Dec 2025
The secret isn't working longer hours. It's automating everything that doesn't require Ludmi, Michael, Juli, Susi or me to actually think.
When we tell a potential client we're a team of 5, sometimes they're surprised. "How do you manage so many projects?" The answer is simple: we automate everything we can. And when I say everything, I mean everything that doesn't require creative or strategic judgement.
We started with the most obvious: commercial proposals. Before, putting together a proposal took me half a day. Today, with templates connected to our CRM, I generate a personalised proposal in under an hour. The system takes the client data, project type and estimated budget. I just review, adjust the tone and send. Ludmi no longer hears me complaining that "I spend all day doing quotes".
Then we moved to onboarding. When someone signs with us, an automatic sequence fires: the project is created in our management tool, a welcome email is sent, the kickoff call is scheduled and access is shared. Ludmi gets her design brief, Michael gets the technical scope, and if there's video, Susi gets her timeline. All without anyone pressing a button.
But where it truly shines is in the invisible stuff. We have alerts when a project approaches its deadline (Michael needs these especially because he tends to dive deep into code and lose track of time), automatic weekly reports with hours per project, and a system that detects overdue invoices and sends polite reminders. Before, I used to make that awkward call; now a much more elegant automated email handles it.
The most important thing we learned: don't automate for the sake of automating. Every flow we create responds to a real problem. And we always leave a point of human intervention. Automation without supervision is a recipe for disaster, especially when you're dealing with clients who trust you.
If you're at a small studio and feel you can't keep up, before hiring someone new, look at your process. I'd bet there are at least 5 tasks you do every week that could resolve themselves. That's your starting point.