that decision matters more than the choice of model itself.

    ·14 min

Commentary

  1. No. 01

    Why we don't talk about AI

    A firm that sells judgement about technology should be careful about which technologies it leads with. A note on the vocabulary we avoid, and why.

    ·7 min

  2. No. 02

    The second shift: why the real work of a small business starts after six o'clock

    The firm's name, briefly explained. What owners know and employees often don't.

    ·5 min

Practice

  1. No. 01

    Six pains every UK SMB knows — and can stop tolerating

    The six operational failure modes we see most often. Each of them is solvable; most of them get solved for less money than the owner expects.

    ·10 min

Case study

  1. No. 01

    How a twelve-person marketing agency stopped losing briefs in Slack

    A composite case study of a pattern we see regularly: creative agencies whose new-business process leaks — not through bad intent, but through the accumulated friction of channels, tools, and tired evenings.

    ·12 min

Compliance

  1. No. 01

    UK data protection for small businesses adopting AI

    A plain-English survey of the rules that apply when a UK SMB starts using AI on its customer or staff data — and the half-dozen practical decisions that actually matter.

    ·16 min