Hey There Soul-o-Preneur,

I wanted to come in and talk to you about something.

Listen, I know right now, everyone (including me) is talking about AI automation. With tools and integrations popping up every few minutes, it feels like there’s constant pressure to adopt the latest and greatest technology to stay ahead.

But I want you to know that jumping into every shiny new tool without a plan is not the answer. In fact, it can create more work for you, not less. I’ve seen business owners add complicated automations that are supposed to save time, only to spend that same time managing, troubleshooting, and fixing them. Worse, some are adding hundreds or even thousands of dollars to their tool stack, thinking it’ll solve all their problems—only to end up overwhelmed.

This doesn’t have to be you. Let’s talk about how to integrate AI into your business in a way that supports you, rather than creating more stress.

The Reality of AI in Business

Yes, the truth is that in the coming business landscape, implementing AI will be essential. There’s no avoiding it. If you don’t bring AI into your business to support and optimize your processes, your competitors will—and that can leave you behind.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need every tool. The biggest mistake I’m seeing right now is fragmentation—people stacking tool upon tool with no cohesive strategy. They’re upgrading accounts, turning on every AI feature, and sticking tools into processes that don’t even work well.

This scattershot approach creates more complexity, not less. And here’s the harsh truth: bringing AI or automation into a poor or unorganized process won’t make it better. It’ll just make the poor process faster—and that speed can lead to bigger mistakes or more frustration for you, your team, and your customers.

So, let’s take a breath. You don’t need to rush.

You do need to create a plan.

The Importance of Doing the Work

Bringing AI into your business requires work upfront. Whether you do it yourself, delegate it to your team, or hire someone temporarily, this groundwork is non-negotiable. But here’s the payoff: the time and energy you invest now will save you frustration down the road.

Doing the work early positions you as a leader—not just in your business, but in your market. When you integrate AI intentionally, your business runs smoother, you reclaim your time, and your clients notice the difference.

Step 1: Understand and Document Your Processes

Before adding AI, you must know your processes.  This is where you start:

1. Identify your top 10 processes.  These could be:

   • Processes that take the most time.

   • Processes that impact your revenue the most.

   • Processes that include tasks you absolutely hate.

2. For example, You might choose your process for sending out contracts, generating leads, or managing customer service.

3. Ask these questions about each process:

   • Does this process give me the results I want?

   • Does it create the experience I want for myself, my team, and my clients?

If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” then you’re not ready to automate that process yet.

Step 2: Evaluate the Experiences

Every process in your business impacts three groups:

You, the business owner:

What kind of experience do you want to have? For example: If you’re evaluating a sales process, you might decide you only want to show up when it’s time to do the sales call. Everything leading up to that moment—booking the call, reminders, preparation—should happen without you.

Your team:

What kind of experience do you want your team to have? For example, If you have a salesperson, their focus might be solely on booking calls, not admin tasks. Those administrative pieces should be automated or delegated to an assistant who has easy access to the tools and resources they need.

Your clients or customers:

What kind of experience do you want your clients to have? In the sales process example, you’d want your clients to easily schedule their calls, receive reminders, and show up with all the information they need—effortlessly.

If your process doesn’t deliver these three experiences, it’s time to adjust it before bringing in AI.

Step 3: Map Your Processes

Here’s how you map out your processes:

Start with the manual version.

Map out what the process would look like if you had no tools. This serves as your backup plan. Many of these new AI tools are still in their infancy. Things that work today may work differently tomorrow. OR, they may not work at all! (take Zoom, for example. I feel like every day I log into Zoom and everything looks different). If your tech fails, you’ll still have a clear way to keep things moving.

Map out your current process.

Map out how your process works with the tools you already use. This is your “current state.”

Map out what you think the ideal process will look like with AI.

Think about how AI could streamline your workflow. For example:

• A blog idea is entered into a form.

  • AI organizes the idea into a draft and saves it to Google Drive.

  • Your assistant is notified to review the draft.

  • Once approved, the blog is published automatically.

Step 4: Introduce Custom GPTs

Custom GPTs are one of the best ways to save time and energy in your business. These are AI assistants you train to handle specific tasks.

For example:

• If you hate writing blog posts, train a custom GPT on your writing style. You can brain-dump your ideas, and it will produce a draft for you to review.

• If you create proposals, a GPT can organize your notes and generate a polished proposal directly from your Zoom call transcripts.

Step 5: Plan for Full Automation—But Be Cautious

It’s tempting to fully automate everything, but you need to be careful. AI tools aren’t perfect, and they’re still evolving.

For example: If you use a chatbot for customer service and it generates a policy that doesn’t exist, your business is legally liable. Always keep a human in the loop to review critical outputs.

Even for non-critical processes, like content creation, AI can occasionally produce unexpected results. Having someone check the work ensures consistency and quality.

This Is a Process, Not a One-Time Task

This is not a quick fix. Following this process doesn’t mean you’ll avoid every mistake or learning curve. But it will significantly reduce wasted time, energy, and money as you bring AI into your business.

Ready to Bring AI Into Your Business?

If you’re ready to integrate AI intentionally and want support figuring out where to start, I’d love to help.

Book an AI Automation Consulting Call with me. Let’s explore the best ways to use AI to save you time, streamline your processes, and reclaim your energy.

Remember to make your business work for you—not the other way around.

Take care, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Your Silent Supporter,

A’Tondra Jones

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