About

Built on a decade of watching
technology miss the point.

Small Step Big Step exists because there's a better way to bring AI into a business — one that starts with people, not technology.

Mal Herring, Founder & CEO of Small Step Big Step
Mal Herring
Founder & CEO
The Story

I spent more than a decade working in enterprise technology, helping large organisations understand the value of digital tools and how technology can genuinely improve the way people work. Over that time I saw a recurring pattern: companies invest heavily in technology, but the real impact only happens when it's connected to human behaviour, processes, and outcomes.

That experience shaped the way I think about AI.

I started Small Step Big Step because I believe AI shouldn't be about hype, replacing people, or building complicated systems that never deliver real value. The real opportunity is using AI to remove friction, unlock opportunities hidden in existing data, and help people do their best work.

Most businesses already have enormous untapped potential sitting in their databases, inboxes, and processes. They just don't have the time or systems to activate it. My focus is helping organisations take practical steps to use AI in ways that generate real outcomes, more conversations, more opportunities, and better use of the resources they already have.

"The future of business isn't AI instead of people. It's AI working alongside people, amplifying human intelligence and freeing teams to focus on the things that matter most."

That's the philosophy behind Small Step Big Step: small, practical steps with AI that lead to big improvements in how businesses operate and grow.

What We Believe

The principles that guide every engagement.

Practical over theoretical

We don't do AI for the sake of AI. Every recommendation we make is grounded in what will actually work for your business, your people, and your processes.

Honest about what AI can and can't do

AI is genuinely transformative in the right places. It's also overhyped in others. We'll always give you an honest assessment, even if that means telling you to wait.

Small steps that compound

The businesses that benefit most from AI don't try to transform everything at once. They take deliberate, well-chosen steps that build on each other over time.

Human capability at the centre

The goal of every AI system we build is to make the humans around it more effective, not to replace them. That's not just a philosophy, it's how we design every solution.

Our Philosophy

Human+AI

Our collaboration model. AI augments human capability, it doesn't replace it. We are partners, not competitors.

Human
  • Creativity
  • Judgement
  • Relationships
  • Strategy
  • Empathy
AI
  • Speed
  • Scale
  • Pattern recognition
  • Data processing
  • Consistency

Ready to work together?

Book a free discovery call and let's talk about what AI can do for your business.