About Up-Stride · Established 2025
Up-Stride is a Birmingham-based AI and automation consultancy for small and medium-sized businesses across the West Midlands and the UK.
How we help
We start with the operations that run your day, then how you sell, then how you’re seen. One team covers the full scope, so nothing falls between suppliers.
We help businesses that are
Industries we have worked in
People
Mark leads strategy and systems; Tom leads creative and AI. Both work on every project.
Business strategy and systems
Founder, Up-Stride
Mark has spent 25 years building, scaling and advising businesses at C-suite and MD level.
At Up-Stride he leads strategy and operations: working out what a business genuinely needs, mapping how work really flows, then designing and building the systems that run it, from ERP and CRM to reporting and automation.
“We start small, prove it works, then build from there. It is a partnership, not a one-off project.”
Creative and AI
Partner, Up-Stride
Tom is a designer first: one who understands the technical side and builds what he designs.
He bridges the creative vision and the technical work that once took four different suppliers. Every project starts from design and how it will be used, so what we build is clear, usable and easy for your team to adopt.
“Good design should feel effortless. I design for how it will be used, then build it so it works.”
Services
How we work
Whatever the area, every project follows the same three steps. You see results before you commit to more.
A relaxed chat about how you work, and where time and money are being lost.
We map your processes, tools and data, then agree a clear plan with you.
One small, affordable project first, measured in numbers. Then we scale what works.
What clients say
“When I read the emails, it was like I had written them myself, only 10 times better and personalised to everyone.”
Free consultation
A free session to map where AI can take your business, and the plan to get there.
You leave with:
A taste of how we work: meet us, see how we approach your business, and leave with something to consider.
No obligation. The only cost is your time.
Mark Blake · Strategy and systems
Thomas McElroy · Creative and AI