AI is changing how we build, code, and design. But here’s the catch: it’s not just about speed or automation. From my own journey — starting in software engineering and now designing solutions with a UX and Service Design lens — I’ve learnt that cont...
As we build optional extras into ClearShift, I was reminded of an old principle that never goes out of style: Idea → Research → Validate/Test In the excitement of creating new value-added products, we almost fell into the trap of doing too much too s...
ClearShift.co.za started as a simple connection engine: Establishments ↔ Professionals. By listening to where our Establishments struggle, we shipped optional, paid “Managed Services” they can opt into. Now we’re not just a marketplace—we’re a partne...
This is Day 3 of my ClearShift lessons series.→ If you missed Day 2, here’s the link: https://www.rework.co.za/index.php/2025/09/22/day-2-listening-for-by-products/ One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a platform founder and advisor is this:You...
This is Day 2 of my Show Your Work journey with ClearShift. If you missed Day 1 – Why I Started ClearShift, you can read it here → Read more One of the most valuable habits I’ve learned with ClearShift is simple: observe and listen. When we pay atten...
Platforms and marketplaces fascinate me because of one simple reason:They create opportunities. Opportunities for the founder, for the buyer, and for the seller.Often, these opportunities would never exist in traditional, linear business models. That...
Emerging Innovations in Marketplaces: AI as Foundational Infrastructure. AI isn’t just an add-on anymore. It’s becoming the infrastructure that modern platforms and marketplaces are built on. This is how i see it: 1. Smarter Matching → AI can analyse...
Most people think network effects are only for giant platforms like Uber, Airbnb, or LinkedIn. But the truth is: network effects exist in every business. Whether you run a consultancy, a restaurant, or a marketplace — the more value people experience...
Most small businesses think of AI as a tool.I think of it as a staff member — one who never sleeps, never resigns, and never complains. I write BUILDING SMARTER as your thinking partner — sharing lessons from platform/marketplace strategy and AI so y...
How AI Helped a Client Stay on Top of Every Review One of my hospitality clients loves getting reviews.But replying promptly, in a personal way, and keeping track of which ones still needed attention… that was a constant headache. Here’s what we did:...
Hi there,This week’s Rework Dispatch is a mid-year check-in.For the solopreneur. The founder. The person quietly building something real.Here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately — and maybe it’ll help you too:→ You don’t need to have it all figure...
THE REWORK DISPATCHSaturday 21 June 2025When You Need to SellLet me be honest: I need sales right now.Not in a “marketing funnel” way, in a real, human way. Things are tight. And yet — I also want to show up with value, not desperation. I w...
The Rework DispatchA weekly letter about building a better life through one-person businessBy Alan Williams | rework.co.zaThis week I ran a 5-day sprint for ClearShift — not to “scale” anything, just to move forward. We visited professionals on shift...
The Rework DispatchA weekly letter about building a better life through one-person businessBy Alan Williams | rework.co.zaThis week, we visited some of the hospitality professionals we’d helped place through ClearShift.Just a quick check-in, no...
I’ve never liked the word “discipline.” It always sounded cold, harsh, like something imposed on you. But then I came across 7 Japanese concepts that reframed it completely.They weren’t about control. They were about presence. Awareness. Progress.Her...