“If there’s a theme behind all of this, it’s simple: I automate to create peace. Not just profit.
Not just scale. Peace.”

How many t-shirts, mugs, taglines have you seen that say, “Work hard, play hard”, or the word  “Hustle” in all script? 

Once upon a time, those were my mantras, too. But I have some truth to yell from the rooftop, and you might get offended if one of those mantras is yours:

Hustle culture needs to die. 

Working hard and playing hard are as out of style as the acid wash jeans I tried to bring back last year (in my defense, my wife said they were coming back, and we were at a Def Leppard concert). 

“But why, Mike? How can an entrepreneur slow down and succeed? I don’t have time to be lazy. I need to work to make my company profitable. I can’t look away, things may fall to crumbs!”

Is that your ego I hear talking?

We all want to be needed. Important. Relevant. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s likely you want to be “that” woman or man that everyone looks to; the one they email at midnight, or text on a Saturday. So, to keep up, you grind. You use all of your most precious resource – your time. Time that you’re likely stealing from the other parts of your life that you and others would benefit from – like, you know, living.

So, what to do here? 

First, you need to check that ego. They come in all shapes and sizes, and yes, I have one too, because I’m human. Ask yourself what you have given up lately in order to run your business. Now think – aren’t there some ways that you can be working smarter, instead of harder?

How to start automating your business

There’s one thing that has changed my life – in business and beyond, and that’s automation. I have it embedded in all of my systems, and I wouldn’t tell others to do it if I didn’t rebuild my company on this pivot of automating everything I can. It’s exciting, so I share it with as many people who will listen. And some who don’t at first.

Unless you sell your business, you’re not just going to walk away from it. So you have to develop a smart strategy to run it more efficiently.. Automation is it. 

1. Decide what your QBR is. If you’re not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Queen Bee Role. That role is your purpose. Your WHY. The reason you started your business and your big, fat, audacious goal. Write it down now. What is your QBR?
2. Now, make a list of what you need to do to make that QBR attainable. Then, make a list of every single thing you do that does not align with your QBR. From phone calls to emails, to travel to billing. Write it all down. One list can be “QBR”, and the other can be “Static”, or, “Busywork”.
3. Once you have your list, you can start to align your energy with your goals and find the right people to delegate to or platforms that help you automate. 

Integrity – How to keep it personal

I think when people hear the word automation, they think of AI, or someone that I don’t know responding to things for me. In reality, I’m still involved in my business. The thing is, I have the most dedicated team working alongside me. And my leadership has created an environment in which we all know what my QBR is, how we want to get there, and how we support it in the most efficient way possible. To note, I know what their QBRs are too – that’s one of the benefits of a small business. So when they implement a new software, or create an email automation, for instance, my voice and our care are in there. 

Here are 7 things that we’ve automated in our company:

1. I automated Profit First – because habits work when willpower doesn’t

Early in my entrepreneurial career, I relied on discipline. I told myself I’d “be responsible” with money.

That didn’t work.

So I stopped trusting willpower and started trusting systems. Now, when money comes into my businesses, it gets automatically allocated into separate accounts. Profit, Owner’s Pay, Tax, Operating Expenses.

No debates. No emotional decisions. No hoping there’s something left over. Profit isn’t an afterthought anymore. It’s baked in.

2. I automated paying me, too

There was a time I paid everyone but me. I’d wait. I’d justify. I’d tell myself I’d “take care of it later.”

Later rarely came. So I set structured pay cycles for myself. Predictable. Automatic. Non-negotiable. When the owner gets paid consistently, the business becomes a vehicle, not a sacrifice.

3. I Identified my Queen Bee Role

In Clockwork, I talk about the Queen Bee Role, which is the single most important function that makes the business thrive.

For me, that’s not answering emails. It’s not approving invoices. It’s not being in every meeting.

It’s creating and delivering ideas that help entrepreneurs simplify and strengthen their businesses. Once I got clear on that, I built systems to protect it. If something doesn’t support the Queen Bee Role, it gets delegated, systemized, or eliminated.

4. I automated decisions, not just tasks (you MUST delegate!)

At one point, everything ran through me. That’s not leadership. That’s a bottleneck.

So I created clear rules: financial thresholds, authority levels, escalation paths.

If a decision falls within the guardrails, my team doesn’t need me.

Automation isn’t just software. It’s clarity about who owns what.

5. I systemitized marketing follow-up

I used to think marketing meant constant hustle.

Now? Our follow-up is structured and consistent. When someone joins our community, attends an event, or raises their hand, there’s a clear path forward. No scrambling. No forgetting. No depending on my memory.

The system works even when I’m not pushing it. (Pan to me playing guitar by the fireplace with a clear conscience.)

6. I automated financial visibility

I don’t want to “feel” how the business is doing. I want to see it.

Revenue trends. Expense percentages. Cash position. Clarity shouldn’t require detective work.

When the numbers are visible automatically, decisions become calmer and smarter.

7. I Built the Business to Run Without Me

The ultimate test I use is the 4-week vacation test. If I stepped away for a month, would the business survive?

If the answer is no, the problem isn’t my team. It’s the system. So we built SOPs. Clear roles. Defined responsibilities. Escalation pathways. The goal was never to disappear. It was to remove dependency.

Final thoughts:

A business that only works when the founder is present isn’t a business. It’s a job.

If there’s a theme behind all of this, it’s simple: I automate to create peace. Not just profit. Not just scale. Peace.

I don’t want to rely on heroics. I don’t want to rely on hustle. I don’t want to rely on being the smartest or fastest person in the room.

I don’t want to miss out on my life because I was working.

I want systems that support the mission and let me focus on the work I’m uniquely called to do.

That’s what automation has given me. And I want the same for you.

Make those lists. Automate one thing this week. Email me at support@mikemichalowicz.com to let me know what it is at support@mikemichalowicz.com. It’s automated, but it’s still personal!

You’ve got this!

-Mike