It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in London. I was sitting at my favourite spot — Café Concerto — with my co-founder, rehearsing our pitch to an investor who, deep down, we both knew was going to say no.
Still, I made a bet with my co-founder. I said, “I’ll prove him wrong.”
When the investor finally joined us, he listened carefully for about ten minutes. Then he smiled, leaned back, and said,
“You’re dreamers, not businessmen. What you’re describing can’t be done.”
He told us to wake up — that our idea of building an AI engine called Bee, capable of transforming how businesses handle customer interactions, was just too ambitious.
But here’s the thing about dreams — they only stay dreams if you stop building.
Fast forward to today, and that same idea has become a living, breathing reality. Bee now powers customer communication for over 100 businesses — from restaurants and hotels to plumbers, florists, accountants, GP surgeries, and even local councils.
And the irony? Every single business that once said, “We’re fine without AI,” now says, “I wish we’d done this sooner.”
The brutal truth for British SMEs
Across the UK, small and medium businesses are losing opportunities every single day — not because they lack skill, but because they lack availability.
Missed calls. Unanswered messages. Delayed responses. These small cracks bleed customers.
Meanwhile, someone else — maybe less experienced, maybe less polished — simply picks up faster and wins the deal.
AI isn’t replacing people. It’s replacing silence.
When we built Bee, we didn’t set out to replace human service. We wanted to extend it — to make businesses always available, without losing their human touch.
Bee answers when no one else can. She books appointments, responds to queries, follows up with leads, and provides consistent support across every channel — day or night.
Because customers don’t just want humans — they want help, whenever they need it.
The new battleground isn’t price. It’s presence.
For decades, businesses have competed on cost, quality, or reputation. But in today’s world, the real battleground is presence.
Who answers first? Who responds fastest? Who is always available — without fail?
That’s where the next competitive edge lies. It’s not about working harder; it’s about being there when it matters most.
The quiet danger of comfort
Let’s be honest — many businesses aren’t failing because of competition. They’re failing because they’re comfortable.
We tell ourselves, “We’re doing fine the way we are.” But in an economy where speed defines survival, fine is no longer good enough.
Every day we delay automation, we widen the gap between ourselves and those who have already embraced it.
A challenge for every SME owner reading this
Take five minutes and ask yourself:
- What repetitive tasks could I automate today to free my team’s time?
- How many enquiries, calls, or opportunities am I silently losing each week?
- What would it mean for my business if I was always available — even when I wasn’t?
That’s not a dream anymore. That’s the new standard.
The choice is simple
The investor once told me,
“This will never work.”
But here we are — within a month and engaging 100s of businesses later, proof that not only does it work, it transforms how companies operate.
So to every business owner reading this — the next decade won’t belong to the biggest or the richest. It’ll belong to those who are always available — responsive, efficient, and relentlessly present.
Because availability is the next competitive advantage. And Bee was built to make sure you never lose it again.
