Shows
Automate Your AgencyBuild a Shared AI Brain for Your Company (No Code Required)Send a textMost founders are the bottleneck in their own company. Your standards, your voice, your client knowledge. It all lives in your head. And AI mirrors the problem when everyone on your team prompts it differently.A shared Dropbox folder just became the biggest AI breakthrough Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson have experienced since they started using AI. The discovery? Consistent results aren't about better prompting. They're about giving AI access to the same company knowledge every time.In this episode, Alane and Micah walk through how t...
2026-03-0927 minAutomate Your AgencyCustom GPTs and When to Use ThemSend a textStop rewriting the same AI prompts over and over again. Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson reveal why treating AI like a magic wand instead of building a system is sabotaging your results.If you've been uploading files, writing prompts, and getting inconsistent output every single time, this conversation will change everything. The hosts break down exactly why one-off AI usage creates chaos and how Custom GPTs become your secret weapon.In this episode, you'll learn:Why inconsistent AI output happens and how to fix it...
2026-02-2314 minAutomate Your AgencyThe AI Automation Graveyard (Why Most Projects Die After Launch)Send a textThe AI Automation Graveyard (Why Most Projects Die After Launch)If your automation hasn't been updated in 90 days, it's probably broken. Alane and Micah dive deep into why automation is actually software and what that means for your business. They reveal why most automation failures aren't due to poor building—they fail because people stop maintaining them. Learn why starting small beats building "maintenance monsters," how API changes and model updates break workflows faster than ever, and why the business case still makes sense even with ongoing maintenance costs. This ep...
2026-02-1616 minAutomate Your AgencyWant to Automate? APIs and Webhooks are EverythingSend a textSoftware needs to talk to each other, that's the foundation of all business automation. In this episode, Alane and Micah break down the three critical ways platforms communicate and why understanding these basics determines whether your business stays competitive or gets stuck in manual mode.What You'll Learn:APIs: When you need to ask for something (get customer data, create invoices, update records)Webhooks: When you're listening for something to happen (payment received, form submitted)MCPs: The AI version designed specifically for agents...
2026-02-0217 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy we deleted 50% of our 2026 objectivesSend a textPlanning season hits different when you realize that a packed plan isn't ambitious, it's confused. Alane and Micah share the uncomfortable truth about their 2026 planning process: they deleted over 50% of their goals, and it was the smartest move they've made all year. What You'll Learn:Why focusing on everything means accomplishing nothingThe exact 3-meeting process they used to refine their annual planHow ClickUp's annotate feature revolutionized their team collaborationWhy goal ownership changes everything about executionThe weekly accountability system that prevents roadblocks from becoming disastersTools Mentioned:
2026-01-2619 minAutomate Your AgencyEven if you don't think you want to exit, you should plan for itSend a textMost founders don't fail when trying to sell their company—they fail years earlier by becoming the only person who knows how everything works. In this episode, Alane and Micah explore what it really takes to build an exit-ready business, from documenting processes to leveraging AI for knowledge capture. They introduce the "No Yeah Buts" test and discuss how to transition from being an essential founder to an optional owner who has real choices about their future.What if AI could actually do the work instead of just giving suggestions?...
2026-01-1920 minAutomate Your AgencyHow AI Agents work with ClickUp, Asana, and MondaySend a textIf your AI agents and automations don't work with your project management system like ClickUp, Asana, or Monday, you're still operating in chaos. Alane and Micah break down the game-changing AI automations they've built that integrate seamlessly with ClickUp.Key Topics Covered:75% Workload Reduction: How they transformed podcast production from manual ChatGPT prompting to fully automated workflowsSmart Error Monitoring: AI agents that intelligently update existing tasks and escalate issues when neededEmail Triage Automation: Support emails automatically create tasks in the right client projects
2026-01-1217 minAutomate Your AgencyStop writing technical docs manuallySend a textWhen you’re building AI and automation for clients, the tech is the easy part — explaining what you built is where things bog down. In this episode, Micah and Beau walk through the internal “Tech Doc Agent” they built to turn messy JSON workflows into clean, 7-part client-ready documentation in minutes instead of hours.They break down how Beau translated real client questions into a repeatable structure, how Micah turned that into a minimal viable agent (MVA), and why starting simple (not “perfectly automated”) is the real unlock. You’ll hear how this one agent...
2025-12-1529 minAutomate Your AgencyUse AI to build your ideas in less than 60 minutesSend a textEvery founder knows the pain: you can see the product in your head, but explaining it to a designer or developer? That’s where things fall apart.For decades, the gap between visionaries and technical teams has been one of the biggest blockers to shipping great ideas. Endless Google Docs. Confusing sketches. Misinterpreted mocks. Weeks of back-and-forth. Frustration on both sides.But for the first time ever…this problem actually has a solution.In this episode, Micah and Alane break down why communicating vision is so hard and how...
2025-12-0124 minAutomate Your AgencyThe AI-era means having in-house expertiseSend a textMost leaders want to harness AI—but few understand what it really takes to make it work across an organization. In this episode, Micah and Alane break down what they call the Upside-Down Pyramid, a simple framework for transforming your business with AI-driven systems that actually scale.They walk through the five stages of transformation:Align leadership – get everyone speaking the same language about AI and automation.Build internal champions – develop in-house experts who can move fast.Establish your foundation – why ClickUp, Asana, or Monday are esse...
2025-11-1731 minAutomate Your AgencyThe real ROI of relationshipsSend a textIn this episode, Alane shares how joining the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program completely reshaped the way she approaches business growth—and why no founder should try to build alone.What started as a 12-week crash course on scaling a company became something far more powerful: a network of entrepreneurs who understand the highs, lows, and relentless pressure of running a business. From presenting on stage in front of thousands to finding real friendships that extend beyond business, Alane and Micah discuss how community isn’t just “nice to have”—it’s essen...
2025-11-1016 minAutomate Your Agency10 AI use cases you'll want to implement todaySend a textIn this solo episode, Micah breaks down the ten most practical and high-impact ways companies are using AI and automation to save time, reduce bottlenecks, and scale faster. From writing project estimates to improving onboarding and automating client handoffs, he walks through real-world examples that any growing business can apply today.You’ll hear:How to use AI to write accurate project scopes and proposals in minutesSmarter ways to automate onboarding, training, and internal supportHow AI can improve project management, reporting, and team allocationWhy organized files and knowledge capture make or br...
2025-11-0318 minAutomate Your AgencyFind out what AI and Agents can’t fixSend a textIn this episode, Alane and Micah tackle one of the biggest misconceptions about AI agents — the idea that they can magically fix broken workflows. They unpack why automation only works when the underlying process is solid, clear, and well-defined.They share real stories from their own experience, including how strategy and design make up 80% of the work in building automated systems, and why slowing down to document and standardize your processes can actually make you move faster later.You’ll hear:Why AI agents can’t save a poorly struct...
2025-10-2715 minAutomate Your AgencyClickUp Sprints aren’t just for Dev teamsSend a textIn this episode, Micah and Beau share the behind-the-scenes changes that reshaped how their team manages client work. After years of juggling multiple projects, they decided to shift their entire production and implementation process into one-week sprints using ClickUp.They walk through how their system works. From organizing client folders, using parent and sub-tasks to keep ownership clear, and relying on sprint reports to plan, forecast, and manage workload in real time. The result has been smoother communication, stronger accountability, and a noticeable jump in team performance.You’ll learn:...
2025-10-2021 minAutomate Your AgencyMonday.com Magic: AI-Powered Project Set UpSend a textWhat if you could describe a process and have a working Monday.com system appear—complete with connected boards, forms, sample data, and dashboards? In this episode, Micah and Beau dive into Monday Magic (monday.com/magic), a free tool that turns prompts into fully built Monday structures. You’ll hear a live walkthrough—from first prompt to preview video—plus candid pros/cons on where it shines and where you’ll still want an implementation specialist. They cover limitations (no native automations yet, light sub-item support), why its agent-style “planning then...
2025-10-1318 minAutomate Your AgencyStop Chasing the "One Thing" That Will Fix EverythingSend a textMany founders approach automation with a single idea in mind: “If I just automate this one thing, everything will get better.” But the truth is, businesses aren’t built on one system—they run on dozens of interconnected ones.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah challenge the “one workflow” mindset and show why real freedom comes from systemizing the entire business, not just automating a single task. They share stories from their own experiences—mergers, exits, and client work—on how building layered systems can reduce employee overhea...
2025-10-0617 minAutomate Your AgencyAI Visuals Made Easy: Nano Banana + HailuoSend a textIn this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah dive into one of Google’s most exciting new AI tools: Nano Banana (yes, that’s its real name). They share how they’ve been using it to create professional-quality images, fix bad speaking photos, merge visuals, and even iron out wrinkles — all in seconds.But that’s not all. They also reveal how pairing Nano Banana with Hailuo AI Video can bring still images to life, letting you create unique animations for content, presentations, and social media.You’l...
2025-09-2915 minAutomate Your AgencyIs your company data training AI?Send a textThere could be an AI security risk brewing in your business.Your team is already using AI—the question isn't whether they should, but whether you have control over how they're using it. This solo episode with Micah tackles the security nightmare that most business owners are completely ignoring: uncontrolled AI usage across their teams.Employees creating personal ChatGPT and Claude accounts, uploading company proposals and client data, then leaving with all that information still in their personal accounts. Even worse, paid AI accounts are sharing your business data for tr...
2025-09-2211 minAutomate Your AgencyAI Agents vs Automation: The 5 Differences That Actually MatterSend a textYour automations are probably more fragile than you think—and costing you way more time than they should. Micah started the year convinced there was no real difference between AI agents and regular automation workflows. He was wrong, and now he's obsessed.In this eye-opening episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah break down the five (plus a bonus) critical differences between traditional A-to-B automation and AI agent workflows that are revolutionizing how smart businesses operate. They reveal why your current automations break every time someone adds an apostrophe or changes a...
2025-09-1526 minAutomate Your AgencyBefore AI automation, start with manual workflowsSend a textAlane and Micah tackle one of the most crucial yet overlooked principles in business automation: never automate a process you haven't done manually first. Through real examples from their own business, they demonstrate why the "manual first" approach saves time, money, and prevents costly rebuilds.They share a detailed case study from Alane's podcast guest booking process, revealing how manual work uncovered hidden business value that would have been missed in premature automation. They explain how doing processes manually first reveals critical nuances, decision points, and the true ROI of automation projects.
2025-09-0823 minAutomate Your AgencyAI-Enhanced Training: Why Training is Everything (And How to Do It Right)Send a textEver hire someone with great experience, only to watch them struggle with basic tasks in your company? You assume they "should know this stuff," but they're sitting there paralyzed, afraid to make the wrong move.Here's the uncomfortable truth: your training process is broken, and it's costing you more than just productivity.In this episode, Micah and Alane reveal why even the most experienced hires can't succeed without proper company-specific training. Using Walmart's intensive cash register training as a surprising business lesson, they break down what separates companies that scale...
2025-09-0119 minAutomate Your AgencyAI Prompts and Agent Ideas: How we share across our teamsSend a textEver felt like your business knowledge is trapped in your team’s heads—or worse, just yours? In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah reveal how to turn live idea sharing into a competitive asset, not just another bullet point in your operations manual.They pull back the curtain on their three-layered approach: real-time sharing in Slack, focused weekly knowledge share meetings, and a killer AI agent that auto-documents solutions and use cases so knowledge becomes searchable by the whole team. It's not just for coders—marketing, sales, and client...
2025-08-1819 minAutomate Your AgencyBuilding Your AI Dream Team - Who do you really need?Send a textWhile technical skills are a big part of AI implementations a passion for problem-solving might just be what matters most. Alane and Micah dive into the real secret behind successful AI implementations - and it's not what most business leaders expect. After working with 150+ companies over 6 years, they've seen HR professionals become AI champions while seasoned developers resist change.In this episode, you'll discover: The 4 essential roles every AI-powered business needs (and why your IT team might not be one of them)How to identify your hidden AI champions ac...
2025-08-1121 minAutomate Your AgencyThe AI technology that eliminates knowledge bottlenecksSend a textWe've all dreamed of it: feeding our AI all our business knowledge and just asking questions. It felt like science fiction—until now. RAG databases are the breakthrough technology that finally makes institutional knowledge accessible to your entire team in seconds.In this episode, Micah and Beau dive deep into Retrieval Augmented Generation—and yes, they acknowledge it's probably the worst-named technology ever invented. But beneath that terrible acronym lies the solution to one of business's most persistent problems: knowledge bottlenecks.Here's what makes RAG different: instead of training new team...
2025-08-0415 minAutomate Your AgencyChatGPT vs Claude vs Perplexity: Which AI engine powers your business best?Send a textYour team is probably using AI wrong, and it's costing you time, money, and results. That's the reality Alane and Micah see with most business owners who think "AI" means just ChatGPT—when there's actually a whole garage of different engines to choose from.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, they break down their favorite car analogy that finally makes AI model selection crystal clear. You'll discover why using GPT-4 for simple tasks is like driving a V12 to the grocery store—overkill and expensive—while using the wrong model for comple...
2025-07-2814 minAutomate Your AgencyTurn Customer Support Chaos into Organized AI WorkflowsSend a textYour support system is bottlenecked by humans when it doesn't need to be. That's the reality most business owners face every single day, and it's costing them more than they realize.In this eye-opening episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah tackle the most popular AI agent discussion they're having with customers right now: email triage support. They break down how this single automation can transform your entire customer support operation.They dive deep into the three main channels where AI triage excels: email support, support ticketing systems, and...
2025-07-2118 minAutomate Your AgencyPassword Management that works.Send a textPassword security isn't just about protecting accounts—it's about protecting your business and your revenue potential. Alane and Micah learned this the hard way while managing hundreds of client accounts and dealing with everything from password notebooks to email chains.This isn't another dry security lecture—it's real talk from founders who've made every password mistake in the book. They share the surprisingly simple tools that transformed their business from security liability to bulletproof operation.From landing a $19 billion client partly because of their security practices to protecting 600+ Instagram accounts for...
2025-07-1417 minAutomate Your AgencyChampions vs. Saboteurs: Mastering Organizational ChangeSend a textChange is inevitable in business, but employee resistance to said change doesn't have to be.This isn't about forcing compliance—it's about earning buy-in through better communication, smarter timelines, and understanding the human psychology behind organizational change.In Episode 57, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson share hard-earned wisdom about why teams resist change and the exact framework that can transform resistance into enthusiasm.In this episode, you'll discover:The real reasons your team dreads new systemsHow to identify and leverage your championsThe proven timeline that actually works for su...
2025-07-0730 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy your Zapier workflows keep breaking (and why upgrade to AI Agents instead)Send a textTired of those dreaded "automation failed" notifications? You've built the perfect workflow, everything runs smoothly for months, and then someone changes a single field name—suddenly your entire system crashes. Sound familiar?Alane and Micah know this frustration all too well, and they're here to tell you there's a better way. Traditional automation with its rigid mapping and brittle connections is becoming a relic of the past.In reality: while automation early-adopters are maintaining technical debt with 75+ fragile automations, newer businesses are starting AI-agent first. They're building flexible systems that ad...
2025-06-3020 minAutomate Your AgencyBeyond Zapier and Make: Meet N8NSend a textAutomation platforms have been evolving rapidly, and just when you thought Make had perfected what Zapier started, N8N enters the scene to change everything again. For business leaders who've felt disconnected from their automation processes, this episode might be the breakthrough you've been waiting for.N8N isn't just another automation tool—it's the first platform that bridges the gap between technical capability and business understanding. Finally, non-technical leaders can actually see and comprehend what's happening in their AI workflows, ending the black box mystery that has plagued automation for years....
2025-06-2321 minAutomate Your AgencyWill AI take you job?Send a textIf you're worried that AI is coming for your job, you're asking the wrong question. The real question is: what if AI could eliminate all the tedious work you hate doing so you can focus on what you're actually good at?In this thought-provoking episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah tackle the biggest fear around AI and automation head-on. Yes, some jobs will change. But just like we don't miss phone operators or copying documents by hand, the jobs disappearing are often the ones that were keeping us from doing...
2025-06-1617 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy only focusing on one idea can help you prioritize progressSend a textIf you're constantly jumping between projects, making tiny progress on everything, and finishing nothing—your team probably feels like they're getting spaghetti noodles thrown at them all day long.In this focused episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah tackle the productivity trap that's killing most small businesses: trying to do 20 things at once instead of doing one thing really well.The word "priority" was never meant to be plural. When you have multiple priorities, you actually have zero priorities. And when your team gets scattered directions every day, th...
2025-06-0916 min
Automate Your AgencyWhy we stopped requiring college degreesSend a textIf you're still requiring college degrees in your job postings, you're accidentally filtering out some of your best potential hires—and you might not even realize it.In this eye-opening episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah share why they ditched degree requirements over 15 years ago and never looked back. Plot twist: the person with the master's degree still needed training on PowerPoint, while some of their most innovative team members never set foot in a lecture hall.The reality is simple: whether someone has a diploma or not, yo...
2025-06-0211 minAutomate Your AgencyThe exact hiring system we've used for over 10 years!Send a textIf you're drowning in resumes, losing track of candidates, and having scattered hiring conversations in Slack threads, you're making hiring way harder than it needs to be.In this game-changing episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah reveal the exact applicant tracking system they've been perfecting for over a decade—built right inside your existing project management tool (no expensive HR software required).Here's the thing: when you have 100+ applicants, multiple interviewers, and hiring managers across different departments, a spreadsheet just doesn't cut it. You need visibility into where ev...
2025-05-2622 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to run team meetings that create resultsSend a textIf your remote team feels disconnected and your Slack channels are ghost towns, it's not your team that's the problem—it's your meeting strategy.While Alane was captivating audiences on the West Coast, Micah sat down with our behind-the-scenes podcast editor Beau Cunningham to reveal the meeting framework that is transforming our remote team into a collaborative powerhouse.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, they break down how a simple 60-minute Monday gathering accomplishes what endless Slack messages and one-way leadership announcements never could—creating actual team connection, idea-sharing, and...
2025-05-1918 minAutomate Your AgencyTemplate everything!Send a textLet’s be honest: you’re probably spending way too much time reinventing the wheel every day-and so is your team.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah get straight to the point. They’re here to show you that templates aren’t just another bland productivity tip-they’re actually the secret sauce behind real business growth and smooth automation.Think about it: How many different ways does your team answer the same client questions? Why does every project kickoff feel totally different depending on who’s in charge? A...
2025-05-1223 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to automatically turn client meetings into instant actionsSend a textIf you're leading a team or running a service-based business, you know meetings are a necessary evil for building relationships and keeping things moving forward.Truthfully, the worst part about having a meeting is not the meeting itself, but having to summarize it, delegate tasks, send follow-ups, and somehow keep everyone aligned afterward.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah share how AI meeting tools are doing the heavy lifting—turning conversations into clear summaries, action items, and providing the key details you need to quickly draft fo...
2025-05-0518 minAutomate Your AgencyTop 5 ways to automate sales in May 2025Send a textLanding that big client feels amazing—but you know what feels even better? Making that sale without sacrificing half your profit margin on endless sales calls, proposal drafting, and all those other non-billable hours.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah reveal how they've transformed their sales process using AI, allowing them to pursue more opportunities while spending dramatically less time on each one. The result? Higher margins, less busywork, and a sales system that practically runs itself.You'll discover:A fresh approach to fol...
2025-04-2820 minAutomate Your AgencyHow Slack, Teams, Text, and Email notifications actually kill your productivitySend a textEver feel like you're constantly being pulled in a million directions—Slack, email, texts, pings, dings, and buzzes? Suddenly, you’ve jumped between five things and finished none of them. Sound familiar?That's exactly why we recommend turning off all notifications No banners. No buzzes. No red bubbles shouting for attention. Just quiet. In Episode 46 of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah talk about the surprisingly simple mindset shift that allowed us to reclaim focus, how we handle the fear of missing something urgent, and why turning off notifi...
2025-04-2114 minAutomate Your AgencyThe delegation hack that eliminates endless questions!Send a textAre you tired of endless emails and confusing task requests slowing down your team? I get it. Delegating can be a nightmare—misunderstandings, constant follow-ups, and wasted time. But what if you could eliminate all that with one simple tool?In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson share their favorite quick win for delegating tasks without the frustration: video-based communication. Whether it’s a quick Loom video explaining what needs to be done or a team member showing you what they’ve completed, this approach cuts down on confusion, saves time, and ge...
2025-04-1415 minAutomate Your AgencyPriority Impact: Stop guessing where your business is broken!Send a textFeeling the need for better systems in your business but unsure where to begin? Many businesses recognize inefficiencies but struggle to determine where to start. That’s why we developed the Priority Impact Review—a structured approach to identifying high-impact improvements across operations. Some of the most common challenges we find in our review? Excessive meetings. If every decision requires a meeting, productivity suffers. Data silos—when departments hold onto information rather than sharing it efficiently.There's so much more to explor...
2025-04-0720 minAutomate Your AgencyProject Planning 101: A must listen for Asana, ClickUp, and Monday UsersSend a textIf your project planning feels like throwing tasks into Asana, ClickUp, or Monday and hoping for the best, we need to talk. That’s not a plan—it’s a recipe for stress, delays, and way too many “Where are we on this?” messages.In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson are keeping it real about why so many teams struggle with project planning, and how to fix it. No fluff, no corporate jargon—just simple, practical steps to help you take control of your workflow and actually get stuff done.Here’s...
2025-03-3118 minAutomate Your AgencyIs every client project different? Here's what to do!Send a textManaging custom projects without a clear structure is like cooking without a recipe—chaos, frustration, and a whole lot of guesswork. Just because every project is different doesn’t mean your process has to be. Think about it, if you took on twice as many custom projects next month, would your workflow hold up? Or would everything spiral into confusion? If that second option sounds way too familiar, this episode is for you. Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson are unpacking the secret to handling custom projects efficiently—without losing flexibility. They’re...
2025-03-2417 minAutomate Your AgencyThe Scalability Test: Could you double your team tomorrow?Send a textTrying to scale without standardizing your processes is like building a skyscraper on quicksand, it’s only a matter of time before things start sinking.Here’s a question: If you doubled your team tomorrow, would everything still run smoothly? Or would it be a total disaster? That’s The Scalability Test, and if your answer makes you sweat, this episode is a must listen.Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson break down why standardization is the real key to sustainable scaling. They’re getting real about the processes, templates, and systems...
2025-03-1019 minAutomate Your AgencyInstantly Create Client Portals in ClickUp, Asana, and Monday!Send a textEver spent hours pulling client updates from ClickUp just to reformat them into an email? We've been there—trapped in that never-ending cycle of double work. After years of frustration with broken solutions, we finally said "enough" and built what we've always needed: a client portal that actually connects to where your work already lives.In this episode, Micah and Alane get candid about the client communication headache we've all experienced and reveal the solution we finally built out of necessity. We dive into:The lightbulb moment that...
2025-03-0313 minAutomate Your AgencyStop managing tasks! Start managing workflows in ClickUp, Asana, and Monday!Send a textUsing project management tools like Asana, ClickUp, or Monday without a solid workflow is like trying to run a marathon in flip-flops. It's messy, chaotic, and you’re probably wasting a ton of time. Newsflash: it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson drop the truth on why your workflow is probably a mess, and how to fix it. They’re not sugarcoating it: we’re talking about the real reasons your team isn’t hitting their stride and the steps to finally make your projec...
2025-02-2421 minAutomate Your AgencyBONUS: Emails & Slack Are Wasting Your Time—Here’s How to Fix ItSend a textManaging a business can feel like you're juggling a million things at once, and the last thing you need is a system that adds to the chaos. If you’re tired of bouncing between Slack, email, and who knows what else just to stay organized, this bonus episode is exactly what you need.Alane and Micah originally recorded this as a video, but we loved the conversation so much that we wanted to bring it to you as a podcast. In this episode, they share real, no-nonsense insights into how to make yo...
2025-02-0333 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy ‘set & forget’ automation is costing you money (and how to fix it)?Send a textIf you think automation means pressing a button and walking away, you’re in for a rude awakening. Automation isn’t a magic wand; it’s a tool that needs your input, your strategy, and your attention to thrive.In this week’s episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson break it down: Why “hands-off” automation is a myth The mistakes that cost agencies time and money How to make automation work with you, not against you And why ignoring it could leave you playing catch-upIf you’re ready...
2025-01-0619 minAutomate Your AgencyLooking Back to Plan Ahead: Our 2024 RetrospectiveSend a textThe end of the year is the perfect time to pause and take stock of where you’ve been, and where you’re headed. But reflecting on what’s worked and what hasn’t can be both exciting and overwhelming. In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson get real about their 2024 wins, lessons learned, and the changes they’re making to set up for even bigger success. They’ll share what helped them grow and the mistakes they’re leaving behind. Tune in as they perform a live r...
2024-12-3020 minAutomate Your AgencyDo you need a Project Manager or better ClickUp, Asana, and Monday training to run projects smoothly?Send a textDo you really need a project manager to keep your business running smoothly? It’s a question every growing company faces, and the answer might surprise you. Project managers can be game-changers, but they’re not always a must-have. In fact, with the right systems, tools, and workflows in place, you might find you can manage just fine without one. Sounds tempting, right? But here’s the flip side: skipping a project manager when your processes aren’t dialed in can lead to chaos, missed deadlines, and a whole lot o...
2024-12-2316 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do you overcome holding the knowledge in your head causing a bottleneck in your business?Send a textWe all want to scale our businesses, right? But here's the thing—growth doesn’t happen by doing everything yourself. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to be in the weeds with every task. But in reality, trying to handle everything on your own is a quick way to burn out and hold your business back. In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson get honest about why you need to trust your team and stop trying to do it...
2024-12-1613 minAutomate Your AgencyWhat do you really need in order to start automating processes?Send a textWe’re living in an incredible time. Automation and AI can work wonders to make your business more efficient, save you time, and even cut costs. Sounds amazing, right? But here’s the hard truth: you can’t expect AI to run everything. And you definitely can’t expect to dive into automation without first rolling up your sleeves and mastering your workflows.Automation is here to support you—not replace you. Skipping the hands-on work and trying to automate too soon? That’s a fast track to...
2024-12-0917 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to create custom proposals in seconds using a CRM and proposal template?Send a textLet's be real....drafting proposals is a pain in the butt. They may be essential, but they are tedious, time-consuming, and, for many of us, what we wind up working on when we'd prefer to be relaxing. To make things even more stressful, the longer a proposal takes to create and send, the less likely the deal is to close.It's a shame we don't have the technology for these things to write themselves...😏Newsflash! We do. 😎This week on Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and...
2024-12-0217 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to build a business that runs without you using ClickUp, Asana, and MondaySend a textEver feel like your business would fall apart if you stepped away for even a second? You're not alone. Every founder and leader has felt the exact same way at one point or another. But, what if your desire to hang on to the day-to-day operations is actually hindering growth? We're here to tell you that stepping back is often the best thing you can do, not just for yourself, but for your business too.In this week’s episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and M...
2024-11-2520 minAutomate Your AgencyTime for change: When should you ditch services and products that are not working?Send a textAre you holding onto services that no longer serve your business—or worse, are draining your time and profits? Many founders face this dilemma, unsure of when and how to pivot without losing clients or momentum.In this week's episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson dive into the art of strategically evolving your offerings when it’s clear that something’s got to change.In this episode, you'll learn:How to recognize when it’s time to pivot and phase out less profitable servicesS...
2024-11-1820 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy don't your Friday lunches and snack cabinets help improve your turnover?Send a textBuilding a strong, sustainable company culture isn't about offering perks like free snacks or Friday lunches. It’s about creating systems, fostering accountability, and building trust from the ground up.In this week's episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson discuss how implementing the right systems and fostering shared accountability helped transform their company culture. They share how their early struggles with burnout and high turnover were turned around by focusing on creating structure and promoting trust across leadership and teams.Tune in as they dive into:🔹 Why systems and a...
2024-11-1117 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy perfection is killing your business growth (and what to do instead)Send a textAs founders, it’s easy to feel the pressure to perfect every little detail before launching a new product or service. But sometimes, the best insights come from diving in and letting real demand shape what we build.In this week's episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson share the power of “selling first.” They explore why putting an idea in front of customers early—before it’s even built—can reveal critical truths about product-market fit, saving you time, money, and probably a few headaches along the way.Tune in...
2024-11-0429 minAutomate Your AgencyLessons learned from scaling and selling our companies: What we’d do differently If we started overSend a textAs leaders and entrepreneurs, there's a lot we learn the hard way, but out of all of those lessons, a few nuggets of hard-earned wisdom forever change the way we operate.So that begs the question...If you could start over and still know what you know now, how would you have built your business differently?In this week's episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson reflect on lessons-learned throughout their own entrepreneurial journeys and reveal how they would alter their approach if given the...
2024-10-2825 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I onboard new clients in less than 5 minutes using automation and Clickup, Asana, and Monday?Send a textAre you losing your clients' interest before you can even get started on their projects? When it comes to a successful client engagement, speed can play a huge role in client satisfaction. Clients are typically the most excited right after signing on to the project and with each passing day, their excitement wanes, leading to frustration before work even begins. Why continue on with a laborious client onboarding process when it could be completed at the click of a button? In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boy...
2024-10-2117 minAutomate Your AgencyNo more stagnant PDFs: What is the next generation of personalized lead magnets using automation and AI?Send a textThese days, offering your prospects free (or mostly free) knowledge up front is a prerequisite to positioning yourself as an expert in your field. This "free" knowledge is more commonly known as a "Lead Magnet."But let's face it – most lead magnets are about as exciting as watching paint dry. What if you could turn your lead magnet from a snooze-fest into a personalized, AI-powered experience that leaves your prospects begging for more?In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson pull back the curtain on th...
2024-10-1421 minAutomate Your AgencyGet New Clients: How do I 10x sales with automated outreach using Lemlist or Apollo?Send a textAs business owners and leaders, we all know that scaling your business can only be achieved when sales are consistent. It doesn't take a PhD to figure that out. Unfortunately, what can feel like rocket science, is finding the time to focus on business development while you're serving your current clients AND keeping your operations moving forward. In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson reveal how automated sales outreach can help you 10x your sales without sacrificing your valuable time.You'll learn about successful use c...
2024-10-0721 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I use ClickUp like a pro?Send a textIn the final episode of our project management system exploration series, we're diving deep into the feature-rich and highly customizable ClickUp.As ClickUp enthusiasts who've leveraged its power to streamline operations for numerous clients, Alane and Micah are here to demystify this robust platform. Join us in this episode of Automate Your Agency as Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson unpack the complexities of ClickUp and reveal their favorite features that can help elevate your business's productivity and scalability.Listen in for actionable insights on:Navigating ClickUp's unique...
2024-09-3025 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I use Asana like a pro?Send a textIn our last episode, we kicked off our exploration of the Top 3 project management systems by shining the spotlight on Monday.com. Now we'll be turning our attention to the always consistent, market-leader, Asana. As certified Asana Experts and having used Asana to help scale their previous business, Alane and Micah have the knowledge you need to get the most out of Asana's features and functionality. Join us in the episode of Automate Your Agency as Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson dig into the ups and dow...
2024-09-2326 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I use Monday.com like a Pro?Send a textIn the past couple of episodes of Automate Your Agency with Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson, we've talked a lot about project management systems with the intentions of answering questions like:Should I implement a project management system in my business? What do project management systems actually do? How do I choose between ClickUp, Asana, or Monday.com? We feel we've adequately covered #1 and #2, but we'd like to spend a little extra time helping you out with #3. The truth is that Asana, ClickUp, and Monday.com are all great options for...
2024-09-1620 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to break free from using spreadsheets to manage projects and instead use a smarter way with ClickUp, Asana, and Monday?Send a textIf you are managing your projects or processes in a spreadsheet, DO NOT SKIP this episode!Spreadsheets might seem like a great option for managing your operations, but trust us, you're taking a huge hit in your ability to delegate, create accountability, track progress, and so much more.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah discuss the pitfalls of spreadsheet-based operations and how switching to a project management system can build stronger, more productive teams. Listen in as they share their first-hand experiences and guide you through...
2024-09-0916 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to choose the Best Project Management System for You Between ClickUp, Asana, and Monday?Send a textAsk yourself these questions:Do you find yourself digging around to find details about a specific task that needs to be completed? Are you currently using email threads and messaging apps to manage your project collaboration? Do you have difficulty keeping track of deadlines, action items, and team responsibilities? If you answered "Yes" to any of the above, it's time you invested in a project management system. Lucky for you, we just happen to know two experts with the knowledge you need to navigate the ins-and-outs of the big 3: Asana, ClickUp, and Mon...
2024-09-0219 minAutomate Your AgencyThe $450M mistake: How to build what customers actually want to pay for?Send a textSometimes as business leaders we have to learn lessons the hard way.Not because we are incapable of learning them through simpler means, but because we lock into a singular worldview that beckons us onward. Take your product or service for instance. You built your business around an idea that you believe will serve a powerful purpose that provides your customers with immense value, but what if they’d prefer an alternative? Do you ignore them and keep building what you want to build? Or do you e...
2024-08-2621 minAutomate Your AgencyWhat time tracking system will 3x your project speed?Send a textIf you're serious about improving your business operations, time tracking should be treated as a non-negotiable. Period. End of story.Without it, how can you even come close to answering the questions that are most important to your business?Are my products or services priced correctly? Are my processes efficient? What are our most profitable activities? How can we improve our margins? Join us in this 10 minute episode of Automate Your Agency, as Alane and Micah share how time tracking goes beyond its stigma of micro-management, offering you a wealth of k...
2024-08-1911 minAutomate Your AgencyWhat 5 software platforms do I really need to operate my company efficiently?Send a textIt's no secret that investing in the right software can significantly reduce operational costs, maximize efficiency, and in many cases generate more revenue in your business. 🎉Despite this truth, many businesses struggle to look beyond the initial investment and instead will spend thousands to hire new team members for tasks and processes that can be automated by a software for only $200/mo. 🫤We get it. As budget-conscious business leaders, the thought of lugging around a bloated bundle of software while trying to scale is far from enticing. However, we're...
2024-08-1219 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to ensure your new hire has the skills so they rock their job on day #1?Send a textHiring a new employee is already time-consuming due to onboarding and training, but it becomes even more detrimental to the business if you later discover they aren’t as skilled as their resume and interview led you to believe.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah are pulling back the curtain on their hiring process—and trust us, it’s more exciting than a surprise party with free pizza! Tune in to find out how integrating creative skill challenges into your traditional hiring practices can help you find t...
2024-08-0514 minAutomate Your AgencyUnlocking your team’s best ideas: Our proven framework for getting valuable suggestions from those doing the workSend a textAs a founder or leader, you've worked hard to grow your business and build your team. You spent countless late nights (and early mornings) strategizing and brainstorming the next big thing to achieve your goals. Growth was hard, but you made it happen. Now that you have a team in place, it's time you gave yourself a break and afforded them the opportunity to exercise their expertise to positively impact the trajectory of your business. But what if they are reluctant to share their ideas? In this weeks episode of Automate Your A...
2024-07-2915 minAutomate Your AgencyHow to build a business partnership that actually works?Send a textDespite what we see in the media, business partnerships are almost never perfect. Individual perspectives and experiences can give way to conflict with the power to slowly dismantle your business. However, accepting and planning for conflict can help you leverage your differences in ways that can significantly improve your operations and ultimately strengthen your organization.In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah unravel the myth of "effortlessly successful business partnerships" and shed light on the ongoing effort required to maintain a healthy, productive relationship. Tune-in as they dive deep...
2024-07-2221 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I improve my employee onboarding by 800% using automation, personality playbooks, and ClickUp, Asana, and Monday?Send a textDid you know researchers found that a well-defined employee onboarding process improves new hire retention by 82% and their productivity by more than 70%? 🤩Employee onboarding doesn't have to be elaborate, but it should be leveraged to make your new hire feel prepared, welcomed, and seen. Expending a little extra effort to master your first impression will go a long way! In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah unpack how a successful team building exercise became a valuable cornerstone in their employee onboarding process. Tune-in to learn how their uniq...
2024-07-1512 minAutomate Your AgencyWhen should I worry about building processes and workflows and how to start?Send a textKnowing when to implement processes in your business is critical; premature focus can hinder growth, while delayed focus can cause burnout and inefficiency. So when should you actually start worrying about your processes? 🤔In this thought-provoking episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah discuss the key indicators for finding the process implementation sweet spot. Tune-in to learn how leveraging tools like Loom can make process documentation a breeze and how visual process diagrams can supercharge your team's ability to execute! 🎉Why Listen? 👇(1:15) Learn When to Start...
2024-07-0823 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I run more ultra-productive meetings (and know when one isn't needed?Send a textHave you ever calculated how much your internal meetings are costing your business? Not just in dollars and cents, but what impact does it have on your team's productivity? In Episode #5 of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah discuss the high costs of merely holding meetings versus running truly efficient ones. Tune-in to hear Micah's "official efficient meeting process" and the tools we use to get the most out of meetings or eliminate them entirely. Why Listen? 👇(2:26) Hear Our Journey to More Efficient Meetings(6:35) Learn How t...
2024-07-0119 minAutomate Your AgencyWhy promoting your best employees to managers can backfire (and what to do instead)Send a text"If my top performer could just manage the team and teach everyone how to operate at their level, my life would be so much easier!" Sound familiar? It's a common and actionable notion shared by many business leaders, but is it always what's best for our business? 🤨In this thought-provoking episode of Automate Your Agency, co-hosts, Alane and Micah, unpack the misconception that top performers will naturally (and gracefully) transition into being effective managers. Tune-in as we explore the hidden risks in this assumption and how to effectively engage your tea...
2024-06-2418 minAutomate Your AgencyDelegation made easy: How to track & leverage your team’s skills using ClickUp, Asana, and MondaySend a textHave you ever passed on a project because you assumed it was outside the scope of your team's knowledge? Or maybe you landed a big one and delegated it to a team member only to find out they weren't up to the task. If either sound familiar, you're not alone and there's hope. 🙂Join our co-hosts, Alane and Micah, as they discuss how adding a Skills Tracker to their documentation arsenal has helped them secure more engagements, provide better support to their clients, and build a stronger team. It's a solu...
2024-06-1716 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I track all client data in one place using ClickUp, Asana, and Monday?Send a textCan a single ClickUp list really save you hours in client onboarding and account management? You bet it can! In this week's episode, join Alane and Micah as they reveal how creating an Internal Client Hub in their project management tool (ClickUp) unleashed efficiencies they had only dreamed were possible! From eliminating internal status meetings to automating client onboarding, you'll learn just how powerful a simple, well-designed solution can be. In this Episode, we'll cover...(0:00) The Journey to the Internal Client Hub(2:06) Our Solution for Eliminating Internal Client Onboarding(4:18) Si...
2024-06-1018 minAutomate Your AgencyHow do I reclaim an hour a day to work on my business?Send a textIf we told you that you could save one hour every day to actually work on your business rather than in your business, you might respond with "Ha! I'll believe it when I see it! In what world is this even possible?" 🤨As leaders, our day is often spent answering an onslaught of repeat questions from our team or dousing fires that seem to spontaneously appear at the most inconvenient times. These disruptions lock us into reactive mode and when "quitting time" rolls around, we're left asking ourselves: "Wha...
2024-05-3026 min