If you missed part 1 in this 4-part series. You can read it here. The two founders I were chatting with. They had begun automating tasks handled by a remote team.
Now, they realised that outsourcing the majority of the admin for their business to a remote team. Wasn’t actually that affordable.
Because the cost was more and more of their time.
And there are costs associated with errors and things like team members churning.
They were now having serious conversations about automating things that the remote team were handling.
The Audit That Changed Everything
It had taken the two founders a few months to start the process.
But they knew that they had to look into automating parts of their business.
A lot of the processes they had handed off to the remote team were admin tasks.
And they were fed up with this merry-go-round of training the remote team. Things have been working for 6 weeks. Then errors creep in. Some, if not all, of the remote team would leave. They train more new people.
Round and round they go.
Mapping Out The Weekly Tasks
I’ll be honest. This 2 person led business would be a dream to work with.
Because they had documented everything. It was all mapped out.
They had done this as part of the handover to the remote team.
So they knew what the tasks were.
Here’s the list:
- Pulling data from one system and entering it into another
- Sending templated follow-up emails after specific triggers
- Chasing outstanding items on a checklist
- Creating and sending regular reports
- Booking and rescheduling appointments
- Formatting documents and preparing them for review
They looked at this list and asked one question. Which of these tasks follows a predictable set of rules every single time?
Answer: all of them.
If you’ve read my articles before. Or follow me on social media, you’ve heard me say the mundane, the repeatable, before.
That’s what these are.
Because there’s a structure to each one.
That means they can be automated or handled by AI.
What ‘Rules-Based’ Actually Means
A rules-based task is one where you write down every step. Another person could follow those steps and get the same result every time.
No judgment required.
No experience needed.
They don’t need to know the inner workings of your business.
Or have had to work in a given industry for at least a few years.
If a task can be written as a checklist, it can be automated.
The tasks that need a human are the ones where context, relationship, and judgment matter.
Client conversations, problem-solving, strategy.
The work that has got your business to that magical £1 million turnover mark in the first place.
Look At Your Business Differently
You didn’t build a £1M business by doing data entry. You built it by solving problems and building relationships.
So why is data entry still on your plate?
Even if you think it’s not part of your workload. It is, via a team you have to manage.
Going back to the two founders. This is what they were doing.
Not saying “well, this is how we’ve always done it”.
Or thinking that more people equals A better business.
They realised that building a system to replace the remote team. And in turn, them. Wasn’t a radical overhaul; it was the obvious next logical step.
A Quick Self-Assessment
Three questions to sit with. No form, no download required:
- How many tasks does your team do each week that follow the same steps every time?
- How many hours per week do you spend managing or quality-checking those tasks?
- If those tasks ran themselves — perfectly, without you — what would you do with that time?
I’m not going to answer these for you.
This is your homework (sorry, not sorry).
If you’re reading this, you’re feeling the pain of this. Or at least thinking long-term about the growth of your business.
The tools are out there, as well as the people who can help you put all these systems in place.
In my experience, it’s figuring out what to focus on and in what order to tackle things can be the biggest hurdle.
What Setting Up Automation Looks Like
I’m going to leave you hanging.
This article is part 2 of a 4-part series.
Next week, part 3 breaks down exactly what was automated. What it cost to build, how long it took, and what the founders’ weeks look like now.
I’ll be honest.
Automating parts of your business isn’t a quick fix
No matter what these “AI Gurus” say online.
It can take time, and quite a lot of upfront effort.
But the benefits can last for years.
And it’s an ongoing process.
Conclusion: Replace A Remote Team With Systems
The first step of replacing a remote team with a set of systems is mapping out what tasks or processes could be systematised.
It’s not an easy process.
Your goal is to find tasks that are “rules-based”
The mundane. The reaptable.
You could do them with your eyes closed and could easily document each step.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss parts 3 and 4 of this series.
And if you missed it. You can read part 1 here.
Oh, one more thing. If you want help figuring out what to automate in your business. I have two things that can help.
#1: A short video course to help you figure out which tasks to focus on.
#2: Book a dedicated 1-hour session with me where we discuss what the biggest headaches in your business are. And I’ll give you a report on how you can use automation to help solve this headache.
Thanks for reading
