When I start working with a new client, I'm never walking in with a preset, one-size-fits-all solution. I'm showing up the way a doctor does before making a diagnosis; asking questions, listening carefully, and trying to piece together the most accurate picture I can before recommending anything.

The most straightforward way to calculate automation ROI is also the most obvious: how long does this process take manually, and how often does it happen?

For example: if a process takes 30 minutes every time a new client is onboarded, and you onboard 10 clients a month, that's 5 hours of manual work per month. Automate it, and you get those 5 hours back every month.

Every week I talk to small business owners who want to implement AI. And the first question I always ask is the same:

Why?

Not to be difficult, and not to make them feel stupid, but because "implement AI" isn't actually a goal. It's a solution in search of a problem.

Ah, the Five W's. A foundational framework that's been taught in journalism for over 100 years, and one I haven't stopped using, even though I haven't worked in journalism for years. Turns out it's just as useful for documenting business processes as it is for writing a news article.

Last week I shared my thoughts on the Airtable acquisition. This week, a natural conversation has emerged that's less about Airtable specifically and more about something bigger: what happens when a tool you've built your business around changes in ways you didn't choose?