Business Processes You Should Automate Today
You know that moment when you're staring at your to-do list thinking, “Didn’t I just do this yesterday? Why am I still manually doing this stuff?” Yeah. Same.
This post is your sign to get out of the weeds and start thinking like a CEO instead of a one-woman admin team.
If you're in the thick of building something beautiful but feel like it's slowly consuming your sanity, I promise you—automation is your new bestie. It’s not just for tech nerds or corporate giants. It’s for smart, freedom-driven founders like you who are done running on fumes and ready to operate like the visionary you are.
So, let’s cut the fluff and dig into the business processes you should automate today to start reclaiming your time (and maybe even your weekends).
1. Client Onboarding & Offboarding
Time Suck Alert: Sending the same welcome emails, contracts, invoices, and questionnaires on repeat.
Automate It:
Use a CRM like Dubsado, HoneyBook, or Bonsai to set up client workflows.
Auto-send proposals, contracts, invoices, and even a dreamy “Here’s what to expect” welcome guide.
Schedule onboarding emails with links to book calls, access portals, and more.
📌 Savings: 2–4 hours per client.
Pro Tip: Make your onboarding feel like a luxe experience—think white-glove without the white knuckles.
2. Lead Capture & Nurture
Time Suck Alert: Manually responding to DMs, sending freebie links, and remembering to follow up.
Automate It:
Connect your website/IG bio to an email opt-in (Flodesk is a vibe).
Set up a nurture sequence that educates, builds trust, and offers value while you sleep.
Use an automated scheduler like Calendly to book discovery calls without the back-and-forth.
📌 Savings: 2–3 hours a week—and your inbox will thank you.
CEO Vibe Check: You should not be the bottleneck to your business growing. If someone wants to pay you? Let it be easy.
3. Content Scheduling
Time Suck Alert: Posting manually every day, rewriting captions, forgetting what you even planned.
Automate It:
Use Notion + Later, Metricool, or Planoly to plan and schedule content in batches.
Repurpose long-form content across multiple platforms with AI support (like me!).
📌 Savings: 3–5 hours a week, depending on how content-heavy your brand is.
Creative Hack: Write your content from your “CEO self,” not your tired self at 10pm. She’s the one we trust with the vision.
4. Invoice + Payment Collection
Time Suck Alert: Forgetting to invoice, chasing late payments, feeling weird about money convos.
Automate It:
Use tools like Wave, Stripe, Dubsado, or QuickBooks to set up recurring invoices or payment plans.
Add auto-payment options so your clients never “forget.”
📌 Savings: 1–2 hours per week—and a ton of emotional bandwidth.
Mindset Shift: Automating payments = respecting your time AND your client’s. Consistency builds trust.
5. Task Management & Team Communication
Time Suck Alert: Slack messages flying. Lost notes. You managing your VA instead of the other way around.
Automate It:
Use ClickUp, Asana, or Trello with automations for recurring tasks and project templates.
Create SOPs once, then delegate forever.
Set automations like “If task is overdue, notify me” so you don’t babysit everything.
📌 Savings: 2–4 hours/week, depending on team size.
CEO Energy: Don’t solve the same problem twice. Systems are how you scale sustainably.
6. Email Replies + Calendar Management
Time Suck Alert: Email ping pong. “Are you free on Tuesday?” chaos.
Automate It:
Set up Gmail canned responses or Zapier workflows for FAQs.
Use a booking tool (Calendly, Acuity) with integrated buffer times and time zone conversion.
📌 Savings: 1–3 hours/week, and you’ll stop living in your inbox.
Bonus Move: Auto-decline meetings outside your deep work hours. Protect your flow like it's sacred (because it is).
