How to automate

Run a small business? If so, you know that the most valuable commodity is time. Unfortunately, you also have only 24 hours in a day and you can't be in two places at once.

Run a small business? If so, you know that the most valuable commodity is time. Unfortunately, you also have only 24 hours in a day and you can't be in two places at once. So how do you make life easier while keeping quality high? The answer is simple: automation.

Why automate?

Pretty obvious why. It'll cost you a bit of money, but it'll save you time. That's why it's important to be clear on what's worth automating and what isn't. If automation costs more than your hourly rate, it isn't a good idea. But if it costs less — or significantly less — at least give it a serious look.

Are there generally useful things to automate?

Yes. Almost everyone benefits from automating one specific thing: customer support, which (with appropriate oversight) you can hand off to AI.

What should I watch out for when automating?

Start small and slow. Big changes all at once aren't a great idea. Begin by automating one or two things. Teach your staff how to work with the new tooling, and only then move on to the next item. Try to pick scalable solutions, because you don't want to replace an entire system you set up to support growth — just because the company grew. And finally: don't try to automate everything. Some things aren't worth automating for reasons other than money — namely the quality of the result.