Class 12: Automation and Delegation - Buying Back Your Time

Welcome back to Thinkk's startup scaling course. Today, we're diving into a game-changer for growing businesses: automation and delegation. At Thinkk, we've seen countless entrepreneurs burn out trying to do it all. Let's explore how you can work smarter, not harder.

The Automation Revolution

When your company's day-to-day becomes tiring, repetitive, and standardized, you're in the prime spot for automation. Automation is about taking those repetitive tasks off your plate and letting technology handle them. It's a powerful way to buy back your time and focus on what really matters. Let's break down some high-impact areas you can automate:

1. Accounting

Let's face it, going through expenses every week is a time-suck. Most of your monthly expenses probably come from the same places - advisor retainers, software subscriptions, phone bills. Popular accounting software like QuickBooks often has automation features built-in. Use them. Automate the categorization as many expenses as you can.

2. Inbound Lead Flow

Your website likely has a lead form. Make sure it's linked to your CRM. But don't stop there. Set up an automated email sequence that kicks off when someone submits the form. This could include:

• A 'thank you' email

• A 'message from the founder'

• 'Tips and tricks' for making the most of your product or service

The more touch points, the better. It keeps your brand top-of-mind without you lifting a finger.

3. Email Marketing

Automate your email campaigns as soon as you can. Start by creating a content calendar. You can repurpose your blog articles, educational content, and social media posts for your email newsletter.

Segment your audience based on criteria like what they purchased, which lead form they filled out, or what they're interested in. This allows you to send personalized, relevant emails that speak directly to their needs.

4. Social Media and Content Marketing

In the early days, posting content yourself makes sense. But as you grow, it becomes a time-sink. Create a batch of 30-60 posts with captions and visuals. Then use a tool like ContentStudio, Sprout, or Agorapulse to schedule them out over the next few weeks.

5. Presentations

If you're constantly sending out similar presentations (like service proposals), automate this process. Create a standardized template, use a custom GPT to generate agreed-upon responses, and plug that info into your template.

At Thinkk, we've seen the power of this approach. One of our portfolio companies, a lead generation and sales coaching startup called Untapped Strategies, built custom software to automate their sales proposal creation. What used to take 48 hours now takes 5 minutes. This speed boost increased their conversion rates by double digits.

The Power of Integration

Your ultimate goal should be to buy back your time by automating business processes with tools like Zapier or Make.com. At Thinkk, we use Zapier automations that kick off a whole sequence when a client makes a payment:

• Adds them to our CRM

• Adds them to our email list

• Sends them three emails over the course of the day

• Texts our relevant representative with their information

• Sends an email to management notifying them of the purchase

We have a similar automation for when a client books a consulting session. It sends confirmation emails, reminder emails, populates a Google Sheet for management, and sends a post-session thank you email with a feedback link.

These integrations make your organization significantly more efficient. It's like having a tireless assistant working 24/7.

Delegation: When Automation Isn't Enough

For tasks that can't be automated or are less standardized, delegation is key. The first things to delegate are the tasks you're bad at or don't enjoy doing.

• Accounting not your strong suit? Get an accountant and buy back your time.

• Not a marketing genius? Hire a CMO to run your campaigns and report to you weekly.

• Don't enjoy coding or web design? Hire a developer to join your team.

The AI Revolution in Delegation

Here's where things get really interesting. Many tasks we used to delegate to humans can now be handled by AI. We're not talking about hiring a chief of staff (although that's not a bad idea). We're talking about tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Google's Gemini.

Instead of hiring a writer at $50 an hour, you can use ChatGPT for $20 a month. Need a coder? Claude can help for a fraction of the cost of a human developer. Logo design? Try Midjourney. Voice acting? Elevenlabs has you covered.

While this isn't pure delegation, the efficiency gains are unparalleled. Think of these AI tools as a computer-brain interface that massively boosts your productivity. There's almost no question they can't answer and few tasks they can't assist with.

At Thinkk, we've integrated these AI tools into our workflow, and I can tell you firsthand - companies that don't adopt them are going to be left in the dust. It's not a matter of if, but when. As AI agents become more advanced, we'll be able to delegate to them in the truest sense of the word.

The Key to Growth: Time

Here's the bottom line: the key to scaling your business is buying back your time through automation and delegation. It's incredibly challenging to focus on day-to-day operations and grow the company simultaneously. By offloading tasks, you free up your time and mental energy for high-leverage decisions that truly impact your company's future.

Remember, at Thinkk, we believe that working smarter always trumps working harder. Automation and delegation aren't just about efficiency - they're about creating the space you need to think strategically and lead your company to new heights.

In our next class, we'll be diving into how we build scalable companies that grow without breaking. Until then, take a hard look at your daily tasks. What can you automate? What can you delegate? Your answers could be the key to unlocking your next phase of growth.