Short Work Co.Mike Jackson Business Systems & Practical AI Book a conversation

Your business should be easier to run.

I work directly with owners to find the work that's slowing things down, then put a practical fix in place. Sometimes that's a clearer process or better use of software you already have. Sometimes it's automation or AI.

I start with how your business works, not with a tool to sell you.

Book a free 30-minute conversation

Where I usually start

You don't need to arrive with an AI project. Most good starting points are ordinary work that takes more effort than it should:

  1. Requests and follow-ups scattered across email, texts, and people's memory.
  2. The same information typed into two or three places.
  3. Reports that take hours to pull together.
  4. Know-how that lives with one person and is hard for anyone else to find.

If one of these sounds familiar, that's a good place to begin. If your situation looks different, that's fine too.

I like to make short work of the work that slows a business down.

How I work

Understand first. Then improve.

  1. Understand

    We look at how the work actually happens, including what already works and where it gets difficult.

  2. Choose

    We compare practical options and agree on one improvement worth making. Often that means using what you already have more effectively.

  3. Improve

    I help put the change in place, test it, and make sure the people using it are comfortable with it.

  4. Verify

    We check that it's actually helping, then agree what happens next: a clean handoff, or ongoing support if it's useful.

Nothing gets built until we both agree it's the right thing to build.

What an agreed discovery session produces

If we decide a closer look is worthwhile, we agree a discovery session. You'll walk me through how the work really runs, including a normal case and a difficult one. Afterward I send a short findings note: what I heard, what I think is causing the friction, one recommended next step, and the simpler option I considered.

You can act on it with me, with someone else, or on your own.

Illustrative example. Not a real client.

Findings note excerpt

What you'd like to be easier
“I spend Sunday nights figuring out who's working where this week.”
What I found
Each new job is written down three times: in texts, on a paper calendar, and in the crew text. (observed)
Recommended next step
Use the crew calendar in the scheduling software you already pay for, and send web requests straight into it.
The simpler option I considered
A shared online calendar. It would help, but it adds a fourth place to check.

Work directly with me.

I'm Mike Jackson. Short Work Co. is my practice, and I lead every engagement myself, from the first conversation through the recommendation, the work, and the handoff.

By day, I manage operations for an HR training organization that has been running since 1979. For most of its history it ran on in-person programs and traditional ways of working, through 9/11 and the 2008 crash. I spent years building the systems and processes to modernize how we worked, and when COVID hit, we moved our programs to a virtual format.

Building systems that make a business simpler to run is what I do best. Short Work Co. is how I bring that to other owners. I use AI where it helps, and I'll tell you when it doesn't.

The name comes from the old saying “make short work of it”: taking something that feels like a slog and making it easy.

Questions

Is this only about AI?

No. AI is one option. A clearer process or a feature in software you already own may be the better answer.

Do I need a new system?

Often not. If something new is worth building, I'll explain why before anything is built.

What does the free conversation cover?

Thirty minutes to understand your business and what you'd like to be easier, and to see whether I can help. If a closer look makes sense, we'll talk about what that would involve.

How is a project priced?

After we understand what's involved, I'll propose a scope and a fee before any paid work starts.

Should I send documents first?

No need. A short description is enough. If a project needs records, we'll agree a secure way to share them.

Let's talk about your business.

You don't need a fully formed project or an AI idea. Tell me what you'd like to be easier, and we'll start there.

Book a free 30-minute conversation

Prefer email? info@shortworkco.com