INDEPENDENT CONSULTING · SOUTHERN ALBERTA

Practical AI & technology.
A clearer way forward.

An outside perspective on the decisions, workflows, and tools behind your business. Based in Southern Alberta, working with small businesses across Western Canada, including rural communities.

A deeper understanding. A better way forward.

A useful place to start.

Advice & solution design

A decision that needs a second opinion.

Compare the options before committing to new software, AI, or a different way of working. Sometimes a good conversation is the whole job.

Choosing the right software

Before replacing the system, we can look at what is actually getting in the way, compare the trade-offs, and put a practical recommendation in writing.

Workflows & documentation

Work that gets lost between people.

Clear responsibilities, usable procedures, and technical writing for the people doing the work, from the office to the field.

A smoother office-to-crew handoff

When job details are scattered across texts and email, we can follow one real job, agree on who needs what, and write a checklist the team can try.

Websites & useful tools

Customers who need a clearer next step.

Make your offer easier to understand, with clear website content, sensible search basics, and a useful way to enquire.

Better details with a quote request

An enquiry form can ask for the location, type of work, and photos you need before replying. I can plan the customer journey and define what the website should collect.

Practical AI & automation

Too much copying, sorting, and chasing.

Find a worthwhile task to simplify, with human checks and clear instructions. AI may help with a draft or a summary; a simpler workflow may be enough.

Turning incoming messages into a useful draft

A repeat enquiry could become a draft reply or job summary for someone to check. We can define the rules, test awkward cases, and decide what must stay with a person.

Understand first.
Then choose the right next step.

We start with a conversation about what happens today and what you want to change. I help you untangle the problem, compare options, and agree on a sensible scope.

My focus is consultation, solution design, workflows, and clear documentation. That may be a recommendation, a procedure, or a small prototype. When a project needs heavier implementation, I bring in specialist contractors as needed.

Talk about your situation

Small changes, made tangible.

Explore a few possibilities, from a better handoff to a tool that cuts repeated work.

Fewer missed requests, cleaner contacts, clearer job status

Forms & workflows

A clear next step for each enquiry.

A quote request goes to review, a complete request moves ahead, and missing details stay visible. Try the sample rules below.

Incoming requestMara Ellis

A quote for a two-day maintenance job

mara@example.com
Waiting for a sample

Pick a request, then run it through the sample rules.

The rule is intentionally simple. In a real job, I’d help you decide what gets checked, who can approve it, and what happens if something is missing.

Fictional records, real interactions. These examples run in your browser; no requests are sent and no records are saved.

What a consulting engagement could produce

You have a decision to make. Another point of view would help.

  1. Put the question on the table

    What are you trying to change? What keeps getting in the way?

  2. Look at the trade-offs

    We challenge the assumptions and talk through the options, including doing nothing.

  3. Pick a next step

    Decide what needs an answer now and what you can test first.

What you leave withA working session

Notes you can use, the questions still open, and a short list of next steps.

Three ways a conversation can turn into something useful. The right answer does not always need new software.

Could a change be worth the time and cost?

Try your own assumptions. Recovered time has value, but setup and ongoing costs matter too.

Illustrative first-year balance$7,200time value minus setup and 12 months of ongoing costs
Time recovered260 hrs / year
Estimated payback2.6 months
Value of recovered time$10,400
Setup + ongoing costs$3,200

An illustration, not a forecast. All amounts are CAD. Actual benefits depend on the process, implementation, and how recovered time is used. These inputs stay in your browser.

What's getting
in the way?

A decision, a frustrating process, or an idea you want to explore. A few details are enough to start.

Southern Alberta · Western Canada
Remote meetings available.

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