What's my plan if automation advances make my automation business redundant—what should I pivot to?
I haven't thought about that in detail, so I don't have a detailed backup plan. I expect the core work of running an automation agency to remain viable for at least three to five years. Over that period the work will evolve—no‑code AI tools like pre‑draft generators will make many tasks more efficient. That doesn't mean you won't be able to run an agency; agents and other services will start to infiltrate the business model soon, but the model itself remains sound because the same shift will happen across the industry.
Yeah, for sure. I would pivot a bit and brand yourself more as an AI consultant or strategic consultant who uses no-code tools rather than necessarily an AI automation agency. If you think about it, many people don't realize that as a beginner, most of your work as an agency owner is actually just freelancing—being a consultant, sole proprietor, independent contractor. So I would start there, providing services as an individual, and worry about building an agency that provides services later. Because actually doing the thing, getting good at the business, then building the business, hiring, managing, tracking time, payroll—those are two fundamentally different things. Get good at delivering business insights and knowledge, then building systems, and afterwards you can worry about scaling and hiring people.
Keywords like 'AI automation' will eventually die out as the term gets overused, but new labels such as go‑to‑market (GTM) engineering emerge to describe the same core work—building lead lists, automating outreach, and handing off to sales teams. GTM engineering is essentially the same as most AI‑driven growth automation; it just sounds fresher. As people tire of the AI label, everything will have AI baked in, so the term fades while the underlying need for AI‑powered solutions remains. My agency focuses on AI automation services that grow with AI, not on things that disappear with the trend.
He says yes, it's smart to start an automation agency now to capture the lag, but you should focus on delivering strategic outcomes and consulting rather than just selling tools. You can still make money with tools, but the real value is in helping clients achieve business results. He also notes that if you're not making $10k/month yet, focus on reaching that income first, and that many traditional businesses (web design, clay pottery) still thrive, so it's not all black‑and‑white.
All agencies share the same fundamental shape: lead generation at the top (via ads, cold emails, cold calls, etc.), which funnels into a sales event (typically a discovery or closing call). From there you onboard the client, fulfill the promised service, and manage the client—checking in on progress—before delivering the project, possibly with a revision cycle that leads to another transformation event where you resell them. I’ve documented this shape in the three automation agency sales flows and a roadmap to $25k/month automation that you can download for free. The real key to success isn’t becoming a top AI or automation specialist; it’s becoming a good business person who understands the container (the agency model) and what you put inside it. This mindset can be learned in a couple of weeks, and you don’t need to be expert at the specific service you’re offering.