Ads, Ego, and Automation: What Most Businesses Get Wrong
The most common mistakes businesses make when trying to grow — and how automation can help when used correctly.
I see the same pattern over and over with businesses trying to grow. They throw money at ads before their operations are ready. They let ego drive decisions instead of data. And they ignore the boring automations that would actually move the needle.
The Ads Trap
Here's a scenario I see constantly: a business is struggling with customer retention. Their solution? Run more ads to get new customers. But the problem isn't customer acquisition — it's that their follow-up is terrible, their booking process is clunky, and customers fall through the cracks.
More ads just means more people having a mediocre experience. Fix the operations first, then scale with ads.
Ego-Driven Decisions
I get it — you want the flashy thing. The AI chatbot on your homepage. The fancy dashboard. The tool your competitor just got.
But do you need it? Or do you need your invoices to go out on time, your follow-ups to happen consistently, and your data to stop living in three different spreadsheets?
The boring automation that saves your team 10 hours a week is worth more than the shiny chatbot that nobody uses.
What Actually Moves the Needle
Here's my prioritization framework for businesses looking at automation:
Tier 1: Fix the Leaks - Missed follow-ups → automate them - Manual data entry between systems → connect them - Missed calls → AI receptionist or overflow - Inconsistent onboarding → standardize and automate
Tier 2: Scale What Works - Automate your best-performing workflows - Build reporting dashboards so you can see what's working - Create templated processes for repeated work
Tier 3: Innovate - AI chatbots and agents - Predictive analytics - Custom tools
Most businesses try to start at Tier 3 because it's exciting. But the ROI is in Tier 1. Fix the leaks before you try to fill the bucket faster.
The Takeaway
Check your ego at the door. Start with what's actually losing you money — not what sounds cool in a LinkedIn post. The most profitable automations are the ones nobody sees.