A practical 5-step guide to identifying and implementing your first automations, even if you have no technical background.
How to use this checklist: Work through each step in order. Check off each item as you complete it. Use the notes lines to write down your specific tools, pain points, or next actions. You don't have to do everything at once, start with one step and build momentum.
Write the date when you complete each step.
Step 1
Date completed
Step 2
Date completed
Step 3
Date completed
Step 4
Date completed
Step 5
Date completed
Before you automate anything, you need to know what's actually eating your time. Spend 30 minutes writing down every task you or your team does more than once a week.
List every task you do manually more than once a week
Include anything you copy-paste, retype, or send from scratch repeatedly.
Estimate the time each task takes per week
Even a rough estimate helps you see where the biggest time drains are.
Rank your top 3 most painful or time-consuming tasks
These are your first automation targets.
Note which tools are involved in each task
Email, spreadsheets, CRM, forms, calendar, etc.
My top 3 tasks to automate:
Every lead that comes in through a form, ad, or website should automatically land in your CRM, tagged and ready for follow-up, without anyone touching it manually.
Identify where new leads come from (forms, ads, referrals, etc.)
You need to know the entry points before you can connect them.
Set up a form tool that connects to your CRM (Tally, Typeform, or Google Forms)
Most modern CRMs have direct integrations or Zapier/Make connections.
Test the connection by submitting a test lead
Confirm it shows up in your CRM with the correct fields populated.
Set up an automatic confirmation email to the new lead
Even a simple "Thanks, we'll be in touch" builds trust immediately.
My lead capture tools and CRM:
Manually creating invoices and entering them into accounting software is one of the biggest time sinks for small businesses. This step closes that loop.
Choose an invoicing tool that has automation support
Create a trigger that auto-generates an invoice when a job or project is marked complete
This can be based on CRM status, a form submission, or a calendar event.
Set up automatic payment reminders (3 days before, day of, 3 days after)
Most invoicing tools have this built in. Just turn it on.
Connect invoicing tool to your accounting software
Payments should sync automatically, no manual entry.
A good follow-up sequence keeps clients engaged without you writing a single email from scratch. Set this up once and it runs forever.
Write a 3-email follow-up sequence for new leads
Email 1: Immediate response. Email 2: Value add (3 days later). Email 3: Check-in (7 days later).
Load the sequence into your email or CRM automation tool
Set up a post-service follow-up (review request or satisfaction check)
Triggered automatically when a job is marked complete in your CRM.
Test each email by running through the sequence yourself first
Check timing, personalization fields, and links before going live.
My email tool / sequence notes:
Stop pulling numbers manually. A live dashboard means you always know how your business is performing without running a single report.
Decide on the 5–7 KPIs that matter most to your business
Examples: leads per week, close rate, revenue, average response time, client satisfaction.
Connect your data sources to a Google Sheet or dashboard tool
Set up an automated weekly summary email to yourself
A simple email every Monday morning with your top numbers, no logging in required.
Share the dashboard with your team or key stakeholders
Everyone should see the same numbers, in real time, from a single source of truth.
My 5 key KPIs: