After 14 years in corporate marketing & digital roles and a few years running my own consultancy, I became deeply curious about one question: how do businesses go from “playing around with ChatGPT” to having AI genuinely change how they work? I share what I learn here.
My story
The tinkerer era
Always liked sports and solving problems. Learned HTML to build websites before I knew what I was doing. Downloaded movies on a dial-up line that would cut out if someone called – almost certainly more expensive than renting the movie, but I did it for the thrill. Had to go to some dark corners of the internet to figure it out. No regrets.
The odd jobs era
Tried a lot of different things. Baggage handler and facility manager at an airport. Built a house with my hands for a few months. IT support. Marketing wines. Said yes to whatever was available and learned something from all of it.
The university era
Studied. Partied. In roughly that order some semesters, reversed in others. Came out the other side with a degree and a solid appreciation for sleep deprivation.
The Great Britain era
Played for the Great Britain national floorball team in the World Cup qualifiers in 2006, 2008, and 2012. Yes, Great Britain has a floorball team. Yes, it was as fun as it sounds.
The corporate era
Joined Novartis and stayed for over a decade. Started in a local role, worked my way into a global one – which meant packing up and moving to Switzerland with my family in 2019. Built a lot. Led a lot. Learned what it feels like to operate at serious scale.
The having kids era
Met the love of my life at university on the dance floor at 11.53 pm — kings of leon playing. I thought I was smooth, but it took a few months before I saw her again. Got married 2016 and had our first child. Life changed. Priorities shifted, and instead of only focusing on myself, there was someone else to put my energy on. Now we’re a family of 5 – I have 3 daughters (yes, I’m a lonely man at home). Wouldn’t change anything ❤️
The accidental TV career
Appeared in 3 episodes of a Swedish TV series called “The Best Diet” – a show that followed 4 couples eating differently for a month to find out which diet actually wins. Seen by over a million Swedes. Did not become famous. The diet did not win either.
The exploration era
Left Novartis and went out on my own. Building things, running experiments, helping companies figure out how to actually use AI instead of just talk about it. Still based in Switzerland. Still learning.
Book a free 15-minute call – I’ll give you a clear next step.
A few projects I’ve delivered
AI automations
Email triage & auto-response – travel agency
10+ hours freed up per month
Built an automation using the OpenAI API that classifies incoming emails and writes automatic responses based on a template for specific request types. The team no longer manually handles routine enquiries – the system does it for them.
AI automations
PDF extraction & draft email – transport business
15+ hours freed up per month
Automated a workflow using the Claude API that analyses incoming PDFs in different formats, pulls key information into a standardised template, and writes a draft email with the new file attached – ready to send in one click.
Demo video coming soon
Digital marketing
Web presence & client acquisition — danielapuggioni.ch
Fully booked, new clients on a waitlist
Set up a complete web presence from scratch — website design, Google Business, local SEO, and a client acquisition funnel. Helped define positioning and gave concrete advice on how to convert visitors into enquiries.
“Max has been instrumental in setting up my Praxis. All the way from the design of the website, to all his super concrete advice on how to be more impactful. After Max set up my web presence, I now get 2–3 new client inquiries every week. I’m fully booked and placing new requests on a waitlist.”
Digital marketing
Marketing funnel & strategy — transportlawswitzerland.com
Built and launched a website and developed a digital marketing strategy. The work required quickly understanding a niche market and translating that into practical, executable steps.
“Max assisted us in the setting up of a marketing platform and the development of a marketing strategy. Max is an outstanding professional; he has the necessary technical skills, but even more important, he is very quick in understanding your needs and your market and implementing this knowledge.”
AI opportunity assessment
Identifying where AI creates real value
4 concrete workflows identified across 2 departments
My starter package for businesses that know AI matters but don’t know where to begin. For one client, we mapped out 4 specific workflows across finance (reporting & analytics) and marketing (social content planning & reporting) – a mix of full automation and AI-augmented processes that would make the team faster and produce better results.
E-commerce & product
UPPTÄCKA Toys — upptackatoys.com
Built from scratch with my brother
Started because we wanted to help spark curiosity in kids at a time when so much of their attention goes to screens. We handled everything ourselves: sourcing products, working with manufacturers, designing packaging, logistics, setting up Shopify, and running ads. Our first product is the u-Zoom One – a portable handheld digital microscope for kids aged 6+.
