SMEs Can't Afford to Hire. But They're Drowning in Work.
5.5 million UK businesses face an impossible choice: hire staff they can't afford, or drown in work they can't complete. A traditional receptionist costs £25,000 per year plus benefits, training, and management overhead. Most SMEs simply can't justify that expense for essential roles like answering calls, following up leads, or chasing invoices.
The result? Lost revenue. Missed opportunities. Overwhelmed owners doing admin instead of running their business. Calls go unanswered whilst they're with customers. Leads slip through the cracks. Enquiries arriving at 7pm never get responses. The work just doesn't get done.
Traditional Hiring
£25,000/year
1 receptionist + benefits + training + management
AI Teammates
£1,188/year
1 receptionist OR 21 complete team members
We've just closed that gap. Whilst everyone else builds AI tools for enterprises, we're building the SME workforce. This is staffing replacement, not software implementation.
We're Not Competing with AI Tools. We're Replacing Entry-Level Roles.
This isn't about technology adoption. It's about solving the SME staffing crisis with a fundamentally different approach. When a business owner thinks "I need to hire a receptionist," we say "Here's Missy. She starts Monday. £99 per month." Not "Here's an API. Hire engineers to configure it."
Traditional Staffing
  • £22-28K per year per role
  • 3-6 months training
  • Scaling means hiring more people
  • Reed, Indeed, agencies
Enterprise AI Tools
  • £500K+ implementations
  • Requires technical team
  • Prompt engineering needed
  • Built for £10M+ revenue companies
AI Teammates (Us)
  • £79-799 per month
  • Train through conversation
  • Self-service signup
  • Built for 5.5M UK SMEs
Different market. Different buyer. Different problem. We're targeting a wide-open £25 billion UK SME staffing market, not the crowded enterprise AI space with 12-18 month sales cycles.
Meet Your New Hires
You Don't Configure Them. You Hire Them.
Sophia
Customer service specialist who handles enquiries, resolves issues, and maintains customer satisfaction around the clock.
Missy
Receptionist extraordinaire managing calls, appointments, and first impressions with consistent professionalism.
Sean
SEO assistant optimising content, tracking rankings, and implementing best practices for online visibility.
They arrive already trained in their job. Sales teammates understand lead qualification frameworks and CRM management. Admin teammates know enquiry response templates and scheduling coordination. HR teammates handle CV screening and interview scheduling.
They just need to learn YOUR business. And they do that through conversation, exactly like training a new hire. No prompt engineering. No API configuration. No technical integration.
Available 24/7
Never Sick
Scales Infinitely
95% Less Cost
Available wherever you already communicate: WhatsApp, SMS, voice calls, email, web chat, and social media. They actually do the work—not just generate suggestions. They send the follow-up, book the appointment, update the CRM. The fact they're powered by AI is irrelevant to your customers.
Meet Garry: Hired a Receptionist, Became an Investor
"I didn't implement AI. I hired Missy." — Garry Sephton, Sutton Roofing
Garry needed a receptionist but couldn't justify £25,000 per year for someone to answer calls. The cost? Losing £2,000-3,000 per month in jobs whilst up a ladder. Customers would ring, he couldn't answer, they'd call his competitor instead. By the time he returned the call, the job was gone.
Garry didn't "implement AI." He hired Missy as his receptionist. The process was identical to hiring a human: he decided he needed a receptionist, selected Missy from our catalogue, trained her through conversation about his business, pricing, and approach, then she started working.
568
Contacts Added
Every single call captured and qualified
366
Automated Follow-Ups
Completed without his involvement
18
Months Working
Continuously operating perfectly
Over 18 months, Missy learned his pricing structure, communication style, busy seasons, how he handles specific enquiry types, and which jobs to prioritise. This isn't programming—it's exactly how human employees learn on the job. Garry is a roofer, not a tech person. If he can "hire" and "train" with zero technical skills, any business owner can.
Then something interesting happened: After months of measurable ROI, Garry became a shareholder. When your "employee" works so well that you invest your own money in the company, you've solved a real problem.
One Platform. Three Distribution Models. Unlimited Scale.
Our unique staffing-as-a-service model is powered by a single, robust platform designed for flexibility and rapid deployment. This allows us to activate multiple, distinct revenue channels, each tailored to different market segments and scaling opportunities, ensuring diversified growth and resilience.
This diagram illustrates how our unified platform supports distinct distribution channels, enabling us to serve a broad range of clients from individual SMEs to large enterprises via agency partnerships, and eventually a massive self-serve marketplace.
SME Direct (Squidgy)
  • Business owners hire teammates directly.
  • Self-service signup with product-led growth.
  • Pricing: £79-799 per month.
Enterprise via Agency (Handled)
  • Agencies "hire out" our teams to their enterprise clients.
  • Max (from our previous card) is bringing in clients like Universities and corporate accounts.
  • One agency partnership can unlock multiple enterprise accounts we couldn't reach directly.
  • Pricing: £2,000-3,500 per client per month (B2B2B model).
Marketplace at Scale (HighLevel)
  • Access to 20,000 agencies, serving millions of businesses.
  • Self-serve deployment with zero sales acquisition cost.
  • Market validation (CloseBot) indicates a £67-115 million market opportunity.
  • Pricing: £79-799 per month per client, with potential for 20,000+ agencies.

Plus: Vertical spin-outs. Our model also supports independent vertical brands like FanatiQ (Sports), YEAA (Youth Education & Apprenticeships), and Kate.ac (Higher Education). These entities can achieve independent exits, with licensing agreements returning revenue and valuable insights back to the core 4142 platform.
Bottom line: A lean team leveraging one powerful platform to drive four distinct, yet interconnected, revenue engines. This multi-pronged approach ensures massive scale potential and diversified market penetration without proportional increases in operational overhead.
The Hidden Giant: HighLevel Powers 20,000+ Marketing Agencies
GoHighLevel, or simply HighLevel, is a white-label platform that has become an indispensable tool for over 20,000 marketing agencies globally. Often described as the "Salesforce for small marketing agencies," it consolidates CRM, marketing automation, two-way communication, and sales funnels into a single, comprehensive suite.
Why HighLevel Matters to Our Strategy
HighLevel represents a colossal, ready-made distribution channel for our "staffing-as-a-service" model. Its ecosystem provides us with unparalleled access to a vast network of agencies, each serving numerous small and medium-sized businesses.
  • Built-in Distribution: With over 20,000 agencies actively using the platform, we gain access to 20,000 potential resellers. Considering each agency typically serves 10-100+ clients, this translates into direct access to millions of end businesses requiring automated solutions.
  • Built-in Demand: These agencies are constantly seeking innovative AI solutions to enhance their client offerings. While HighLevel offers native AI capabilities, they often require complex, drag-and-drop configuration. This complexity drives a strong demand within the community for simpler, more effective plug-and-play alternatives – exactly what our AI teammates provide.
CloseBot: A Market Validation Case Study
The success of CloseBot, a competitor operating on the HighLevel marketplace, provides compelling validation for our approach. As of September 2024, CloseBot boasts 24,000 installations and an estimated Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) between £67-115 million. Crucially, CloseBot focuses solely on lead qualification – a single use-case. This demonstrates the immense market appetite for specialised AI solutions within the HighLevel ecosystem.
Our Distinct Advantage
Full Team Suite
Unlike CloseBot's single use-case, we offer a comprehensive suite of AI teammates capable of handling various roles, from receptionists to customer support and sales enablement.
Instant Setup
Our "hire and train" model bypasses the days of complex drag-and-drop configuration, allowing agencies to deploy AI teammates almost instantly, significantly reducing time-to-value.
Stackable Pricing
With a flexible pricing model of £79-799 per teammate per month, agencies can scale their AI workforce cost-effectively, adding capacity precisely as their client needs grow.
Our launch on the HighLevel marketplace is slated for Q3 2026, by which point both our Squidgy (SME Direct) and Handled (Enterprise via Agency) distribution models will be fully established. This strategy ensures that a single marketplace listing will unlock access to over 20,000 active sales channels, positioning us for exponential growth.
This Isn't a Fluke: People "Hire" Our Teammates, Then Invest in the Company
These aren't just customers. They're proof the platform works across trades, sports, enterprise agencies, and multiple use-cases.
When customers use your product like they'd hire an employee—and then invest their own money—you've crossed a critical validation threshold. This pattern repeats: users become investors, then advisors or partners, bringing both capital and strategic value.
Garry - Roofing
Journey: User → Investor → Advisor
"Employed" Missy for 18 months with measurable ROI (568 contacts, 366 follow-ups), became shareholder, now helping shape our Trades vertical based on real-world needs.
"I didn't implement software. I hired a team member who happens to be AI."
Philip - Various Industries
Journey: User → Investor
Our second customer, employing multiple admin teammates. His team saves hours on repetitive work. Invested after seeing the impact firsthand.
"It's like having junior staff who never call in sick."
Pete - Sports (Scout7 Exit)
Journey: User → Investor → CEO of FanatiQ
Built and exited SportsTech companies before. "Hired" our sports teammates to test, invested AND became CEO of FanatiQ vertical. Now bringing in deals: MK Dons live (£1K/month + revenue share), Marlow FC signing, 3+ in pipeline.
"I've built vertical SaaS before. This is the staffing model, not the software model."
Max - Digital Marketing (Australia)
Journey: Demo → Investor → Distribution Partner
Runs Noble Five Performance agency. Saw platform demo, immediately understood value, invested £20,000. Now "hiring" our teammates for enterprise clients: University of Sunshine Coast, major automotive marketplace, 50+ university network access.
"Building this in-house would cost £500K and 18 months. I just hired the team instead."

This is the pattern that matters: They're not just paying subscription fees or satisfied users. They're "employing" our teammates to run their businesses, then investing in ours. When customers become investors, you've crossed a critical validation threshold.
The Enterprise Unlock: One Partner, Massive Pipeline
Saw the Team, Hired Them, Invested, Now Deploying to Enterprise
Max Flanigan
Noble Five Performance
Performance marketing agency serving enterprise clients: universities, automotive companies, and global brands across Australia.
Strategic Partnership Journey
This validates that our "hire teammates" model works at enterprise scale, not just for small agencies.
Why He Partnered Instead of Building
Build In-House Option:
  • 6-12 months development time
  • £350-500K+ investment
  • Ongoing maintenance burden
  • Risk of complete failure
  • Need to hire and manage development team
Partner with Us:
  • Deployed in weeks
  • Fraction of the cost
  • Proven "workforce" that works
  • We handle all updates
  • Just "hire" teammates for clients
1
Enterprise Staffing Model Validation
His clients aren't buying "AI implementation"—they're buying "additional team capacity." Enterprise-grade agency proves our model works at scale.
2
Enterprise Client Access
University of Sunshine Coast in deployment discussions, multiple universities across Australia, US, and UK, major automotive marketplace in pipeline, network powering remote learning for 50+ universities.
3
Staffing Platform Distribution
Max built infrastructure where clients hire people for project support. Inserting our AI teammates provides direct access to enterprise decision-makers who trust his "staffing recommendations."
This partnership model unlocks enterprise access. We're not selling AI tools—we're providing teammates that partners can "hire out" to their clients. This model is replicable, and we're already replicating it with other agencies.
Distribution at Scale: The HighLevel Opportunity
20,000 Agencies Need Better Teams. We're Giving Them Ours.
HighLevel serves over 20,000 agencies managing millions of businesses directly. These agencies need teams to deliver services. Currently, they either hire staff (expensive, slow to scale), use complex AI tools (requires technical skills), or do it themselves (doesn't scale).
CloseBot proves the market demand: 24,000 installs in September 2024 alone, estimated £67-115M ARR, single use-case (lead qualification only), £395/month pricing validated by market. But CloseBot is a tool, not a team. You still need to configure it and understand how to use it.
CloseBot (Tool Model)
  • Lead qualification only
  • Days/weeks for setup
  • £395/month single purchase
  • Drag-and-drop complexity
  • Static configuration
  • One tool to learn
Our Solution (Staffing Model)
  • Multi-department team members
  • Instant "hire" and train
  • £79-799/month + stack members
  • Conversational "training"
  • Self-learning from work
  • Hire multiple roles from catalogue
Drive Their Revenue
We drive messaging volume (SMS, WhatsApp, email) which directly increases HighLevel's revenue
Guaranteed Access
Minimal entry barriers, virtually guaranteed marketplace access at low/no cost for us to list
Aligned Incentives
Our teammates doing more work equals their growth—perfect partnership alignment
The Positioning Difference
Other AI vendors to HighLevel agencies: "Implement our AI tool to automate lead qualification."
Us to HighLevel agencies: "Hire a sales assistant, an admin coordinator, and a content creator for your clients. £79 each per month."
Same outcome. Different mental model. The hiring model wins in the SME market. Even capturing 10% of CloseBot's success represents massive opportunity. Launching Q3 2026: Squidgy (full "team" suite for direct hire) and Handled (lead "staff" for agencies to hire out).
The Model: Staffing-as-a-Service at Scale
One Team Catalogue, Many Industries, Multiple Exits
4142 owns core conversational AI technology and licenses "team members" to vertical businesses. With 70-80% code reusability across all deployments, we build the "receptionist" once and it works for property, sports, trades, automotive, and more. Team members just need to "learn" industry-specific knowledge through conversation.
Squidgy (Direct SME)
£99-999/month self-serve
Handled (Agency B2B2B)
£2K-3.5K/client PRIORITY Q3 2026 LAUNCH
HighLevel Marketplace
20,000 agencies × self-serve
Licensing
20% of all spin-out revenue
Spin-Out Structure
When verticals spin out:
4142 Ltd: ~40% equity
4142 Shareholders: Additional ~40% equity between them
Vertical Leadership: ~20% equity
Current Spin-Outs
  • Handled (Agency Channel): Main priority, Q3 2026 launch
  • FanatiQ (Sports): Pete Oliver as CEO, MK Dons live, Marlow signing
  • YEAA (Property): Agency deployment focus

Your Double Exposure Example
FanatiQ exits £10M → You (at 10% of 4142) get ~£540K from FanatiQ alone
Plus: Squidgy + Handled + other spin-outs + platform value

One platform. Four revenue streams. Multiple exit opportunities.
Join Before the Window Closes
Why Now
The Self-Learning Moat
After 18 months, Garry's receptionist knows which properties to prioritise, how to handle local market objections, when to escalate versus handle autonomously, his communication style, and seasonal patterns. A new competitor launching today with better AI starts from zero with generic responses.
User reaction: "This new hire doesn't understand my business like my current team does. Not switching."
The moat compounds like human experience. Day 1: slight advantage. Month 6: clear superiority. 18+ months: effectively impossible to replace.
Live Teams Working Right Now
  • MK Dons (Championship club): £1K/month + revenue share
  • Max Flanigan / Noble Five: Expanding to more enterprise clients
  • CKH Digital: Multiple team members deployed
  • Marlow FC, additional clubs, agencies in active discussion
18-36 Months Before Big Tech Arrives
Enterprise AI vendors focus on £100K+ contracts. Big tech builds tools, not teams. HighLevel marketplace is wide open. Once an SME has "hired" and "trained" our teammates for 12+ months, switching costs are enormous. This timing advantage is unreplicable.
The Opportunity
£350K at £2.5M Pre-Money
Raising: £350,000 at £2.5M pre-money valuation
Ownership: 12.3% of 4142
50%
SEIS Tax Relief
Income tax relief available immediately
20%
Early Discount
First £50K at £2M effective valuation
Effective entry after SEIS relief: Invest £50K, receive £25K tax relief = £25K net cost. If investment returns £50K (1x), actual return is 2x. If investment returns £100K (2x), actual return is 4x. Risk is cut in half through SEIS relief.
Break-Even in 4 Months
June 2026 profitability. Not burning cash for years. Current MRR: £4K. Path to £130K MRR represents 43x growth from February 2026's £3K base.
14x Potential Return
£38M Year 3 value on £2.5M pre-money (conservative assumptions):
  • Squidy (5x ARR): £26.5M
  • Spin-out equity stakes: £7.9M
  • Cash reserves: £4.0M
The team catalogue is built. Businesses are "hiring." Distribution is activating. This funding scales what's already working.
Ready to Dive Deeper?
Seth Ward, Founder & CEO
+44 7700 168075
We'll share detailed financials, technical architecture documentation, customer case studies, and the full group structure including SEIS details.