First anniversary of Pollock Biotech!

Reaching one year in business feels both surreal and satisfying. It hasn’t been a smooth journey - I’ve had some great wins, but far more losses than wins, including one potential client who expected me to complete weeks of work for free! Still, every setback has taught me something valuable, and the business has already grown in directions I never expected.

My biggest focus this year has been AI training. I started with a small project in November 2025, followed by a long, quiet stretch with no work at all, until a larger project arrived in April and kept me busy right up until this week. The pace of learning has been intense and incredibly rewarding. I’ve progressed from an AI trainer to an AI reviewer, gaining the skills to evaluate and refine other people’s work before it reaches clients. This step up has opened doors to new opportunities with other AI companies, and I’m actively working on expanding that side of the business.

Another major milestone this year was being recruited by UKAS as a technical assessor - a role that aligns perfectly with my scientific background. My training begins this month, and this will become a significant part of my business in year two and beyond. I’ll be travelling across the UK, and potentially internationally, to assess both veterinary and medical microbiology and molecular biology diagnostic laboratories as part of my sister company - microQA.

Alongside all of this, I’ll continue taking on biotechnology research projects. I have ideas and ambitions that I hope will carry me into year three and beyond, expanding the scientific side of my work while keeping space for innovation.

I’m genuinely proud of what I’ve achieved in my first year of business. It has been hard work, and I’ve had to swallow more rejections than I ever imagined, but I’ve built something that is truly mine and I am carrying out work that means a great deal to me on my own terms.