Automate Your Agency

Alane Boyd & Micah Johnson

Are you a founder dreaming of breaking free from the day-to-day grind? Or perhaps you're looking to scale your company without burning out? Welcome to Automate Your Agency with Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson, a podcast dedicated to helping you systemize and automate your business for more efficient, scalable operations that can run without you.Join our hosts as they share battle-tested strategies and cutting-edge tools that take the guesswork out of systemizing your business. Drawing from their experience of growing their agency to 600+ active clients before their exit, Alane and Micah offer actionable insights on:✅ Implementing effective software solutions ✅ Leveraging automation and AI to do more with less✅ Creating workflows and systems that allow your business to run without you✅ Preparing your company for a potential sale or exitEach week, they take a deep dive into real-world operational challenges and showcase solutions they've implemented. Whether you want to double revenue without doubling headcount or build a business that runs smoothly in your absence, this podcast is your roadmap to success.Subscribe to Automate Your Agency with Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson now on your favorite podcast platform and join other forward-thinking entrepreneurs as they transform their businesses into well-oiled machines that are primed for growth and ready for whatever the future holds!For more game-changing strategies and resources, visit us at biggestgoal.ai!To access exclusive content, training, workshops, and more, join our Your Biggest Goal Community!Take advantage of our free tools:Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessIt's time to work smarter, not harder – let's automate your agency and unlock your business's potential!

  1. 1D AGO

    Claude Called It Cowork for This Reason…

    Send us Fan Mail When you think about AI workflows, you typically think about achieving success when there are no humans involved. But Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson call this "over automation," and it's costing businesses time, money, and sanity. The hosts have seen it repeatedly: companies build elaborate "hands-off" AI systems only to spend more time fixing what AI got wrong than they would have spent doing it manually. The problem isn't the technology, it's the approach. In this episode you will learn: Why 80% is the automation sweet spot and 100% creates more problemsThe difference between automation and AI automation and why it matters for your workflowsHow to design systems with human judgment built in without losing efficiencyWhy micro-automations beat monolithic systems for maintenance and reliabilityReal examples from Goldman Sachs showing how even Wall Street keeps humans in the loopThe two camps getting AI wrong and how to find the middle ground that actually worksIf you are building AI workflows or considering it, this episode will save you from expensive mistakes and show you how to get the balance right.  The real question is not "how much can I automate?" It is "where do I still need to be the smart one?" Tools and frameworks mentioned:  Clauden8nClickUpZapierMakePipedriveTo sign up for our AI News Brief, sign up at the Biggest Goal community. Upcoming Webinars & Workshops: Claude Cowork Free 30-Minute Webinar | April 23rd at 3 pm CSTClaude Cowork Quickstart Workshop | MaLearn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    35 min

  2. APR 13

    The Three Claude Cowork Tools You Absolutely Need

    Send us Fan Mail Most people use Claude Cowork like a chat window and wonder why they're not getting results. In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson break down the three tools that change everything — Connectors, Skills, and Plugins — and why almost nobody is using them correctly. If you've been frustrated with inconsistent AI outputs or spending too much time recreating the same workflows from scratch, this is the episode that fixes it. The hosts get into what each tool actually does, how they work together, and what it looks like in practice, including a lawyer whose attorney complimented the AI-written contract sections, and a client who noticed the quality of every follow-up email without ever being told there was a Skill behind it. In this episode, you'll discover: How to stop confusing Connectors, Skills, and Plugins once and for allWhy Skills function like SOPs for AI and eliminate inconsistent outputsThe Plugins that make you an instant expert How to create McDonald's-level consistency in your business operationsReal client success stories and which Plugins the hosts actually use dailyStop using Claude Cowork like a fancy chatbot and start running it like an operational system. Stick around for Micah's bonus at the end: scheduled tasks. Because that's where everything clicks into place. Tools mentioned: Claude, MCP (Model Context Protocol), Grain, Pipedrive, Gmail, Zapier, Make, n8n, Pencil Workshop: Claude Cowork Workshop on May 11th at 11 am MST. Sign up here. Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    30 min

  3. APR 6

    When to Use Claude Cowork vs. n8n

    Send us Fan Mail Everyone keeps asking: should I use Cowork or n8n? Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson reveal why the answer isn't either/or, it's both. In this episode, they break down exactly when to use each tool and how they work together to create bulletproof automation systems.  If you've been wondering whether these tools compete or complement each other, this conversation will clear up the confusion. The hosts get real about the strengths and limitations of each platform based on their hands-on experience. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Cowork excels at reasoning but struggles with scalabilityHow n8n handles predetermined workflows that run without human interventionReal examples of integration like sales pipeline management and weekly retrospectivesThe strategic approach to testing processes in Cowork before automating them in n8nWhere to start if you're new to either platformIf you're ready to stop choosing between tools and start designing systems that leverage each platform's strengths, this episode shows you exactly how to do it. Tools/Platforms Mentioned Cowork (AI assistant platform)n8n (workflow automation platform)Claude (AI Skills)Pipedrive (CRM)Email platformsAPIs and webhooksClickUpAsanaMonday.comSlackLearn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    17 min

  4. MAR 30

    The Claude Cowork Experiment

    Send us Fan Mail Sharing Claude accounts might seem like a money-saving hack, but Alane and Micah discovered it's actually costing you way more than the "savings" are worth. Their team experiment lasted exactly three days before complete chaos forced them back to individual accounts. If you've ever wondered whether your team really needs individual AI accounts or if sharing one account could work, this conversation will save you from making the same expensive mistake. The hosts get real about what happens when you try to cut corners on AI tool setup. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Cowork requires individual accounts to function with Connectors and automationHow Teams accounts give you control over platform integrations and securityThe hidden costs of shared accounts that nobody talks aboutWhy proper AI setup prevents productivity disastersHow to evaluate AI tool costs vs the actual return on investmentThe systems thinking approach to rolling out AI tools successfullyIf you're ready to implement AI tools the right way and avoid the costly mistakes that kill productivity, this episode shows you exactly how to structure your accounts for success. Upcoming Webinars & Workshops Mentioned: Free 30-minute Claude Cowork webinarSet up Claude Desktop at the Quickstart WorkshopTools/Platforms Mentioned: Claude (Anthropic)Google Workspace: Gmail, Calendar, Google DocsProject Management Tools: Asana, Monday, ClickUpSlackHubSpotAirtableWebflowMCP (Model Context Protocol)PencilLearn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    32 min

  5. MAR 23

    Using AI? Here Is the Most Important Skill You Can Hire For

    Send us Fan Mail What if you stopped hiring people to do tasks and started hiring for what AI can’t do? In this episode, we break down how using Claude Cowork to automate real work, not just answer questions, is fundamentally changing how businesses hire, train teams, and scale operations in 2026. From drafting emails and updating CRMs to building reports and eliminating repetitive work, AI is now handling the tasks that used to require entire roles. But that doesn’t mean humans are less important, it means the skills you hire for need to change. In this episode, you'll learn:  Why task-based roles are becoming obsolete right now (not in the future)  The 3 critical skills every team member needs in the AI era  How AI exposes gaps in judgment and accountability across teams  Why your best employees are the ones who embrace AI, not resist it  How tools like Claude Cowork, MCP servers, and AI agents are transforming workflows You’ll also hear how we’re training our team, scaling with over 40+ AI agents, and using AI to move faster, make better decisions, and actually enjoy the work again. If you're a founder, operator, or leader thinking about hiring, this episode will challenge how you build your team going forward. Resources & Next Steps To access the Hiring Manager Toolkit mentioned in the episode, click here. Want to learn more? Check out our free 30-minute webinar on Claude Cowork (April 2 at 11 am MST) or join our Quick Start Workshop. Tools/Platforms Mentioned Claude Coworkn8n agentsChatGPTOpenAI desktop appLearn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    27 min

  6. MAR 16

    Claude Cowork Is the AI Managing Our Sales Pipeline

    Send us Fan Mail Nobody wants to enter data into a CRM, especially founders and salespeople who should be spending their time selling, not typing. Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson share how they eliminated the most painful part of sales with one simple Claude Desktop command. Deals falling through cracks, missed follow-ups, and account teams with zero context? These problems disappear when your CRM actually gets updated consistently. In this episode, you'll learn: How to eliminate CRM data entry completely using Claude Desktop + CoworkThe MCP server setup that connects AI to your sales toolsWhy Claude extracts contact details that humans always skipThe "SOP for Claude" approach that ensures consistent pipeline managementHow to focus your sales team on selling instead of administrative workThe dashboard strategy that turns accurate CRM data into actionable insightsIf you're ready to stop fighting human nature and let AI handle the busywork nobody wants to do, press play now. To hear our other episodes on the power of Claude Cowork, listen to The Future of Work: Claude Cowork and Build a Shared AI Brain for Your Company (No Code Required). Want to learn more? Check out our free 30-minute webinar on Claude Cowork (April 2 at 11 am MST) or join our Quick Start Workshop. Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    15 min

  7. MAR 9

    Build a Shared AI Brain for Your Company (No Code Required)

    Send us Fan Mail Most founders are the bottleneck in their own company. Your standards, your voice, your client knowledge. It all lives in your head. And AI mirrors the problem when everyone on your team prompts it differently. A shared Dropbox folder just became the biggest AI breakthrough Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson have experienced since they started using AI.  The discovery? Consistent results aren't about better prompting. They're about giving AI access to the same company knowledge every time. In this episode, Alane and Micah walk through how to build a shared knowledge vault using Obsidian, Dropbox, and Claude Desktop that lets your entire team operate at your standard without you in the room. You'll learn: Why founders become the bottleneck and how AI makes it worse without shared contextWhat a CLAUDE.md file is and why it's the single most important file in your AI setupWhat belongs in your knowledge vault, the stuff that currently lives only in your headHow Skills turn shared knowledge into repeatable workflows anyone on the team can runThe 30-minute minimum viable setup to start getting out of the bottleneck this weekIf you're ready to move from siloed AI experiences to shared company intelligence that delivers consistent results, this episode breaks down the exact system. Listen to our other episode on the power of Claude Cowork, The Future of Work: Claude Cowork or Claude Cowork Is the AI Managing Our Sales Pipeline. Want to learn more? Check out our webinar on Claude Cowork or join our Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive. Book a call to customize your workshop today! This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    28 min

  8. MAR 2

    The Future of Work: Claude Cowork

    Send us Fan Mail Want to ditch the endless back-and-forth cycle of project management and actually get work done?  Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson just redesigned their entire 12-page website in under two hours, without hiring a designer, developer, or agency. If you've ever felt bottlenecked by the slow cycle of copy revisions, design feedback, and technical implementation, this conversation will change how you think about AI collaboration. The hosts discovered the difference between chatting with AI and having AI actually do the work.  In this episode, you'll learn: How Cowork differs from Chat and why it's like having IT support show up at your deskReal examples from their two-week experiment including DNS management, calendar scheduling, and n8n automationThe Pencil.dev + Webflow integration that turned a 6-month project into a 2-hour sprintHow the "skills" system works like video game cartridges for repeatable workflowsWhy human expertise still matters for the final 20% that moves the needleMCP server connections that let Claude work inside your actual business toolsIf you're ready to stop being a human copy-paste machine and start leveraging AI that actually executes your vision, this episode shows you exactly how to make the shift. Want to better understand the infrastructure behind all this? Listen to our recent episode "Want to Automate? APIs and Webhooks are Everything" for a deeper dive into APIs, MCPs, and webhooks. Other episodes on the power of Claude Cowork, Build a Shared AI Brain for Your Company (No Code Required) or Claude Cowork Is the AI Managing Our Sales Pipeline. Want to learn more? Check out our webinar on Claude Cowork or join our Quick Start Workshop. Tools/Platforms mentioned in this episode: Claude DesktopPencil.devWebflown8nThis episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal. Every quarter your team spends evaluating AI is a quarter your competitors spend shipping. Most leaders feel the pressure but get stuck between ignoring AI and getting it wrong. More tools and more demos won't fix it. What actually works is hands-on training for the people doing the work. That's what we build at Biggest Goal. Our workshops align your leadership team on a shared AI roadmap. Our 4-week cohort get your teams building real AI agents, and automation workflows. And our ongoing groups keep leaders and builders sharp long after the cohort wraps. Enjoy our Free Tools: Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessConnect with Us: Join our CommunityFollow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our YouTube channelDisclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the podcast! For more information, visit our website at biggestgoal.ai.

    26 min
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About

Are you a founder dreaming of breaking free from the day-to-day grind? Or perhaps you're looking to scale your company without burning out? Welcome to Automate Your Agency with Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson, a podcast dedicated to helping you systemize and automate your business for more efficient, scalable operations that can run without you.Join our hosts as they share battle-tested strategies and cutting-edge tools that take the guesswork out of systemizing your business. Drawing from their experience of growing their agency to 600+ active clients before their exit, Alane and Micah offer actionable insights on:✅ Implementing effective software solutions ✅ Leveraging automation and AI to do more with less✅ Creating workflows and systems that allow your business to run without you✅ Preparing your company for a potential sale or exitEach week, they take a deep dive into real-world operational challenges and showcase solutions they've implemented. Whether you want to double revenue without doubling headcount or build a business that runs smoothly in your absence, this podcast is your roadmap to success.Subscribe to Automate Your Agency with Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson now on your favorite podcast platform and join other forward-thinking entrepreneurs as they transform their businesses into well-oiled machines that are primed for growth and ready for whatever the future holds!For more game-changing strategies and resources, visit us at biggestgoal.ai!To access exclusive content, training, workshops, and more, join our Your Biggest Goal Community!Take advantage of our free tools:Free Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com Selector ToolGet 25 Free Custom Automation Ideas for your BusinessIt's time to work smarter, not harder – let's automate your agency and unlock your business's potential!

Information

  • Creator
    Alane Boyd & Micah Johnson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Automate Your Agency
  • Show Website
    Automate Your Agency

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