To Pivot, or not to Pivot?
The Learning Stack goes LIVE!
TL;DR
I will be delivering my first AI training on 21st April 2026.
I will be focused on the main tools that are part of the Google Workspace subscription - NotebookLM and Gemini. I will demonstrate how I use them together in my business every day and give you a framework for how you can maximise your outcomes when using them. Best of all - it’s FREE.
You also get a 2-4-1 as I will be delivering this session entirely within my Sana Learn environment so you will get to see how Sana Learn can work for you for engaging live training as well as for the rest of your learning needs. Thank you to Sana for your partnership and building a product I am happy to use every day.
You can sign up via this form - you will also find more details on that page.
Hi Folks!
It’s been 5 months since I went all in on this journey of solo business building. I had been planning for it but never taken the step to go full time as I was in a job that paid well, with a team that I loved working with every day. I wasn’t working somewhere that I wanted to stay forever and do my life’s work (take a look a the Podcast I did with Rita Azevedo recently where she talks about working somewhere where that question of “life’s work” is part of the interview process), but it was stable and adequate.
For someone in their 50’s stability is important - I am only a few years from being able to start drawing on my pension (scary!). Unfortunately the stability was pulled out from under me when the company laid off a big chunk of the employees, including me.
My immediate thought was to apply for other jobs in the same kind of space - learning. But really my heart wasn’t in it - I didn’t feel like I really wanted to go back into corporate work. I had a fall back though - I had already incorporated my business as I pre-empted layoffs 2 years earlier!
So now there I was, 52 years old, no job, some financial security but still with a mortgage to pay, a family to feed, and we were down to one income. My wife and I discussed it and it was a no brainer to see if I could make it work. She is self employed and growing her Massage Therapy business (Ferndown Massage) which is thriving.
On 1st November 2025 I went full time and also signed my first partner contract with my friends at Sana. They have been fantastic to work with as a vendor and now a partner - they also gave me some breathing room.
Since then I have talked to many learning tech companies about their offerings, their plans, and how we might work together. I have created a Youtube channel that is slowly growing but is a long way from being where I want it to be. Learning to ideate, record, edit, publish, market, and analyse videos is not easy.
My Linkedin following is growing - nearly 2000 people now follow me or are connected - I don’t think I talk to 2000 people in a year in person.
Ultimately, the business is starting to be viable - I might even pay myself some money next month!
BUT…
I am missing something. Something that was part of my life for 30+ years. PEOPLE.
I work alone in my office. My wife also works from home but she has clients coming and going so we don’t speak that often through the day. I sometimes have online meetings for 30-45 minutes but thats about it.
I have decided it is time to PIVOT - well kind of.
The Learning Stack was intended to be a vehicle for all kinds of learning but learning technology in particular. That is not changing but I am adding a new area of focus - AI Training.
I realise some people will thing I am 2 years too late but I disagree. I was in a training session with Heather Murray from AI for Non-Techies last week and she showed this slide:
Right now we are at the “Chasm” stage - lots of innovators and early adopters - but they only make up less than one fifth of the population. That leaves over 80% of people who have heard of AI but have no idea what the capabilities are beyond creating cartoon images of themselves and using it as they would Google.
Personally, I have been involved in AI projects since ChatGPT became available for public use. I built and delivered AI training for people at my last company. I was part of the squad building out a company wide AI training program. I presented to the company C-Level on AI strategy (or lack of it) and how we could move forward. I have been experimenting with AI tools and I use them daily in my business. I have been a technical trainer for deeply technical products for most of my career - many of those products needed learning to be built for a non-technical audience. I’m not an expert but feel like I am further along than the majority. Now I want to share what I know.
If you missed the TL;DR at the start, I would like to invite you to the very first live training delivered by The Learning Stack (me!).
I’m just going to show you exactly how I’m using the Google AI stack within The Learning Stack:
How I’ve actually organised my entire business archive into NotebookLM so it acts as a strategic partner, not just a folder.
The specific strategies I have built to make Gemini work for The Learning Stack.
How I use Gemini and NotebookLM together as a connected system to get the most value possible.
I look forward to seeing some of you there - please share this with friends and colleagues if you think they will find it useful.
If you like this article, and my other work, you can support me by buying me a coffee.
Many thanks in advance!