Why Even Basic Automations Can Change the Game in Your Business

In this episode, we’re diving into one of my favorite topics: automation. But before you panic or picture some overly complicated tech setup, let’s get real—this is all about the simple stuff that makes a huge difference.

You don’t need a team, a 50-step workflow, or a tech degree. You just need to notice the places where you’re repeating yourself... and maybe stop doing that. 😉

In this episode, I share:

• What business automation actually means (no buzzwords, just clarity)
• Real-world examples of small automations that can save you hours
• Signs you’re ready to automate (hint: you’ve copy-pasted the same email 14 times)
• How to start small—even if you’re tech-averse
• The mindset blocks that keep us from automating (and how to move past them)

Even basic automations can free up mental space, help you show up more professionally, and give your clients a smoother experience.

Ready to stop doing the same task 800 times? Hit play. Try one small automation this week and tell me how it feels.

Learn more about BizMagic or the BizMagic Podcast.

Transcript

Welcome back to another episode of the Biz Magic Podcast, your place for all things tech in your online business with solid. So General Biz Chat two. My name is Patty Meyer and I am the CEO and founder of Biz Magic, where my team and I support entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed by the backend tech of their business.

We create, implement, and teach the tweaks that help our clients make a bigger impact with less stress. One thing I have talked about a lot on this podcast and will probably continue to talk about is automations. When people hear the word automation, they usually will fall into one of two camps, camp one.

They picture overly complex systems full of triggers. Logic paths and they immediately shut down because this feels really stressful and really overwhelming. Camp two, they think it sounds cool in theory, but not something that they really need because their business is small or simple enough. If you were in either camp.

Today's episode is for you because the truth is that automation doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming, and you don't need a huge team or mature business to benefit from it. Even basic automations, the kind you can set up in one afternoon can start freeing up your time, simplifying your systems, and creating a more consistent experience for your clients.

So in this episode today, I'm going to walk you through what business automation actually means. I'll give you examples of some small but mighty automations that you can put in place and help you figure out where to start, especially if the idea of automating in your business feels intimidating or too techy.

So let's dive in. So first, let's start with the basics. What is automation in a business context? Again, I have talked about this before, but I am going to talk about it again because automating stuff in your business is so important and it saves you so much time and energy and money and brings you repeat clients, like, I cannot stress enough how important having even basic automations in your business can be.

So at its core. Automation is about using your systems and your tools to do repeatable tasks for you so that you don't have to manually do them every time. It's not about replacing you. It's about supporting you by creating repeatable workflows that reduce errors, that increase consistency and give you back your time and your mental energy.

And this is especially helpful when it's just you. And you can't maybe afford just yet to hire somebody else to help you take some of this stuff off of your plate, or you just simply don't want to. Right? So these are really great times for you to consider automations. So automations can be as. Simple as sending a welcome email.

As soon as somebody joins your list, it can be moving a client into your project management system with a few clicks. It can be scheduling a reminder before a call or before a payment is due. It can be tagging somebody on your email list based on how they filled out a form or in your CRM or even. Uh, in flagging them or filtering them or labeling them in your Gmail based on something in an email.

All of these are things that you may already be doing manually in your business automations. Just handle them in the background so you can focus on things that actually need your attention, like client work, strategic planning, working on income producing activities, or even just taking a very much needed break.

So why does this matter, especially for small business owners, because you wear a lot of hats. And there are only so many hours in the day, and while it's easy to think, it's just faster if I do it myself, which we can talk about the same thing when it comes to hiring support. That approach adds up. You may not notice right away the impact of retyping the same email like 10 times or manually creating at client folders one by one until you hit a wall and realize how much time you're spending on things that could be automated.

And it's not just about saving time. Automation creates consistency. Okay. If you've ever had a moment of panic, like, did I remember to send them an onboarding document, or did I forget to follow up with that lead? Or a frustrating moment where you think, I can't believe I forgot to follow up with that lead Automation can kind of be like an insurance policy for you.

Once it's in place, the system doesn't forget. The system doesn't feel overwhelmed. The system just gets it done. You don't have to wonder, you don't have to feel regret. You don't have to feel frustrated. Things just happen, and that consistency builds trust. It creates a smoother client experience. It helps you show up more professionally without adding more work to your plate, and it gives you more peace of mind and more spaciousness in your mind to think about other things and focus on working on your business and not in it.

So what kinds of basic automations might make sense for you? I'm so glad you asked. Here are a few common automations that I've set up with clients or I've seen clients have that have really made a difference. So this is what they could look like. Number one, a new subscriber, welcome email. When someone signs up for your list, they automatically get a warm, helpful message from you that tells 'em next steps or gives them some value or just welcomes them and.

That way, you're not manually sending it every time your email platform handles it. Number two, client onboarding workflow. When someone signs a contract or books of service, they're automatically added to your CRM or your project management tool. They're sent a welcome packet and given the next steps without you having to remember each piece or do it when you have a moment.

Number three, appointment reminders. You have a calendar system that sends automated reminders before a call, which reduces no-shows and potential client loss, and helps everyone feel prepared. Number four, tasks or email triggers in your CRM, let's say someone fills out an inquiry form. Your CRM can create a task for you to follow up, send a thank you email, or even tag them based on their answers.

Number five, internal automations. Things like auto, creating a folder when a new client signs up, moving a task to the next stage when a payment is received. Nothing flashy but incredibly helpful. And these can all start super simply. You don't need to build out some giant flow chart with 15 steps. You just need to notice where you're repeating yourself and decide what you're ready to take off your plate.

So how do you figure out where to start? One of the easiest ways is to pay attention to what you repeat. Ask yourself some questions. What emails am I sending again and again? What steps do I take every time I get a new client? What am I always reminding people or myself to do? What little admin tasks are eating up more time than they should?

Once you identify one of those areas, choose one small part of that to automate. You don't have to do the whole thing, just start with one piece. For example, maybe you're not ready to fully automate your client onboarding process, but you can automate sending a welcome email and a link to your scheduler.

That is a really great place to start. It's really simple. It's really easy. Or maybe you still want to personally respond to inquiries, but your CRM can automatically tag new leads and create a follow-up task for you. Small targeted automations like this add up and they often lead to bigger improvements later on.

And they can also give you ideas. They can inspire you because you're like, oh, that I never thought about doing that. That's something that I can do. What else can I do? Right? Once you get something off your plate, you can then start to think about other things that will get off your plate because you have the bandwidth to think about it.

So I do wanna talk about something that I think gets us hung up a bit on doing some of these automations. And that's mindset blocks. A lot of people get stuck here and it's not because they don't have the right tools, it's because something feels hard about letting go of control or trusting that a system is going to actually show up or even learning something new.

So you might be thinking. I don't wanna make it feel impersonal. It's too complicated. I'll mess it up. I don't even know where to begin. If any of those three things resonate with you, you're not wrong. Those feelings are super valid, but the truth is that automation doesn't have to be cold or complicated.

In fact, we're gonna talk a little bit about that in, uh, the next episode where I talk to a guest all about automating in your business. But the truth is that when done thoughtfully, automations can actually make your business feel more personal because people don't feel like they've fallen through the cracks.

They hear from you at the right moments, with the right information, without any kind of delayed, and so they feel a lot more held. And so you don't have to get this perfect. You can start small, test one thing, see how it feels, you can tweak things and improve them. The hardest part is often just. Getting started, so I just want you to remember that even basic automations that can take 15 minutes to set up can help you save time.

They can help you reduce stress, create smoother, more professional experiences for your clients. You don't have to automate everything, and you don't have to do it all right away. But if you find yourself repeating the same action more than a few times, that's likely a signal that there's probably a better way to do things and automations may help.

Try automating one small thing this week and see how it feels. You might feel surprised. How much freedom it creates for you, and feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to tell me what you automated or tell me how it felt, or tell me if you got a little hiccup in that, because I'm here to help and I hope that this was helpful for you.

I always appreciate you listening and sharing if you find these episodes helpful again. I always love to hear from you. You can find me at patty@bizmagic.co or at. Biz magic.co or on Instagram at Biz magic Co. And uh, that's it for this week. I appreciate you and I hope everything is going great in your business world and uh, I'll talk to you next time.

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Biz Magic Podcast. Like most small businesses and podcasts, we rely heavily on word of mouth. So if you like what you heard today, or in any episode, please share with your friends and colleagues and rate, subscribe, and comment on your favorite podcast platform.

Till next time, cheers to your magical biz success.