Insights · Context Matters
Practical AI for Australian business. One idea a fortnight.
Each issue starts from real work with real firms, and ends with something to try that week.
All articles, newest first
Can AI make my slides and documents look good?
A friend's slide deck was pure text. Two short prompts later it was on brand, with images and a QR code. Two minutes of my time, about seven of Claude's.
Your policy says no, your lawyers are saying yes
If your firm hasn't approved an AI tool, there's a good chance your lawyers have approved one for themselves. The bigger risk is what never reaches the matter file.
Why hasn't AI cut my working hours?
AI users estimate it saves them one to two hours a week, yet their working hours haven't fallen. The fix is the step most owners skip: capturing how the work is done.
Is it safe for staff to use personal AI accounts for client work?
Most firms can't say which AI tools their people use for client work. Here is what goes wrong, and why the list has to come before the policy.
Do I need to buy new AI tools for my business?
A practice came to me with a list of automations to build. Much of it was already inside software they pay for every month.
Why does AI give me generic answers?
I asked my AI for a follow-up email. It came back mentioning a presentation I'd never told it about. That was context at work.
Your AI Problem Is a Trust Problem
Fewer than half of Australian SMEs use AI. Of those staying out, 65% say they distrust its decision-making or want to keep humans in control. Cost and skills sit further down.
What Accounting and Bookkeeping Firms Should Do Before 30 June
EOFY makes existing problems visible in a way quieter periods don’t. That visibility is an opportunity - if you act on it.
AI Adoption for Accounting and Bookkeeping: What’s Actually Working in 2026
Most practice owners haven’t looked. Not properly. Not at their own workflows, their own bottlenecks, their own specific situation. That’s the gap.
Which AI Future Is Your Business Preparing For?
Most conversations about AI in business are happening without a shared understanding of what AI might actually become.
Resources · free
Guides and templates you can use this week.
The AI-Powered Business
A plain-English guide to where AI fits in a business your size, built around the AI Workforce Maturity Model™.
Also in editions for accounting firms and law firms.
AI Tool Usage Report
The one-page request to send your IT provider, so you know which AI tools your business is actually using.
Document chasing framework (PDF)
A four-level framework for accounting and bookkeeping practices, and why most solve document chasing in the wrong order.
Ask Quigly, the live AI Q&A. 45 minutes of straight answers for business owners, hosted by Mark. Bring your own question; sessions run regularly, so take whichever date suits.
See the next dates →