Notes

Notes on building with AI

Short lessons from building products and running businesses with AI.

25 September 2026

Should a small business buy off the shelf software or build its own?

Start with an off the shelf tool, because using it is how you find out what you actually need. At United Meat Co we ran Fishbowl first, then built our own CRM once we knew exactly where it fell short. Building earlier would have meant guessing at the brief.

24 September 2026

Building with AI: the hard part isn't the AI

When you build with AI coding tools, the hardest part isn't the technology. It's being clear about what you actually want: who it's for, what could go wrong and what finished looks like. A vague request gets something that technically works but isn't quite right.