About Rob Keast
I've been building software since before AI was cool.
25 years of shipping products across CRM, ad tech, fintech, and SaaS. Published AI author. The person behind ClaimBackTime. And yes, I still write code every single day.
The short version
In 2002, I co-founded one of the first web-based CRM platforms for estate agents. Built it, sold it, moved on. Since then I've worked across ad tech, fintech, and SaaS - always with a focus on automation and finding the 20% of effort that delivers 80% of the outcome.
I wrote ChatGPT For Business: Adapt or Die - one of the first books on using AI for business. Not because I fancied being an author, but because I kept having the same conversation with business owners who knew AI could help but had no idea where to start.
That conversation is now ClaimBackTime. Same advice I was giving for free, except structured into a proper assessment with a plan you can actually follow.
What I actually do all day
I'm not a consultant who read a few blog posts about AI. I use Claude, OpenClaw, Perplexity, and Manus in production every day on real projects. I build systems that process data, automate workflows, and generate revenue.
Software projects I worked on last year displaced over a thousand jobs. That weighs on me. It's part of why I do this - to help people prepare for what's already happening, not what might happen someday.
61% of businesses are already using AI. The gap between those who've started and those who haven't is widening every week.
Why ClaimBackTime exists
A March 2026 survey of 242 businesses found that 52% don't know where to start with AI. Not because they're stupid - because the landscape is overwhelming. 500 tools, a new one every Tuesday, and no one explaining which ones actually matter for your business.
Only 4% say budget is the blocker. The real problem is time and clarity. You're too busy running the business to spend a weekend researching whether you need Perplexity or Manus or Claude or none of the above.
ClaimBackTime fixes that. One session. One plan. Results in week one. If it doesn't show you a realistic path to reclaim 5+ hours a week, you get your money back. Simple as that.
What real results look like
These aren't hypotheticals. These are the kinds of outcomes businesses see when AI is mapped to their actual workflows:
40 hrs/week
A SaaS startup automated customer onboarding, support triage, and reporting - freeing the founding team to focus on product.
8-10 hrs/week
An e-commerce business automated inventory updates, customer emails, and order tracking that were eating two full days every week.
2,300 hrs/year
A professional services firm used AI to handle document processing, compliance checks, and client communication drafts.
The question isn't whether AI can help your business. It's which 20% of changes deliver 80% of the result. That's the whole point of the 80/20 lens.
Published author
Wrote ChatGPT For Business: Adapt or Die when most people were still asking "what's GPT?" Not theory - practical advice from someone who builds with these tools.
Builder, not talker
I ship code daily with Claude Code, OpenClaw, Perplexity, and Manus. If I recommend a tool, it's because I've built things with it. Not because I saw a demo.
UK-based, worldwide reach
I understand UK systems - Sage 50, Xero, HMRC, Companies House. But ClaimBackTime works for businesses anywhere. The process is the same: understand the bottleneck, prioritise the fix, make the first steps obvious.
The 80/20 philosophy
Most AI advice falls into two camps: vague cheerleading ("AI will transform everything!") or impenetrable technical deep-dives that assume you've got a data science team. Neither helps a business owner who just needs to know what to do on Monday morning.
The 80/20 approach is different. We don't try to automate everything. We find the small number of changes that make a proper dent in your week, get those working first, and build from there. It's boring. It works.
Ready to find out where you stand?
Take the quiz. Two minutes. You'll get a personalised action plan and a clear picture of where AI can help your business this quarter. Or skip straight to the full session if you already know you need someone to map it out properly.