The full story
From policing to property to AI.
The classroom wasn't for me
I got an unconditional offer from Glasgow University for Sport and Exercise Science. I lasted six months. Sitting in a classroom just wasn't for me, regardless of what was on offer at the end of it.
I started applying for jobs and landed my first sales role. I loved it. The thrill of closing a sale, speaking to members of the public, getting to know people. But I also learned the dark side of sales: sometimes you're selling a dream that isn't real. After a few bad companies messing me around, I wanted some stability. I wasn't ready to spend my entire working day in an office, so I joined the police.
What I took from the police
I really enjoyed it. Four and a bit years' worth of stories I'll never run out of. Three things stayed with me from that time.
The first was problem-solving. Whatever situation you're dropped into, there's no option but to come up with something under pressure. I learned I could figure out almost anything put in front of me.
The second was resilience. Not every shift was a good one. I learned how to dust myself off and keep going.
The third was a clear view of how broken most systems are. Even huge organisations run on tools that don't talk to each other, and everyone just puts up with it. Either through lack of knowledge or lack of care, it's allowed to happen.
Why I left the police
What pulled me out was ambition. I wanted to climb, but the more I looked at how promotions actually worked, the more I realised it was a game of favouritism. It wasn't about how hard you worked or how good you were at the job. It was about who you knew. That didn't sit right with me, so I started looking for a new path.
What property taught me
I landed in sales for a growing property business. I'd done a property course before, and investing had always interested me. With my sales background, it just made sense. I helped them break multiple sales records, and within four weeks of switching to a new role, I increased their acquisition by over 30%. More importantly, that was where I first saw clearly how small businesses actually grow: the systems, processes, and workflows they need in place to hit their goals.
When AI clicked
Then I came across a video about building AI agents. Everyone had been talking about AI and the funny things you could do with it, but this was the first time I saw a real business application. This was my light bulb moment.
From there I went all in. I taught myself what AI systems people were using, what platforms they were building on, what they were applying them to. The click moment came when I built a multi-step workflow for myself that wrote text, generated images, saved files, and uploaded the right copy and images to the right social media platforms automatically. That was when I knew I'd built a new skill set.
What I do now
Now I run King AI and Automation. My goal is to help UK service business owners implement AI and automation systems across their business: lead generation, sales pipeline, onboarding, reviews and referrals, and the operations side of actually fulfilling the work.
So many business owners want to use AI but don't know where to start or what systems to put in place. My job is to bridge that gap. It's no longer a question of if a business needs AI. It's how they should be using it.
The long game
The long-term plan is to act as an AI-powered operations manager for a small group of clients I genuinely want to work with. Most growing businesses know they need someone managing the back end so the whole thing runs efficiently. They also know they either can't afford that in-house, or it's not the best use of headcount. That's where I come in. They trust me to look after their business as if it were my own, and I help them grow with the kind of systems that take pressure off the operation rather than add to it. As they grow, I grow.
I don't have any grand ambitions for luxury watches or fast cars. I just want to put my family in a position where we feel comfortable, have a bit of financial freedom, and don't need to worry about the little things.
If my story resonates and you think I'm someone you want to work with, get in touch. I'm looking for good people for the long term. Hopefully that's you.