I Took Terrible Advice When I Launched My Books Business…And It Cost Me My Control.

How I went from admin chaos to a fully structured, protected and financially grown-up business, with AI as my unpaid COO.

2025 (the year of the snake) felt like a year of shedding skin. The kind of uncomfortable but necessary transformation where you outgrow what no longer serves you and rebuild something stronger in its place.

When I launched my books business, someone in publishing confidently expressed that I did not need a business bank account unless I was shifting “serious volumes.” And somehow, despite years as a finance executive and former COO working across operations, infrastructure, and governance — I believed them. I overruled my judgment and convinced myself that books were different, that the creative world worked differently, and that this wasn’t a “serious corporate structure,” just a passion project. Surely the rules didn’t apply the same way?

Reader…they absolutely do!

After staring at my messy accounts, a dwindling personal bank balance and complete admin chaos, reality stopped being polite and demanded my attention. I had spent years prizing clean infrastructure, proper business setups and financial clarity… and then failed to give myself the same respect. For far longer than I care to admit, I hadn’t even set up a business email. Rookie error, I know.

But here’s the good part. Once I snapped out of the delusion, I rebuilt things properly. While many people slowed down for Christmas, I did the opposite and quietly reshaped the entire foundation of my business. In less than eight weeks, the structure, stability and future of my brand looked completely different. And the quiet powerhouse behind much of that transformation? AI.

AI became my unpaid COO — my late-night strategist, my translator of terrifying legal language and the calm friend who didn’t judge me when my 25-tab accounting spreadsheet made me question my life choices. And it wasn’t theoretical support; it was deeply practical. When my first bank application felt flimsy, AI helped me articulate my business proposition with the credibility it deserved, and the approval followed. When I stared at UK IPO forms wondering what half the terminology meant, AI translated it into human language and helped me build a trademark strategy that didn’t just file paperwork, but protected my asset. It helped me relearn accounting in a way that made sense, integrate Xero properly and create a bookkeeping system that finally felt manageable. It didn’t replace experts, I still brought in specialist accountants, but it turned me into an informed founder who knew when to hire help and when I simply needed clarity, not another invoice.

By the time January arrives, chaos will have become structure. The business model is sharper, the company has been strategically restructured; the IP is secure, and the right governance is finally in place — strong enough to support real growth. I’m stepping into 2026 free from admin overwhelm, ready to create, market, scale… and open the door to serious investment as we move toward animation development.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I listened to Emma Grede’s Aspire podcast, especially the conversations with Reese Witherspoon and Charlotte Tilbury, and it reinforced what I was rediscovering the hard way: you cannot scale something you don’t understand. ‘You have to know your business, the legal clauses you sign, the finances you manage, the reality of your P&L.’ “It’s just creative” is one of the most dangerous lies a founder can tell themselves. Side hustles don’t become actual businesses until you treat them like proper businesses. IP is not paperwork; it is power. AI is not a shortcut; it is a powerful amplifier when you use it. And ignoring your gut will always cost you in multiple ways.

I’m ending this chapter tired, humble and proud. With real foundations beneath it at last, this business finally feels like something an investor wouldn’t just believe in, but confidently trust.

The shedding is done. The heavy lifting is done. Now comes the gallop.

As I step into 2026 (the year of the horse), it feels like the year to run. Reins firmly in hand, direction clear, momentum on my side, and this time, I’m firmly in control.

Unapologetically.

(The featured images were taken by me horse riding in Patagonia, Argentina in Dec 2024).