Today, the topic of automation is everywhere. Open industry news – automation. Log into LinkedIn – someone is talking about AI. With so much talk about automation, you’d expect everyone to be embracing it by now.
Yet, after helping businesses automate for the past several years, I’ve noticed a clear pattern in who reaches out to me. And most importantly, I also realized the type of businesses who don’t reach out to automation consultants or agencies at all.
It all comes down to how business owners view automation. Based on that, I can confidently separate them into three different groups. But only the ones from the first two ever reach out to me. And it’s the first group that ends up working with me 90% of the time.
Here’s who they are, and why understanding these groups might be the difference between leading your market or watching others pull ahead.
The Three Types of Businesses in the Automation Era
The Pioneers a.k.a. Leaders
The first group already gets it. They’ve seen what automation can do, maybe tried a few tools themselves. But, they either lack the skills or time to build something more sophisticated.
These clients move fast. We talk strategy on Monday; by Friday I’m deploying their first scenario (assuming I have enough room in my schedule – but at least we’re ready).
The Fence-Sitters a.k.a. I’ll Wait and See
The second group is curious but cautious. Some noticed competitors moving faster. Others heard about AI transforming their industry. In the worst case, they even lost a deal to someone more efficient.
They reach out asking, “Is this actually worth it for my business?” (Spoiler: If you’re asking, it probably is.). But they don’t always end up building.
The Resistors a.k.a. The Skeptics
Then there’s the third group. I know they’re out there even if they don’t reach out.
They’re still convinced that automation is hype, too complex, or not for their industry.
Quite often they believe their business processes cannot be automated. Or they don’t want to automate because they’ve always done things manually. As a result, they resist any change.
After all, if things work, why change anything?
Yet, it should be obvious that if you automate and save time (and money), it’s a clear win, right?
And there’s already plenty of data to support it.
For example, according to McKinsey, companies that have adopted AI are seeing 20% increases in EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes).
And it’s not just the data. Think about it from the point of view of a talented employee. Your talented employee.
Where would you prefer to work? A company that’s in group #3 – a place where employees still drown in spreadsheets, enter everything manually, and spend half of their time on moving data between tools?
Or a company in group #1 or two? A workplace where you can let your knowledge and skills shine? Where you don’t have to waste time on repetitive, manual tasks, and can focus on actions that add real value?
The good news is, soon employees won’t have to make that choice.
The bad? The reason for that is that companies from group #3 will soon be out of business.
The Automation Reality Check: The Revolution Is Already Happening
We need to stop talking about automation like it’s coming someday. It’s here.
Even now, as you read this, there’s someone in your industry closing deals faster because they automated their sales process.
It might be your closest competitor who just a year ago was half your size in revenue, but they’re catching up rapidly.
I’ve spent the last few years helping businesses automate, and the pattern is clear: the gap between automated and manual businesses isn’t growing gradually.
It’s accelerating. And it’s accelerating fast.
Just take one of my clients – Markree Castle – as an example. With just one (you read that right) Make.com scenario they automated over 500 payment collections worth hundreds of thousands of euros per year. And it’s not the only automation workflow they’re using.
Plus, they saved on fees by avoiding credit cards.
Then take the video agency I worked with. Their sales process was slow and they were losing deals to competitors who weren’t necessarily better – just faster.
So I built them a Media Plan app using Airtable, Softr, and Make. Now their salespeople (who aren’t technical at all) can set up pricing and show clients potential outcomes during the first meeting.
And they don’t have to spend hours preparing the calculations and can adjust everything in real time.
And the possibilities are endless.
- Companies that automate report generation can deliver insights in minutes instead of hours.
- Service businesses that automated onboarding can handle triple the clients without adding staff. And their conversion rate goes up – clients like fast decision makers.
- Agencies using AI for first drafts create content significantly faster while maintaining quality. Their highly-qualified copywriters can now focus on polishing the content and coming up with ideas and strategies.
In fact, just automating data entry in a company with 10 employees can save $47,000 per year, on average.
And the truth is that while companies in group #2 debate whether to start, and those in group #3 totally miss the opportunity to grow, early adopters are already automating their nth process.
So, why is it that so many companies don’t automate at all – and the majority of those that do are so slow on implementation?
Why Smart People Make Dumb Automation Decisions
You can say anything you want about businesses in group #3. But the truth is business owners resisting automation aren’t naive.
In fact, they’re often excellent at what they do. So why the resistance? After dozens of conversations, I see four main fears blocking them:
Loss of control. Many business owners and managers worry automation means losing oversight.
Reality: When routine tasks run automatically, they have more control over what matters. They don’t have to focus on details and can focus on the big picture, strategy, and growth.
Complexity. “It’s too technical for us.”
Reality: Building automation requires expertise. But using automated systems should be easy even for non-technical team members.
Loss of uniqueness. Many believe automation will take away their “secret sauce”. They view it as a copy-paste and a level of standardization they cannot afford to implement.
Reality: If your outcome is fully unique, you don’t have to automate it – but you can automate a lot of what’s happening in the backend. Every industry has automation success stories by now. Law firms automate document creation. Restaurants automate inventory. Creative agencies automate project management.
Lack of Perfect Systems. Many business owners wait until they have ideal systems before automating.
Reality: You shouldn’t automate chaos. But don’t wait for operational perfection. First, it’s impossible. And, even if it was, automation could only bring your business closer to it. And there’s a very high price that you pay for every day that you don’t automate.
The Compound Cost of Waiting
Let’s talk numbers. A typical 10-person service business spends about 20% of their time on administrative tasks.
As mentioned earlier, at average service rates, that’s a substantial amount of money spent on moving data between systems. And that financial cost is not the only problem.
In reality, it might just be the smallest of all problems.
Customer expectations are shifting. Your clients WANT automation. They already use automated systems everywhere – banking, shopping, healthcare.
For example, when you email them a PDF to print, sign, scan, and return, you’re not being thorough. You’re being outdated. Not to mention you’re wasting their time – and no client likes that.
Talent is leaving. Your talented employees want to do meaningful work. They don’t want to spend half their day on repetitive tasks.
If you keep forcing them to, they’re either learning automation on their own (to use at their next job) or already interviewing elsewhere.
Data blindness hurts decisions. Automation helps you collect more data and process it faster. Artificial Intelligence helps you draw better insights and can show you things you’d normally miss.
Businesses that embrace AI and automation see patterns instantly. Which services are most profitable? Which clients require the most support? Which processes have bottlenecks?
Stop guessing and making decisions based on memory and scattered spreadsheets. Make them based on real, AI-powered insights.
The compound effect is real. Each automated process frees time to improve another area. Each efficiency enables the next innovation. Automation is not linear growth – it’s exponential.
Getting Started Has Never Been Easier
The good news is, ANY business can start automating. Companies like Zapier, Make, OpenAI, and Anthropic have made automation affordable for any business.
And successful automation isn’t about having better tools or bigger budgets. It’s about strategy.
Start with a quick win. Don’t try to automate everything. What can you automate and get immediate results? Fix that first, even if just to see the benefit.
Systemize, don’t patch. Aim to turn your automation scenarios into complete systems. Don’t just aim to speed one or two processes. Use automation as an opportunity to rethink how you operate and build competitive advantages.
Don’t try to make it perfect. Real feedback trumps behind-the-scenes tinkering. Launch your automation, measure the results, and refine.
But most importantly… just start and watch your business grow. Businesses don’t automate because they’re successful – they’re successful because they automated.
Your Choice
It’s time to make a decision. If you’re in group #2 or #3 – cautious, delaying the decision to automate, keep one thing in mind:
Your competitors won’t wait. Some have already started. Others will start soon.
But each day you wait is a day they pull ahead. And it’s not just them you have to worry about. Your customers and team members want you to automate.
Your clients want faster service and better experiences. Your team wants to do work that matters, not move data around.
They don’t care about your internal preferences. They care about results.
In fact, in five years, there won’t be any groups. There will be just one group. Just successful ones and those that couldn’t adapt.
And the best part is, you don’t need a huge budget. You can start with a quick win. And once you start, I guarantee, you’ll want more. Because the more you automate, the more you gain.
Ready to explore what automation could mean for your business? Let’s discuss your biggest operational challenge and whether automation could transform it into a competitive advantage.
But don’t wait for too long with the decision. Because while you’re hesitating, your competitor just automated something else.
And tomorrow, they’ll automate more.