I find automation confusing because it feels vague and doesn't seem scalable — you're repetitively making workflows, right?

#26 · How leverage works with AI automation agencies

I find automation confusing because it feels vague and doesn't seem scalable — you're repetitively making workflows, right?

That mischaracterizes what automation actually is — it's by far the most scalable of service-based businesses, because you don't repetitively make workflows at all; you make them once and profit off them over and over. Example: normally, fulfilling a new client's project takes real ongoing labor — say a $1,000 project costs you $250 (25%) in labor every time, leaving 75% margin at best. With automation, that first project still costs you the full fulfillment effort, but it also produces a reusable template. The next time you land a similar client, instead of spending 25% on fulfillment again, you just copy the template and spend maybe 2% — so you're left with 98% after cost of goods sold. Over time you build up a whole library of templates you can pull from for any new client, which is what makes automation businesses so scalable compared to businesses that redo the fulfillment work from scratch every time.

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Related answers

youtube ↗Offers

How should I package my template automation workflows into a service, what is a reasonable starting price, and which industry or low‑hanging fruit should I target?

You want to package your templated automation workflows into a service. I think all automation services should be templated because that gives you the biggest leverage on your time. By using templates you can collect the full fee—say $1,000—but only do a fraction of the work, maybe 20 % or less. That means you’re effectively 5× leveraged: you earn five times the money for the same amount of effort. For example, a proposal system that would normally take five hours to build from scratch can be turned into a template that you sell, copy‑paste the make.com blueprint, spend about 45 minutes on connections and 15 minutes recording a walkthrough video, and you’ve delivered the whole project in roughly one hour. Save each project as a blueprint, video, and documentation so you build an SOP for yourself and future team members. This templated approach lets you scale quickly and keep costs low while delivering high‑value automation services.

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youtube ↗Sales

I've been working on workflow automation for this 1.5 years using platforms like Inent Make and others. As I begin to consider commercializing these solutions, I have a question. If I build a workflow, what's the best approach to selling it?

Oh, here we go again. Should I deliver the entire workflow to the client or retain control and run the automation on their behalf? Well, somebody spent 1.5 years getting really good at workflow automation but probably hasn't made any money with it. How much cooler would it be if you learned enough to talk the language in a couple of weeks, then just started talking to customers? You probably wouldn't have been in this situation. In 1.5 years you could have a big book of business with 20 clients. Time will pass anyway. A lot of lead generation mechanisms like cold email and Upwork just require time to pass while active. You might as well have planted a tree 20 years ago; the second best time is today. That's a good analogy. To answer your question about delivering the entire workflow: yeah, deliver it to the client. Then why would they need you? They don't need you for a one-off, but they'll want you if you make them choose needs and such. I get it; it's kind of a Machiavellian way to run the business—strategic and logical—but you don't build as much goodwill with clients and it becomes annoying working with them, especially with handoffs. So, what are you going to do? Hold the business hostage when they want to let you go? Or would you rather be in a situation where the client wants to keep you on because you constantly produce massive value? I like that situation; having a rising floor where clients want more value forces you to creatively find ways to deliver it. That's one reason I agree so quickly.

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youtube ↗Niches

Most automation discussions focus on agents, email marketing, and content creation. Do you think there's a big opportunity in optimizing internal processes instead — like a CRM automation streamlining a Google Drive/Workspace setup for a contractor or PM? How does that space compare to those other trends?

There's a ton of opportunity here — you could build a fully successful business just optimizing internal processes; that was most of what Left Click did in its first year working with my old business partner. I later shifted primarily to growth systems because they make more money, but that doesn't mean internal-process optimization isn't also lucrative — think of it as top-line versus bottom-line. If a company makes some amount of revenue at the top, they only keep a subset of that as profit. Growth work adds to the top line; internal-process optimization mostly improves margin on what's already coming in (though it's not purely margin — faster internal processes also improve throughput, meaning you can push more customers through the same system, which does affect the top line too).

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youtube ↗Offers

Are automation workflow templates commoditized, and if so, what should I do next? How much revenue have you generated from them recently?

Even if automation workflow templates are commoditized, you can still make money—just not by selling the templates themselves. Your real value lies in delivering a white‑glove managed service: understanding the client’s problem, crafting the right solution, and handling everything so they get peace of mind. Think of designers who use templates but sell the experience and outcome, not the file. As long as you focus on the client relationship and results, commoditization doesn’t hurt your ability to earn.

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