The PDF that started it
Somewhere past [Taunton], with no signal, I needed to email a client a [contract]. The PDF was [38 MB]. Too big to send, and every tool that could shrink it wanted an internet connection. So I sat there for [40 minutes] waiting for a signal, with a laptop that could do the job if anything on it actually worked offline.
That's most work journeys. The train Wi-Fi drops in the cuttings, the tunnels, and the long stretches where nobody bothered to put a mast. Meanwhile there are hours of good working time going to waste.
So I built the tool I wanted
WorkOffline puts a capable AI assistant on your own laptop. It shrinks files for email, answers questions about your documents, and drafts your replies, with no signal at all. Nothing you do leaves your device, which also means I can use it with client work.
It started on the train, so it began life as WorkOnTheTrain. But the signal gives up in plenty of other places too: on flights, in hotel rooms, in holiday cottages with one bar. The train is still where I use it most, but the app works anywhere you are offline, so now it's called WorkOffline.
"I spend about [£X] a year on flat whites on the way to the train. It felt right that the thing that makes those journeys useful should cost the same as one of them."
Why the price follows a flat white
Every Monday I check the price of a flat white at Starbucks, Exeter St Davids. A Single ticket costs exactly that. A Season ticket costs a week of them. Pro costs one a month, and your price stays at whatever it was the day you joined. If they put the price up, so do I. If it comes down, so does mine. It's a simple promise you can check yourself, next time you're passing through.
A few things I promise
- Your files and chats stay on your device. Always.
- Pay once if you like. Single and Season tickets are yours to keep. Pro is there if you want the extras.
- Anything included in your ticket when you bought it stays included.
- Try it free first. Every ticket has 14 days money back, no questions asked.
- I use it every day, so I fix what annoys me first.
If you've got an idea, or something isn't working, email me directly at [[email protected]]. I usually reply from the train.
[Your name], founder