What Business Automation Really Means

[0:06] Hey there, and welcome to episode 27 of Your Fun and Profitable Online Business. This is the podcast that helps you build a business that feels as good as it looks without wasting precious time on things technology can do for you. I’m Wendy Muzzy, a money coach, online business strategist, and your go-to for making your business way more fun and way more profitable. Today, we’re talking about simple automations, the kind that’ll save you hours every week and help you make money with ease. All right, let’s get to it. I often hear entrepreneurs say that they think automations are complicated or expensive or impersonal. And I get it, they can be that way. And then they put them off. They end up drowning in these repetitive tasks that could be running themselves. But the truth is, automations are really just creating systems that work for you when you’re not working.

Why Automation Matters for Small Business Owners

[1:02] It’s simply using technology to complete those repetitive tasks and processes. It’s simple. So why does this matter? Here are three big reasons. Number one, automations give you back your most valuable resource, your time. Number two, it keeps your business consistent. Leads are followed up with, clients are onboarded, and your sales process stays steady without you having to remember every single step. And number three, and the most important in my opinion, it keeps your business fun and profitable. Remember step two of the fun and profitable business model? Do less of what drains you. When you automate the things that feel heavy or unenjoyable, your business starts to feel lighter and way more fun. And here’s the best part. Each of the automations I’m going to share with you today can be set up in a single afternoon with the right tech. Now, they’re effective and they will still be running months from now without you having to sit at your computer.

How to Choose What to Automate in Your Business

[2:02] Before we get into the list, I want to talk briefly about the strategy behind choosing what to automate. I’m going to give you five options today, and I don’t want you to think you have to have all of these or any of these. I want you to look at your business wholly and decide what you think you need to automate. Not every task should be automated. The key is to find the repetitive tasks that happen often, like daily or weekly, and have a clear trigger, like someone booking a call, buying a product, or hitting a scheduled content day. Now, with that in mind, let’s walk through the automations and the goals you hope to achieve with them.

Lead Magnet Automation: Turn Subscribers Into Customers

[2:41] Goal number one, move people smoothly through your offer ecosystem. So here you can set up a lead magnet to low ticker offer bridge. After someone downloads your freebie, they get a short automated pitch of a sequence for a small relevant offer. Generally, this offer has a low financial risk, maybe nine to $37. And it works because it monetizes your new subscribers quickly while they’re most engaged. My favorite tool for this is Kit for the email sequence and then Thrivecart for checkout and delivery. Use whatever tools you already have. Don’t go buy mine, but if you don’t have any, I suggest looking into those. Goal number two, elevate your higher level offer experience. Now this is on the write offer framework. This is the higher level offer.

Automate Client Onboarding for a Better Customer Experience

[3:27] Here, I strongly suggest setting up an automated client onboarding flow. This lets you use one place to handle your contracts, your invoices, your intake forms, and your welcome packet. So your clients feel cared for immediately. And it works because it removes delays and makes you look polished from day one. Here you can use Paperbell, Dubsado, or HoneyBook. Personally, I use Paperbell. But I want to acknowledge that these are pricey. So if cost is an issue, you can DIY this yourself with Zapier and Google Drive. Don’t feel overwhelmed by that. You can go on YouTube and find tools and tricks to do that. But the trick here is as soon as someone engages with you, all the things happen automatically. So you’re not having to go through and think about what you do next, or they have to wait 24 hours or whatever else the case may be.

Email Automation for First-Time Buyers

[4:19] Goal number three, build trust without sending every communication personally. I would love to be able to send every single email that goes out of my inbox. It’s just not reality. There’s way too many emails in a day, and I’m just not physically able to do it. So here I like to set up email automations through KIT. Again, that’s my preferred email service provider. Use whatever one you have. Today, I’m going to suggest a first-time buyer series. This is for any of your digital products. And I liked them to be playful, like, hey, we just noticed you joined the cool club. Welcome. So happy to have you. Throw some confetti, all the good stuff. You could also include product tips, relevant fun facts, or even just a behind the seeds peek in your business. The advantage here is it allows potential clients to learn more about you and feel confident about their purchase. Now, here’s a pro tip. Write these emails yourself and make them feel like you’re talking to the person, not an audience.

Content Scheduling Automation for Consistent Visibility

[5:16] All right. Goal number four, stay consistent without being chained to your desk. I love a good auto scheduler. I have odd working hours. Anyone who gets real emails from me knows that they’re not typically in your range of normal working hours. So I use auto schedulers whenever I can. And this can be for social media posts, podcasts, or blogs. And this lets you schedule when your content will be published one time, and it automatically sends it out into the internet at that scheduled time. There are a lot of options here. I suggest using Canva for social media posts, Buzzsprout for podcasts, or Substack for your blogs. There’s a lot of things out there. Find something that works for you. Don’t buy these because I suggest them. These are just some suggestions if you don’t have anything yet.

Email Filtering Systems to Keep Your Inbox Organized

[6:04] Goal number five, keep your inbox clean. This is a big one that I talk to clients about again and again. Email filtering. This lets your emails automatically go to certain folders and you don’t have to look through them as soon as they come into your inbox. I sit down and look through my folders one time a week and I get to read them all in that category at one time. Gmail and Outlook have some fabulous options here and you can go check out episode eight for more on email management as a whole. That’s wendymuzzy.com/8.

How to Find the Best Automation Opportunity in Your Business

[6:39] All right, let’s talk about your action step. We’re going to start with your next best step. Let’s say you don’t have any automations or you just feel overwhelmed by all this. First, I want you to identify the best thing in your business to automate. Here I have a three-step filter. It’s super easy. Step one, list everything you do in a week. This week, you’re just going to observe what you’re doing. You’re going to write down everything, even the tiny stuff. Then you’re going to highlight anything that’s repetitive. This is where your automation goldmine sits. And then ask, will automating this save me time, money, or middle space? The answer is yes to any of those. Pick one automation and set it up. And if it’s yes to all three, that’ll save you time, money, and middle space, go set up that automation and make it happen immediately. Like that’s top number one priority. Now, I want to be clear here. You don’t need to set up all the automations I suggested today at once. pick the one that will save you the most time and recover the most revenue right now. And if you want my recommendation without going through the filter, start with a lead magnet to low ticket offer bridge. It works for every business type and starts paying off immediately. So there you have it. Five simple automations that’ll save you time and energy and boost your sales without adding more to your plate.

The Best First Automation for Most Online Businesses

[7:58] Remember, automations aren’t replacing you. It’s just about freeing you up to do the work that actually grows your business. And if you want a deeper dive, go grab my free guide on top automation mistakes to avoid. You can get it at wendymuzzy.com/automate. And hey, before you go, next week’s episode is gonna be one you don’t wanna miss. We’re talking about habits that quietly slow your business growth. The little things you might not even notice that could be holding you back way more than you think. It’s gonna be a good one. If you wanna subscribe to my podcast, new episodes are automatically downloaded into your library. Yep, that’s a super easy automation you can make happen right now. Until then, happy automating!