“I work every hour there is, and the admin still waits for me every night. How do I get my life back?”
AI and automation consultant in East Sussex. Get your time back.
You started a business to be free, not to work for it every evening. I'll help you turn the job you've built into a proper business.
I'm Daniel Andrews. I run a law firm of around 30 people in East Sussex. For years it ran on my evenings, until I put it on systems. Now I find what's eating your time and fix it, with AI, automation and the tools you already pay for.
Based in Eastbourne. Working across Sussex, Kent and online. No jargon and no hard sell.
Built in my own firm firstSolicitor and Managing Partner, East Sussex
Sound familiar?
You didn't start a business to work for it
Most owners I know have said at least one of these.
“I get the work done in the day, then do the admin until late.”
“I miss far too many evenings with my kids.”
“If I take a week off, everything stops.”
“I know AI could help. I just don't know where to start.”
You went on your own to be your own boss: to choose your hours and be there for the people you love. Then the quotes, the invoices and the chasing moved into your evenings and weekends. Now the business decides when you stop.
If everything stops when you stop, you've built a job, not a business. That's what I help you change. We see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on the business and the people you started it for.
Two years ago, I was often still working at 2 in the morning. Chasing money, making sure everyone got paid, looking after my staff, my family and my children. I'd never have imagined that I, of all people, would be working like that. And every holiday was hell.
People knew I'd built a successful firm. They knew I worked stupid hours, too. What they didn't see was the cost.
For years I worked 60 to 70 hours a week, driven by the fear of not winning work. I'd rush my children to bed so I could get back to work, then snap at the people I love over things that weren't their fault.
Working harder wasn't the answer, so I stopped and spent months finding a better way. What I found was a system, not more hours. The firm is now four to five times the size it was when I started, and I don't work like that any more.
How it changed
1
60 to 70 hours a weekWorking harder, driven by the fear of not winning work
2
2am finishes and holiday emailsWork before breakfast, and again once the children were in bed
3
It took its tollOn me, and on the people I love most
4
Stop and step backMonths spent finding a better way to run the business
5
A system, not more hoursRepeat work on systems, time spent on growth
6
Four to five times the sizeThe firm today, compared with when I started
My own experience. Every business is different, so we start with how yours really runs.
What I do
Find the real problem. Then fix it.
I use the same system I used on my own firm: see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on the business. My AI consultancy is just me, not a software company. I've nothing to sell you but my time, and most fixes use tools you already pay for.
I've done it for 20 years. Clients bring me the problems that keep them awake, and at the firm I deal with whatever lands on my desk. However tangled things look, I can usually see the wood for the trees.
The system makes it faster. It pulls your figures, your software and the way your week runs into one place, so the real problem shows up quickly. You don't have to spend months stepping back, as I did.
And when something at the firm is slow, I don't wait for a software company to fix it. I build the fix.
A SOLICITOR
Care with the detail
I'm a practising solicitor, trained to get to the facts, keep confidences and get the detail right. This consultancy doesn't give legal advice and isn't regulated by the SRA, but the habits come with me.
A BUSINESS OWNER
I run one too
I'm Managing Partner of a multimillion-pound firm with two offices. Payroll, cash flow and winning work aren't theory to me.
A PEOPLE PERSON
At ease in any room
Clients, staff, partners, school governors and the football touchline. I'll talk to you and your team in plain English, and I'm happy to speak to a room.
Around 30people in the two-office firm I run
4 to 5xthe firm's size now, compared with when I started
20 yearsin BNI, alongside local business owners
Age 6when I built my first computer
What I've built in my own firm
A live reporting dashboard that pulls figures from our case management system, so nobody builds reports by hand.
Task hand-offs between colleagues, with approvals and one-click sign-off, instead of emails that get buried.
An AI-assisted marketing system for web pages, guides, social posts and short videos, with checks built in before anything goes out.
It already works in a busy firm where confidentiality matters, so you get the lessons without the trial and error. Read the whole story on my About page.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises
A free 30-minute call
Tell me what's eating your time. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.
Readiness assessment
I map how the work gets done and hand you a plan, quick wins first.
Build
I set up the automations and AI tools, test them with your team and smooth out anything awkward.
Hand over
Your team is trained, the rules are written down, and you're not tied to me.
Not sure where AI fits in your business? That's exactly what the free call is for.
What can AI and automation do for a small business?
Mostly, it takes the repetitive work off your plate. Enquiries get logged and answered faster, quotes and invoices go out without retyping, follow-ups happen on time and reports build themselves. AI drafts the first version of emails, proposals and notes; you check and send. Your team spends the saved time on customers.
Here are everyday jobs that are often good candidates. The right tools depend on what you already use.
A simple automation
1
An enquiry arrivesFrom your website, your inbox or a referral
2
The details are loggedNo copying and pasting into a spreadsheet
3
A reply is draftedIn your words, ready for you to check and send
4
A call is bookedThey pick a time that suits your diary
5
Follow-up happensA reminder if nobody replies, so no lead goes cold
An example of the kind of thing I set up. Yours depends on how your business works.
Everyday jobs worth automating
Job
What changes
Tools that often do it
New enquiries
Logged automatically, reply drafted, call booked
Your website form, Power Automate or Zapier, Outlook or Gmail
Quotes and proposals
First draft written from your notes and price list
ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Claude, with Word
Invoice chasing
Polite reminders on a schedule, stopped once paid
Xero or QuickBooks reminders, Zapier or Make
Reviews
Happy customers asked at the right moment
Your CRM or job system, plus email automation
Meeting notes
Actions written up and sent round after the call
Teams or Zoom with an AI notes tool
Reporting
Weekly figures pulled together without spreadsheets
Not everything should be automated. If a job needs judgement or a personal touch, or only happens twice a year, it usually stays with a person. Part of my job is telling you which is which.
Is it safe to use AI with customer data?
It can be, if you set it up properly. UK GDPR still applies when you use AI. That means business accounts rather than personal ones, settings that stop your data being used for training, clear rules on what staff can paste in, and a check before anything sensitive goes near a new tool.
Please note: this is practical guidance, not legal advice. My consultancy doesn't give legal advice.
Is AI worth it for a small business?
For most, yes, if you start with a real problem rather than the technology. The ONS found 28% of UK businesses with fewer than 10 employees used AI in June 2026, and around 35% of those with 10 or more. In my experience, value comes from doing one or two jobs properly.
The figures come from the Office for National Statistics report Artificial intelligence in UK businesses: 2023 to 2026. The businesses that struggle tend to buy a tool first and look for a use later. I do it the other way round.
Working with me
A business owner, not a tech company
What you can expect
Your question
How I work
What am I paying for?
My time, skill and advice as a consultant. I help you build it on software you own. It isn't a software product, and I take no commission.
Will it always be right?
I test everything before I hand it over. AI can still make mistakes, so nothing goes live until you've checked it and signed it off.
Will I have to buy new software?
Usually not. I start with what you already pay for, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Xero.
Will I understand what you've built?
Yes. Everything is explained in plain English and written down for your team.
What if something goes wrong?
A person stays in the loop wherever it matters, and every automation has a simple off switch.
Am I tied in?
No. You own your accounts and your automations. I'd rather you came back because it worked.
Is this about replacing my staff?
No. It's about taking the boring work away so your people can do the valuable work.
Local, and in person
I'd rather sit at your desk and see how the work gets done than send you a slide deck.
I'm based in Eastbourne and work with businesses across East Sussex, including Hastings, Bexhill, Battle, Hailsham, Polegate, Seaford and Lewes. I also work in Brighton, West Sussex and over the Kent border to Tunbridge Wells. Video works well too.
The principles are the same in any business: see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on growth. How that looks depends on your business, so the free call is where we find out. I can't promise a result, but I'll tell you honestly what I think.
Why should I trust you with my business?
Because I run one. I'm Managing Partner of a multimillion-pound law firm, I've spent 20 years solving problems for clients, and I've built everything I recommend in my own firm first. I'm also a solicitor, so confidentiality and detail come as standard, although this consultancy doesn't give legal advice.
Do I need to be technical?
No. If you can describe how a job gets done in your business, I can take it from there. I explain everything in plain English and write it down, so you and your team can run it without me.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the job, not the size of your business. After the free call, you'll get a clear written price before you commit to anything. Many fixes use software you already pay for, and any new tool costs are set out first.
What's the difference between AI and automation?
Automation follows rules you set: when this happens, do that. AI handles the fuzzy parts, like reading an email, drafting a reply or summarising a meeting. Most good set-ups combine the two, with a person checking anything that matters.
Do you work with businesses outside Sussex?
Yes. I'm based in Eastbourne and most meetings will be in Sussex and Kent, but much of the work can be done by video, so distance isn't a barrier.
Will you give legal advice on data protection?
No. I'm a practising solicitor, but this consultancy doesn't give legal advice. I'll build things sensibly with UK GDPR in mind and tell you when you need to speak to a lawyer or your data protection adviser.
Let's find the hours hiding in your week
A free 30-minute call. Tell me what's eating your time, and I'll tell you honestly what I'd do about it.
