The Million-Dollar Automation Filter

What’s Worth Building (and What’s Not)

Everyone’s in a rush to automate.

But here’s the thing most people miss: automation doesn’t create clarity. It doesn’t fix broken systems. And it definitely doesn’t save you from doing the real work of defining how your business runs.

Automation isn’t a magic button. It’s a force multiplier. If your process is solid, it scales beautifully. If it’s a mess, it just makes the mess happen faster.

Automation doesn’t fix broken systems. It scales them.

So before you start wiring up tools and workflows, ask yourself this:

What process is actually worth automating?

The Real Cost of Automation (Spoiler: It's Not Just Time)

This is exactly why strategy matters. This week, Daria Cuparenau and I teamed up to tackle your most innovative automation requests - and we had some brilliant ideas from the community that we turned into 5 actual iPhone shortcuts.

But here's the thing - these weren't random automation projects. They were strategic solutions to documented, recurring problems that directly impact how you work and create.

The Secret iPhone Shortcuts That Beat Siri Every Time

The Strategic Evaluation Framework

Here's the framework I use before touching any automation tool. Five questions. Answer honestly or suffer the consequences of your own good intentions.

The Revenue Impact Filter

Question: Does this automation directly touch revenue generation?

If it doesn't make you money or save you money that you can then use to make more money, it goes to the bottom of the list. Period.

Examples that pass: Lead qualification, proposal generation, client onboarding Examples that fail: Organizing your desktop, color-coding your calendar, auto-liking Instagram posts

The Frequency Test

Question: How often does this problem actually occur?

If you're solving a problem that happens twice a month, maybe just... do it twice a month? Revolutionary concept, I know.

The Math: If a task takes 10 minutes and happens weekly, that's 8.6 hours annually. Worth automating? Maybe. If it takes 10 minutes and happens monthly? That's 2 hours a year. Just do the thing.

The Complexity Assessment

Question: Simple fix or complex system requirements?

Complex automations have complex failure modes. The more moving parts, the more things that can break at 2 AM when you're trying to launch.

Simple: Email autoresponder, basic scheduling
Complex: Multi-platform content distribution with conditional logic based on engagement rates

The Delegation Alternative

Question: Could you hire/outsource this instead?

Sometimes the fastest automation is another human. Shocking, I know.

When to delegate instead: One-time projects, tasks requiring human judgment, anything involving customer relationships

The Future Scaling Question

Question: Will this matter more or less as you grow?

Some problems solve themselves with scale (you hire people). Others get exponentially worse (customer service). Automate the exponential problems.

The Three Tiers of Automation Value

Not all automations are created equal. Here's how to think about priority.

Tier 1: Your Money Machines

These are the systems that directly make you money or protect it. They get first priority. Always.

Think:

• Blog post generation from speaking notes

• Social media repurposing workflows

• Email sequences for webinar follow-ups

• Lead qualification pipelines

• Proposal generation and sending

• Automated client onboarding

ROI Reality Check: A content repurposing system that turns one long-form piece into 30 social posts? That isn’t just saving time. That’s multiplying your content output by 30x.

Tier 2: Your Operational Boosters

These free up brain space and calendar real estate so you can focus on higher-level work. Tackle these only after your Money Machines are running smoothly.

Think:

• Meeting booking automation

• Monthly performance dashboards

• Revenue tracking alerts

• File organization workflows

• Contact management systems

The Threshold Test: When does manual stop working? For a solo creator, maybe that’s 100 leads a month. For a team of five, maybe 500.

Tier 3: Shiny Object Systems

These feel urgent because they’re personally satisfying, but they’re rarely strategic. Do these last if you do them at all.

Think:

• To-do list automation

• Smart home integrations

• Personal finance tracking

Satisfying, sure. But if it won’t grow your business, prioritize accordingly.

Business Context Changes Everything

Your automation strategy should match your business stage. What makes sense at $10K ARR is different from what makes sense at $100K ARR.

Startup Phase: Scrappy and Strategic

Cash Reality: You're broke. Time-rich, cash-poor.

Automation Priority: Free tools only. Focus on revenue-direct activities.

Best Investments: Email automation, basic CRM, content repurposing

Example: Use ChatGPT + Canva templates to turn one blog post into five social media posts. Cost: $20/month. Time saved: 4 hours weekly.

Growth Phase: Scale What's Working

Cash Reality: Revenue is growing, but so are demands on your time.

Automation Priority: Invest in systems that scale with demand.

Best Investments: Advanced CRM workflows, team collaboration tools, customer service automation

Example: Automated client onboarding sequence that delivers welcome packet, schedules kickoff call, and sets project milestones. Handles 10 clients or 100 clients the same way.

Optimization Phase: Fine-Tune for Maximum Efficiency

Cash Reality: You have resources to invest in sophisticated systems.

Automation Priority: Custom solutions and integration optimization.

Best Investments: Custom API integrations, advanced analytics, predictive automation

Example: AI-powered lead scoring that analyzes website behavior, email engagement, and social media activity to predict which leads are most likely to convert.

Red Flags: When NOT to Automate

Sometimes the best automation decision is no automation. Plot twist: doing the thing manually is still a valid business strategy in 2025.

The "Because I Can" Trap

Just because you found a cool tool doesn't mean you need to use it. Technical fascination is not business strategy.

Warning Signs: You're excited about the technology, not the outcome. You're using words like "elegant" or "sophisticated" to describe your automation needs.

The "It's Only 5 Minutes" Fallacy

Some tasks should stay manual. Especially if they require human judgment or happen infrequently.

Keep Manual: Thank you notes, customer complaint responses, creative brainstorming, relationship building

The Perfectionism Spiral

Over-optimizing low-impact processes is how you spend six months building a system that saves you six minutes weekly.

Reality Check: If you're optimizing the optimization of your optimization, you've gone too far.

The Maintenance Nightmare

Some automations require more care and feeding than they save.

Red Flags: Requires daily monitoring, breaks frequently, needs constant updates, depends on multiple third-party services

The Million-Dollar Filter: How I Decide What’s Worth Automating

Here’s the thing: I don’t automate for the sake of automation. I ask hard questions—and if the idea doesn’t pass the test, it doesn’t make the list. Period.

The 5-Question Test:

1. Does this make me money or save me money?
   No? Skip it. It’s a hobby project, not strategy.

2. How many hours will this save me in the next 12 months?
   Less than 20? Definitely skip it. You’re better off just doing the thing manually.

3. What happens if this breaks?
   If your whole business stops, build redundancy. If it’s a minor inconvenience, acceptable risk.

4. Can I test this with a simple version first?
   Yes? Build the MVP. No? It’s probably too complex to be worth your time.

5. Will I still need this in two years?
   No? Temporary solutions are your friend.

5 questions to ask before you automate a process

Building Your Automation Roadmap

Ready to actually implement this? Here's your systematic approach.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Processes

Before you automate anything, document what you actually do.

Copy-Paste Prompt for ChatGPT:

I need to audit my business processes for automation opportunities. Help me create a comprehensive list by asking me questions about my:
1. Daily recurring tasks
2. Weekly business activities
3. Monthly administrative work
4. Client interaction touchpoints
5. Content creation workflow
6. Revenue generation activities

For each area, ask me to estimate time spent, frequency, complexity level, and whether it directly impacts revenue. Then help me identify which processes are good automation candidates based on time investment vs. potential savings.

Step 2: Apply the Strategic Framework

Score each potential automation on a 1-10 scale for:

• Revenue impact

• Time savings potential

• Implementation complexity

• Maintenance requirements

The Magic Number: If it doesn't score at least 7/10 on revenue impact OR time savings, it doesn't make the list.

Step 3: Create Your Priority Queue

Organize automations by:

1. Quick Wins: High impact, low complexity (build these first)

2. Major Projects: High impact, high complexity (plan these carefully)

3. Nice to Have: Medium impact, any complexity (build if time/resources allow)

4. Never Mind: Low impact, any complexity (ignore these completely)

Step 4: Test Before You Invest

Build the simplest version first. Manual + template beats complex automation every time if it gets you 80% of the benefit.

Testing Framework:

• Week 1: Manual process with documentation

• Week 2: Semi-automated (templates, shortcuts)

• Week 3: Evaluate if full automation is worth it

• Week 4: Build or abandon based on results

Step 5: Integration Planning

New automations should play nicely with existing systems.

Key Questions:

• What data needs to flow between systems?

• How will this affect current workflows?

• What happens when this integration breaks?

• Who manages and monitors this system?

Strategic Prompts to Cut the Noise and Build What Matters

Business Impact Assessment:

Analyze this potential automation project: [describe your automation idea]. Help me evaluate:
1. Direct revenue impact (how this affects money in/out)
2. Time savings calculation (hours saved weekly/monthly)
3. Implementation complexity (1-10 scale with reasoning)
4. Ongoing maintenance requirements
5. Risk assessment (what breaks if this fails)
6. Alternative solutions (simpler ways to solve this problem)

Give me a recommendation: build, modify, or skip this automation.

Automation Priority Ranking:

I have these potential automation projects: [list your ideas]. Help me rank them using these criteria:
- Revenue impact (directly affects income)
- Time savings (hours saved annually)
- Implementation difficulty (technical complexity)
- Business stage relevance (I'm at [startup/growth/optimization] phase)
- Resource requirements (time and money to build)

Create a priority-ranked list with reasoning for each ranking.

Process Documentation:

Help me document this business process for potential automation: [describe your current manual process]. Ask me detailed questions about:
- Every step involved
- Decision points and criteria
- Time spent on each step
- Tools and resources used
- Common problems or variations
- Success criteria

Then identify which parts are good automation candidates and which should stay manual.

The Bottom Line

I’ve seen it again and again: the temptation to jump straight into automating without a real system in place. But here’s what I know for sure:

• Systems before shortcuts. You can’t automate what you haven’t defined.

• Revenue first. If it doesn’t make or protect money, it’s not strategy—it’s busywork.

• Keep it simple. The best automations aren’t flashy. They just work, every time.

• Match the stage. Your automation priorities shift as your business grows. Tools don’t scale you. Strategy does.

• Factor in the upkeep. Every automation you build is one more system to monitor and maintain.

Build the system first. Then automate the parts that actually matter.

Your business isn’t a playground for tech experiments. It’s a revenue engine. Treat it like one.

Your Next Move

Pick one process that directly drives revenue. Document it fully. Build the simplest automation that buys you back real time. Measure the impact. Then do it again.

This isn’t about automating everything. It’s about automating the right things so you can double down on what actually grows your business.

Want systems that scale without the chaos? Let’s map what’s worth automating in your business: techtiff.ai/services

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