Dashboards people actually open
Reporting that answers the question someone asks every Monday, and automations that take the dull, repetitive work off their desk.
Power BISQLBigQueryKNIMEExcel & VBAn8nUiPathPython
I read the numbers.
Then I tell the story.
I'm Richard. I started in reporting and ERP, and I still love a clean dashboard. These days I also build products with AI and write the stories that sell them, through my own little brand, Tales & Gifts.
Chapter one
Three sides of one desk
I don't switch hats. The analyst tells me what's working, the builder makes it real, and the storyteller makes people care.
Stories a family watches together
"Once, a king so generous the gods grew nervous…"
Festival and faith stories, short videos cut for four platforms, voiceovers and artwork, all made and posted by me.
ScriptwritingTikTokInstagramYouTubePinterestCanvaElevenLabsManyChat
Ideas, shipped with AI
I design the product, then build it with AI coding tools: real pages, real customers, live on the web. No waiting for a dev team.
ClaudeCodexCloudflareVercelShopifyPayhip
Chapter two
Tales & Gifts, a gift you can scan
A sticker or card with a QR code. Scan it, and a private page opens with photos, a message and short stories picked for the person receiving it. I run it alone, from the first sketch to the last post.
- Designed the product and built the whole platform myself with AI coding tools.
- Made the parts people touch: gift links, photo albums, privacy and a guided first opening.
- Added an events version for weddings and parties, with RSVPs, a guestbook, polls and shared albums.
- Run the shop, the pricing, the print partner and the ads, and draw every sticker collection.
For Mum, with loveTwelve photos, one message and a story for every morning.
Chapter three
The sticker wall
Every collection starts as an idea for a moment, a feeling or a festival. I draw it with AI image tools, finish it in Canva and turn it into stickers.
On YouTube
The Story of Onam
The legend of King Mahabali, researched, written and produced as a short story for the festival, for a grandparent and a child to watch side by side.
On TikTok
A memory a day
A series of everyday prompts, like a taste of home or a gift I still remember, filmed out and about and at home. Each one ends with a question for the comments.
Chapter four
Case files
A few problems I've untangled for other people.
A staff survey managers actually read
Moved an employee survey out of Google Forms into Power BI and followed it across three rounds. Each manager sees only their own team.
→ feedback people act onWhat sells together, for a UAE food group
Basket analysis showing which products are bought together and which customers come back.
→ fed stock & marketing callsOne view of a growing retail brand
At Bearaby I owned the sales, stock and service dashboards and ran retail partner orders alongside the online store.
→ one source of truth
The story so far
Earlier chapters
2023 – now
Founder · Tales & Gifts
Product, platform, shop and stories, plus freelance BI and automation work for clients.
2021 – 2023
Business Process Analyst · Bearaby
Reporting, retail partner operations and research tools for a direct-to-consumer brand.
2019 – 2021
Business Analyst · Wallcoat Fashion Group
Automated group reporting and rolled out a cloud point-of-sale system.
2015 – 2019
ERP Administrator · Dhofar Global
Moved the company onto Sage X3 and built the reports used in board reviews.
Before
MIS & operations · TCS and others
Where I learned to build for the person using the report, not just the one reading it.