AI support from someone who has actually run busy operations.
Mike Wood - Operational AI Consultant
Most businesses do not need an AI theory session. They need someone who can look at real workflows, spot where time is being lost, and help their team use AI safely & effectively in day-to-day work.
I’m Mike Wood, an Operational AI Consultant based in Lancashire. I help North West businesses move from scattered AI experiments to a practical, safer AI setup that works inside the business they already have.
If you want help turning AI interest into a safe working setup, start with the 4 Week AI Integration Sprint or get the free AI Usage Policy Starter Pack.
11+ Years’ Operations Leadership
Amazon · THG · Flavour Warehouse | Imperial College London
11 years in operational leadership
Amazon, THG, and Flavour Warehouse - running real teams, fixing real processes, and making change stick when everything was already busy.
Not AI theory. Operations experience
Most consultants understand tools. I understand how busy teams actually behave when something new lands on their desk - because I've been that person for over a decade.
Implemented around the way people Work
AI only helps a business when it fits the way people genuinely work. The tool is rarely the hard part. The hard part is choosing the right use cases, setting safe rules, getting people confident, and making the new way of working last after the consultant has gone.
Hands on in the North West
I’m based in Lancashire and work onsite with North West Businesses, with formal AI training from Imperial College London (AI for Business Transformation) backing up the operational experience.
Based In Lancashire · Working Onsite Across The North West · Iron Man Finisher
Why I decided to build this business
I started using AI properly 18 months ago and quickly realised something most consultants won’t admit out loud: AI isn’t actually that complicated. The hype is. Strip away the jargon - Agents, Co-pilots, RAG, embeddings, agentic this and that - and what’s underneath is a set of tools that are already good enough to genuinely improve how a small business runs. Most owners don’t need more theory. They need someone to help them choose, set it up safely, and train their team.
What I keep seeing is decision paralysis. Good business owners - people who’ve worked hard for 10, 20, 30 years to build something real - frozen by tool fatigue, AI hype, and conflicting advice. Meanwhile, their competitors are quietly committing to a direction and pulling ahead. It reminds me of
Who Moved My Cheese?
We’re about to see a wave of long-standing North West businesses get caught out, not because they’re bad businesses, but because they are so busy they haven’t got time to figure it out for themselves.
Most AI consultants don’t actually understand operations. They understand tools. There’s a big difference. Operations is people, processes, handovers, KPIs, training, and making change stick when everyone’s already busy. That’s the world I’ve worked in for over a decade - and it’s the lens I bring to AI.
There’s also a personal reason this matters to me. In October 2024 I had a cardiac arrest. I survived, came home, and spent a long time thinking about what I actually wanted to spend my working life doing. The answer: help hard-working local people stop being left behind by something that doesn’t need to be as scary as it’s been made out to be.
So that’s the mission.
Be the practical, local, no-hype option for North West Businesses that want to manage the AI change in how they do things - calmly, safely, and without getting overtaken by new businesses that moved sooner.
How I Actually Work.
Simple, structured, practical. No jargon, no fluff, no AI theatre.
North West businesses only, so I can be onsite and walk your floor.
Hands on with all project management.
Real workflows first, tools second.
Plain English policies, guides, and training notes.
Train your people, not just install software.
Leave behind a handover pack so the work sticks.
Tell you honestly when AI isn’t the right answer.
What I’m Not.
Just as important as what I do. This rules me out for some businesses - on purpose.
Not an AI agency, software developer, or SaaS reseller.
Not an automation bro chasing the next shiny tool.
No generic “AI transformation” strategy decks.
No remote-only Sprints - onsite is what makes it work.
No selling tools you don’t need or dashboards nobody opens.
Local By Choice, Not By Accident.
I’m based in Lancashire and work across the North West - Manchester, Preston, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Liverpool, and the towns in between. This isn’t a service area on a map. It’s where I live, where my family is, and where the businesses I want to help are.
Remote-only AI consulting tends to produce remote-only results. I’d rather drive 40 minutes and get it right than send a deck from London and hope it lands.
Based in Lancashire, working with North West businesses because this is home.
Why I Don’t Take Shortcuts.
Outside work, I’m an Ironman finisher — a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run, in that order, in one day.
The reason it matters here is not the medal. It is the habit. I do not like unfinished work, loose handovers, or projects that fade out once the excitement wears off.
That is how I approach client work. I would rather take on fewer projects, do them properly, and leave each business with something useful, safe, and finished.
Want To Talk?
If you’re a North West business owner, Ops director, or Department head trying to make sense of AI in your business, I’d be happy to have a no-pressure conversation. No pitch, no upsell, just a clear answer on whether I can help.
Or grab the Free AI Safe Usage Policy →
Or email hello@mikejwood.co.uk if you'd rather start a conversation in writing.