One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started my business was spending the day on soul-sucking, repetitive stuff. I was invoicing clients, scheduling social media posts, answering the same questions, and sending emails for hours before I could even touch my big, audacious goals.
That’s not the work of a visionary. That’s the work of a machine.
And if you’re honest, that machine might just be you.
As managed service providers, you’re already wearing too many hats: serving clients, managing back-end operations, putting out fires, and trying to squeeze in time to grow the business. When you’re stuck doing what feels like robot work, you’re not just wasting time; you’re blocking your genius. You’re using your unique human elements to do a job a machine could handle. It’s like asking a superhero to mop the floor. It’s a waste of your most valuable resource: you.
So what’s the secret to getting more time?
Thanks to AI, you don’t have to do what can be automated anymore. AI is your new employee. It works 24/7, doesn’t need a salary, and it’s happy to do all the work you hate. This isn’t about replacing you or replacing your team. It’s about liberating you—and them—so you can focus on the high-value work of building relationships, innovating services, and leading your business forward.
Your AI Assignment for September
Let’s make a deal. Right now, identify just one repetitive task you or your team do daily or weekly. Don’t overthink it. Maybe it’s creating content calendars, drafting client proposals, processing support tickets, or following up on invoices. Whatever it is, that task is your target.
Now, hand it to AI. Just start the conversation. Delegating one small task to a machine can be the domino that frees up hours, days, or even weeks of your life.
Do This: Pick one repetitive task. Then, ask AI to fix it.
Not That: Don’t keep doing the repetitive stuff that blocks you from your best stuff.
To make it easy, here’s a plug-and-play prompt you can copy straight into ChatGPT, Gemini, or whatever tool you prefer:
“As my personal business automation consultant, I’d like you to walk me through this step by step. Ask me one question at a time to uncover where I could be automating things in my business. Based on my answers, guide me on how to set up those automations—or even better, automate them for me where you can. So let’s start at the beginning: Here’s what you need to know about my business. Ask me what industry I’m in, what my primary product or service is, and what the biggest pain point I’m facing right now might be.”
The Bigger Picture: Your Blueprint for Freedom
This isn’t just about experimenting with a shiny new tech tool. It’s about adopting a new mindset: designing a business that supports your genius instead of burying it under a mountain of mundane tasks.
I’ve been shouting this from the rooftops for years:
- In The Pumpkin Plan, I talk about saying no to the low-value stuff and cutting out the “weeds.” Automation is the ultimate “no.”
- In Clockwork, I teach business owners how to make their business run itself by protecting their Queen Bee Role—the single most vital function of the company—and documenting/automating everything else.
- In Fix This Next, I share a roadmap to find the single most important thing to fix in your business. Often, moving from stability to efficiency requires automation as the engine that drives the shift.
Be Wise, Overlook the Mundane
Look, as an MSP, you’re already a superhero. Don’t waste your powers mopping the floor. As philosopher and psychologist William James said, “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” It’s time to overlook the junk that’s holding you back.
Now, go out there and do your best work! The world, and your clients, need it.
For more on how to put AI to work, see How to Create an Employee That Works 24/7/365 Using AI
