What It’s Like Building an AI Tool as a Non-Tech Founder - Sophie Boulderstone - Inkie CEO

People often say to me, “You’re amazing with tech — I could never do what you do.”But that’s not quite true. I just didn’t stop trying.

I didn’t grow up around computers. I went to Steiner school, moved schools a few times, and somehow missed out on all the early digital stuff. It wasn’t until my 20s that I really started using a computer — and from there, I had to teach myself everything. Graphic design, photo editing, web design… all done the long way round, with trial and error and a lot of late nights.

I learned Photoshop and Illustrator before I ever typed up a Word doc. I fumbled through my first website in raw HTML and very questionable CSS. iWeb made things easier. WordPress made me grumpy. Canva made things possible. And then came AI.

Enter: ChatGPT and panic

At first, I resisted it. I worried that AI would strip out everything that made my writing mine — the lived experience, the weird tangents, the warmth. But my now-husband, Simon, nudged me to give it a go. And when I did, I realised something important:

I wasn’t using AI like other people.

The prompts I found online didn’t get anywhere near the results I wanted. But when I worked with it — giving it context, shaping it, storing information my own way — I started to see real potential. I used it to edit my writing, to clarify my thinking. And I saw how it could help others, too.

The admin that eats your time

I’ve worked in marketing for years — mostly with small businesses, the kind who can’t afford full agencies or big teams. That meant I did everything: writing posts, resizing images, scheduling blogs, formatting newsletters, fiddling with meta tags. All of it, often for less than minimum wage, just to help them stay afloat.

And when a client made a change? I’d redo the lot for free. Because the work still needed doing — even if no one saw it.

That’s where the idea for Inkie started. Simon (who's a developer) said, “I think the tech has finally caught up with us.” What if we could build a platform that remembered everything — tone, style, services — and created the content, sourced the images, and scheduled it all?

An end-to-end system. But one built for real people. The kind of business owner who doesn’t want to become a “content creator” just to sell a product.

Built from real life, not a playbook

We started small. Simon working full-time. Me applying for Meta permissions I barely understood. (Nothing like trying to get verified for autoposting when you can’t even decipher the documentation.)

The build got bigger. The features multiplied. And now the platform does far more than we ever imagined — the challenge is not adding more to it.

Working with your spouse on a tech startup while raising a family and preparing for launch? It's a lot. My jaw is literally clicking from stress-induced teeth grinding. But this isn’t just a business. It’s personal.

This is for the women like me

I’m building this for the woman I used to be — and the ones still in that place now.Single mums. Women trapped in the benefits loop. People who’ve been priced out, overlooked, or dismissed. If Inkie helps even a few of them build something sustainable — something freeing — it’s worth it.

I’ve never been afraid of technology. Frustrated by it? Absolutely. But scared? No.Because most of the time, the solution is just trying one more thing.

If you’re feeling like tech isn’t for you, let me say this clearly:

Don’t let it win. 

You don’t have to know it all. You just have to keep going.And you’re allowed to swear, cry, and want to throw your laptop out the window on the way. (I have.)

But you’ll get there. And when you do — I’ll be cheering for you.