Insights
Notes from the operating side.
Short, practical pieces on running consumer businesses and the websites behind them. Written from experience owning the numbers, not from a slide deck.
What a weekend meal planning app taught me about AI and people
Two hours with Claude turned our family's weekly meal planning into one connected app. Why it worked, and what it says about where AI helps a small team and where people still make the call.
Before the holiday rush, check the back of the house
The promotion gets planned, then the orders show up. Four operational checks to run now, from inventory and shipping cutoffs to a test order and who covers when someone's out.
Your sales history only counts the days you had it
Buying from the last six months of sales builds next season's stockouts into the plan. What to plan from instead: real rate of sale, seasonality and upcoming promotions.
If they can't spell it, they can't find it
Clever brand and product names that nobody can spell or search for. A quick test before you commit to one, and how to fix the problem if you already have.
Your most valuable asset might be a 20-year-old database
Years of history in an old Access or Excel database, and one person who knows how to use it. AI can now answer questions about it in plain English, without rebuilding anything.
The real cost of a sitewide discount
Twenty percent off does not cost you twenty percent. Here is the arithmetic most promotional calendars skip, and what to run instead.
Your website still matters if you don't sell online
For a plumber, an electrician or a landscaper, the website has one job: turn a search into a call. A checklist for whether yours is doing it.
Six signs your store is due for a refresh
Most online stores go years between redesigns while customers, platforms and payment options keep moving. How to tell whether yours has fallen behind.
New pieces most weeks
I post each one on LinkedIn first. Follow along there, or get in touch if one of them sounds like your business.