As a successful business owner, you're wearing many hats - perhaps too many. From managing your team to handling finances and marketing, nearly every task seems to demand your attention. What if there was a way to lighten your load without sacrificing quality or productivity? The answer lies in automation.

What is Automation?

Don’t overthink this one: Automation simply means using technology to perform tasks automatically. Think of it as a digital assistant that handles routine, repetitive tasks, freeing you up to focus on more strategic and high-value work. If the thought of complicated tech or the boogeyman of AI feels overwhelming or worrisome, you might be surprised at just how low-tech some of this automation can be.

Recommended Read: 3 Ways an Assistant Can Lighten Your Workload Immediately

Examples of Everyday Automation For Your Business

Here are simple ways you can set up systems to save yourself time and mental bandwidth:

• Email: Start automatically sorting your emails into different folders based on keywords, senders, or subject line. For example, let’s say you love your weekly newsletters, but don’t always have time to read them. Create a simple folder or tag in your email provider to separate out “nice to keep up on email from the time-sensitive emails requiring action. 

• Shared Calendars: Put your entire team on a shared calendar so everyone can see what’s going on and simplify scheduling. Many digital calendars can automatically suggest meeting times based on your availability and that of your invitees.

• Social media scheduling: Pre-scheduling posts to be published at specific times. This can be done on various apps & websites, or you can schedule them directly on the platform. This works because batching tasks together saves time & brain power and keeps you off the socials during peak productivity hours.

• Online banking: Automatically paying bills and reconciling your accounts without touching even one piece of paper will make everything faster and more seamless.

• Meetings Simplified: Put recurring meetings on repeat: If your regular meetings are always on the same time on the same day and just auto-repeat on a shared calendar, it saves all the hassle of scheduling them each time. 

• Scheduling Clients or Prospects: Set up simple client scheduling software. If you’re still emailing back and forth to set up meetings or consults, you’re spending your time in the wrong place. Set up a simple service like Calendly to let potential clients book calls with you or your team. 

• Project management or CRM software: From simple to complex, programs like Asana, Monday.com, and countless others put everyone on the same page. It will save you time and also help your team get super clear on deliverables, deadlines, and who is responsible for what. 

• Checklists: Research shows that even experts make fewer mistakes when they use checklists, so get everything out of your team’s heads and put it into a list. From daily tasks to quarterly or annual tasks, this stops important things from slipping through the cracks and makes it infinitely easier to delegate when it’s time. 

How Your Business Benefits from Automation

• Time Savings: When you automate repetitive tasks, you free up valuable time to focus on more important work.

• Reduce errors: Automation can help minimize human error and ensure accuracy in your work.

• Increase efficiency: Automated processes can streamline your workflow and improve overall efficiency.

• Improve consistency: Automation can help ensure consistency in your tasks, leading to better results.

• Better customer service: Everyone has a busy/nutty day, week, or season– but your clients shouldn’t feel that. Set up systems to take care of them even in your busiest seasons. 

Recommended Read: The Secret to Achieving More

What to Automate in Your Business?

When deciding what to automate, consider the following:

• Repetitive tasks: Tasks that you perform frequently and follow a consistent pattern are good candidates for automation.

• Time-consuming tasks: Tasks that take up a significant amount of your time but don't add significant value to your business.

• Error-prone tasks: Tasks that are prone to human error can benefit from automation.

• Occasional tasks: That one review that has to be done every October, the filing that’s due in February, the routine maintenance that needs to get done before cold season– rather than relying on someone to remember to remember, put these into a system that will remind you. 

When to Automate?

While automation can be a powerful tool, it's important to use it strategically. Here are some factors to consider:

• Don’t wait until something is broken to set up a system

• Plan for your next phase of growth and implement ahead of time 

• Let your systems grow in stages: don’t buy a tractor for a little backyard garden 

• Your customer and employees’ frustrations are often a signpost saying “add automation here” 

Tip: Automate or Delegate one thing at a time so that it’s not such a large undertaking all at once and you can evaluate the effectiveness of each system before adding another. 

Automation is Game-Changer for Business Owners

Automation is just one of the ways we help. By streamlining your processes and freeing up valuable time, you can focus on what truly matters: growing your business. At Doescher Group, we understand the challenges of running a business, and we’re committed to helping self-made business owners like you achieve your goals by leveling the playing field. Automation is just one tool in our toolbox. Let’s work together to find the right solutions for your unique situation.