What Automation Taught Me in 2025

Or, Why Sourdough, Bagels, and Your Business Have More in Common Than You Think

There is something sourdough will teach you very quickly if you let it.Bit first...if we've had the privilege to know each other personally...in person or via zoom, then you know, I've recently entered the sourdough party so this is a natural correlation that I'm making to my second obsession of 2025, sourdough. Here goes:

Sourdough, you cannot set it and forget it.

You can start it.
You can feed it.
You can build a beautiful foundation.

But if you walk away and assume it will magically become perfect on its own, you will come back to something that smells strange, behaves unpredictably, and no longer does what you thought it would.

Sound familiar?

For a long time, my language around automation was built around phrases like:

Your business running on autopilot.
Set it and forget it.

And while those phrases are not wrong, they are incomplete. In 2025 I realized something important. That language gave people permission to disappear from their own systems. It quietly implied that once something was built, their responsibility to reflect, refine, and care for it was done.

That is not how real businesses grow.
And it is definitely not how sourdough works.

Automation Is the Starter, Not the Finished Loaf

Automation is the framework that gives your business consistency, stability, and breathing room. It removes repetitive strain. It protects your energy. It creates rhythm.

But it is not the finished product.

It is the starter.

The real gift of automation is not that things are finally running.
The real gift is that now you can see what is actually happening.

You can see where people drop off.
You can see what messages get opened and which ones get ignored.
You can see where your clients hesitate.
You can see what still feels clunky.
You can see what is working better than you ever expected.

This visibility is not a burden.
It is an invitation.

Now you are no longer guessing.
Now you can optimize.

Optimization Is Where the Magic Actually Lives

Most solopreneurs and even small businesses with teams stop at setup. They finally build the thing they have been avoiding. Then they breathe a sigh of relief and hope it carries them forever.

But the people who grow steadily, sustainably, and without burnout do something different.

They refine.

They adjust.
They improve.
They simplify.
They make small changes that compound into big stability.

They use automation as a living system that evolves with their business.

This is where the sourdough metaphor really matters.

You do not just feed your starter once and walk away. You watch how it responds. You change the ratios. You learn what it needs in your climate, your kitchen, your schedule.

Your business is no different.

Automation gives you time.
Optimization gives you leverage.

Time for What Actually Matters

Here is another thing I have learned after thirteen years inside systems, funnels, CRMs, and client journeys.

Automation does not replace your personal touch.
It protects it.

When your backend is working, you are no longer drained by the small things. You are no longer drowning in follow up. You are no longer carrying your entire business in your nervous system.

This is what gives you space to be present with your people.
This is what allows you to care well.
This is what allows you to show up creatively, intuitively, and human.

Automation clears the path.
Your presence is what builds trust.

One Last Thought Before You Walk Away

If your systems feel stale, frustrating, or slightly off, that does not mean you failed.

It means it is time to feed your starter again.

It means it is time to adjust your ratios.
It means it is time to make your next batch better than the last.

This is not about perfection.
It is about evolution.

And that is where the real power has always been. Want to chat more about how your automations are or are NOT working for you? Let's hop on a call and chat: meet.automationonamission.com.

Here's to an amazing 2026!