Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy

Kathy Swanson

Welcome to "Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy" where we have real conversations and talk about practical strategies for visionary experts and creators who want to scale without sacrificing their voice, values, or sanity; as well as ways real people use habits, processes, and systems to uplevel their lives and legacy. Our host, Kathy Swanson, a Business AI and Automation Guide, author, and speaker with Integrated Marketing Werx, is known for cutting through the noise and translating big visions into practical workflows that actually get implemented.

  1. Jul 31

    The Hero Entrepreneur Myth — And What Actually Changes Communities | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    “How I Built This” is one of the best business podcasts out there. But Mark Larson of Early Matters San Antonio noticed something: it’s all about the solo founder. The hero entrepreneur who figured it out alone. 👉 That’s a great story. It’s just not how communities actually change. Systems change — the kind that rewires how a city cares for its youngest kids — doesn’t come from one visionary leader. It comes from 700 people being part of the process together. From organizations that facilitate rather than control. Froman ecosystem where no one gets to be the hero because everyone is. 👉 Mark calls it “How We Built This.” I think that framing also matters for every consultant, coach, and business owner who’s quietly doing the behind-the-scenes work of making businesses and other people more effective. The work that doesn’t make headlines. The work that actuallymoves things. Watch the reel. And if this lands for you, share it with someone who leads from the side rather than the front. 👉 What would the “How We Built This” version of your work look like? 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the last of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BAYlBFz4n2Pge3DeewExK?si=yhz47-goTvGBGBFC3jUr4A   #EarlyChildhood #CollectiveImpact #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityChange #EcosystemThinking #SystemsChange #EcosystemLeadership #SystemsThinking #SanAntonio#CollaborativeLeadership #FacilitativeLeadership #LeadershipMatters #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA #Shorts __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ References to: ◼️How I Built This | NPR https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈

  2. Jul 24

    From “Not My Problem” to “We Need to Act” — One Breakfast at a Time | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    Most community problems stay unsolved not because peopledon’t care — but because they don’t know. Mark Larson of Early Matters SA has a straightforward theoryof change: if you get the right people in the room and help them understand the problem, some of them will want to do something about it. 👉 So every first Friday of the month, he holds a breakfast. No agenda beyond awareness. No pressure to act. You come, you learn, you decide for yourself what — if anything — you want to do next. Early Matters is working from a $20 million, three-year planto prove what a fully functioning early childhood ecosystem can look like in a city the size of San Antonio. They’ve had 700 people involved. They’ve raised close to $10 million. And they’re still inviting people in. If you’re a business owner, concerned parent, or communityleader in San Antonio, this is worth 8am on a Friday. 👉 Cappy’s Restaurant. First Friday. 8:00am. Find the RSVP link at Early Matters SA’s website. Watch the reel and share it with someone in your network. Because systems change starts with awareness. And awareness starts with showing up. 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the last of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BAYlBFz4n2Pge3DeewExK?si=yhz47-goTvGBGBFC3jUr4A    #FirstFriday #LocalImpact #EarlyChildhood#EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildCare #CommunityEngagement #CommunityImpact#CommunityLeadership #SanAntonio #SanAntonioBusinesses #WorkforceDevelopment #LeadershipCommunity #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA #Shorts __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ References to: ◼️ First Friday Breakfast | Early Matters SA https://earlymatterssa.org/first-friday-breakfast/ __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈

  3. Jul 24

    $20mm, 700 Contributors — San Antonio Is Building an Early Childhood Ecosystem| ft. Mark Larson

    In the final segment of this Automating By Design sub-series with Kathy Swanson and Mark Larson of Early Matters SA, we talk about how Early Matters San Antonio is executing a $20 million, three-year plan to build a fully functional early childhood ecosystem — and they’ve had roughly 700 people involved in writing and carrying it out.   Mark Larson shares where the work stands today and extends an open invitation to anyone who wants to be part of the solution:   ✅ First Friday breakfast at Cappy’s Restaurant, 8:00am, no prior knowledge required.   ✅ It’s a low-barrier entry point designed to move people from “this isn’t my problem” to “we need to do something” — and participation is entirely self-directed.   Mark also reflects on the model that makes this work: not a solo hero entrepreneur, but a facilitative ecosystem.   ✅ Remember, getting to a better future requires shining a light on what isn’t working yet.   And in San Antonio, that’s part of how we roll! . . . Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/   Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson   Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call   Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈   References to:   ◼️ First Friday Breakfast | Early Matters SA https://earlymatterssa.org/first-friday-breakfast/   ◼️How I Built This | NPR https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this    #FirstFriday #LocalImpact #EarlyChildhood #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildCare #CommunityEngagement #CommunityImpact#CommunityLeadership #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityChange #EcosystemThinking #SystemsChange #EcosystemLeadership #SystemsThinking  #SanAntonio #SanAntonioBusinesses #WorkforceDevelopment #LeadershipCommunity #BusinessOwners #CollaborativeLeadership #FacilitativeLeadership #LeadershipMatters #BusinessStrategy#LeadershipDevelopmen #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA

  4. Jul 17

    The Cost of Childcare Is Breaking Families — And Nobody’s Talking About It | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    A VP in marketing left the workforce. Not because she wantedto. 👉 Because the fact that childcare costs more than staying made complete sense. That story stopped me over 30 years ago and it is even morethe case today. And the more I dug into early childhood access with MarkLarson of Early Matters San Antonio, the more I realized this isn’t a low-income problem. It’s a math problem — and the math doesn’t work at almost any income level. 👉 Three kids in childcare can run $35,000 a year. If you’re not clearing $70K after taxes, you’re not even breaking even — before you factor in gas, logistics, or the mental load. And for a 25-year-old teller or analyst who hasn’t made it to VP yet, those numbers are even more brutal. What strikes me most is that parents aren’t talking aboutthis. There’s a quiet shame that makes it hard to say: “I’m struggling, and I’m alone.” 👉 But they are not alone. They just don’t know it yet. Watch the reel and share it with someone who needs to hearthey’re not the only one. 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the fourth of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Gu5STgkAyxtBLGvtCxWEQ?si=8XOBWtoAQ3-NOm8Lz0AChw   #ChildcareCosts #WorkingParents #ChildcareCrisis#ParentingAndWork #WomenInWorkforce #ChildcareAffordability #TalentRetention #WorkingMoms #EarlyChildhoodEducation #EarlyChildhood #WorkforceDevelopment #HRLeadership #LeadershipMatters #SmallBusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈

  5. Jul 17

    From Silence to Advocacy: Designing Systems That Speak for Families | ft. Mark Larson

    In the fourth segment of this Automating By Design sub-series with Kathy Swanson and Mark Larson of Early Matters SA, we dig into why the childcare crisis stays hidden — and what it takes to change that. Kathy brings up a hard truth: ✅ Parents aren’t talking about how impossible the math has become, in part because shame keeps them quiet.   ✅ The feeling of “I want the best for my child and I’m failing” crosses every income level — even a VP can find that $35,000 a year in childcare costs leaves the family below breakeven after taxes.   Mark makes the stakes concrete with a striking story:during a six-hour San Antonio city council session on Project Marvel, the mic was open — and not a single person spoke about childcare affordability, even though the number of affected families was comparable to those speaking abouthousing. The reason wasn’t indifference.   ✅ There is simply no system to help parents know where to show up, feel safe telling their story, or get there.   That’s the gap Early Matters is now working to close.   Through intentional stakeholder journeys — distinct outreach for families, businesses, and civic leaders — the organization isbringing the right stakeholders together in San Antonio to create the infrastructure that was never built when America shifted to two-income households in the 1970s with our families paying the price. . . . Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/   Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson   Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call   Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈   References to:   ◼️Talent Performance Model "One Page Talent Management: Eliminating Complexity, Adding Value" by Marc Effron and Miriam Ort https://www.amazon.com/One-Page-Talent-Management-Introduction-ebook/dp/B078YBB6RB/   ◼️Incentives "Freakonomics: Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner https://www.amazon.com/Freakonomics-Rev-Ed-Economist-Everything-ebook/dp/B000MAH66Y/   ◼️"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu Goldratt https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement-Anniversary-ebook/dp/B0DFD2C9F9/   ◼️Early Matters SA Leadership Members highlighted Peter John Holt -- CEO, Holt Cat Co-Chair Michele Autenrieth Brown -- COO, GDC Marketing and Ideation https://earlymatterssa.org/about/leadership/   ◼️Project Marvel SA https://projectmarvelsa.com/   #ChildcareCosts #WorkingParents #ChildcareCrisis#ParentingAndWork #WomenInWorkforce #ChildcareAffordability #TalentRetention #WorkingMoms #EarlyChildhoodEducation #EarlyChildhood #WorkforceDevelopment #HRLeadership #LeadershipMatters #SmallBusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA

  6. Jul 15

    “No One Would Know Anyway”: Why Early Childhood Has a Measurement Problem | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    What happens when you try to disrupt an industry that has noway to measure results? You fail quietly. And no one even notices. That’s the reality Mark Larson of Early Matters San Antoniodescribes in this segment. When he came from the charter school world — where he was known as a disruptor — someone asked if he’d bring that same energy to early childhood education. 👉 His answer: “No — because no one would know anyway.” Without measurement systems, there’s no way to prove a betterapproach works. No data to point to. No signal that anything changed. Disruption without measurement isn’t innovation — it’s noise. 👉 It’s a challenge that shows up far beyond education. In any field where the infrastructure to capture outcomes doesn’t exist yet, the first job isn’t disruption. It’s building the conditions that make proof possible. Watch the reel and share your thoughts — what systems in yourindustry are missing the measurement infrastructure they need? 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the third of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LxhSTFHdMGDUYtPsQ286e?si=2DM_frNjSVazmyNILxPWjQ   #EarlyChildhoodEducation #DataDrivenDecisions#SystemsThinking #SystemsBuilding #LeadershipLessons #BusinessStrategy #ChangeManagement #ImpactMeasurement #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign#EarlyMattersSA __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈

  7. Jul 15

    Talent and Data Gaps & Valley of Despair — Early Childhood’s Systems Challenge | ft. Mark Larson

    In the third segment of this Automating By Design sub-series with Kathy Swanson and Mark Larson of Early Matters SA, we talk about three systemic gaps holding early childhood education back: a broken talent pipeline, fragmented data, and a near-total absence of quality measurement.   ✅ Early childhood educators earn $13–14 an hour with no benefits despite doing critical brain development work.   ✅ The credentialing system compounds the problem, with up to 40% of coursework lost when educators try to advance their degrees.   ✅ Data about the sector is scattered across four or five state agencies, making it nearly impossible to see the ecosystem clearly.   The good news: systems work delivers results. The Alamo Quality Pathway — a coordinated effort among United Way, Workforce Solutions Alamo, Region 20, and Pre-K for SA — pushed quality ratings among subsidy-accepting childcare centers from the low teens to the 80s, with 90%+ projected by year end.   Kathy connects this to the innovation cycle, specifically the valley of despair where most change efforts stall. Mark notesthat running multiple systems in parallel means dips don’t all hit at once — and once one system is working, the question becomes how to stack the next. . . . Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/   Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated MarketingWerx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson   Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call   Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈   References to:   ◼️"The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months" by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington https://www.amazon.com/12-Week-Year-Others-Months-ebook/dp/B00CU9P31K/   ◼️Family Service Association https://family-service.org/   ◼️Texas Rising Star Program https://www.childcare.texas.gov/texas-rising-star   ◼️Alamo QualityPathway | United Way San Antonio and Bexar County https://www.uwsatx.org/alamo-quality-pathway/   ◼️Workforce Solutions Alamo https://www.workforcesolutionsalamo.org/   ◼️Education Service Center Region 20 https://www.esc20.net/   ◼️Pre-K 4 SA https://prek4sa.com/   ◼️Liza Gomez | Ready Kids SA | United Way San Antonio and Bexar County https://readykidsa.com/   ◼️"Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" by James Clear https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break-ebook/dp/B07D23CFGR/   #EarlyChildhoodEducation #DataDrivenDecisions#SystemsThinking #SystemsBuilding #LeadershipLessons #BusinessStrategy #ChangeManagement #ImpactMeasurement #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign#EarlyMattersSA

  8. Jun 30

    “It Was Never Built”: The Childcare System Problem No One Names | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    Most people say the childcare system is broken. Mark Larson says that’s the wrong diagnosis entirely. 👉 “It’s not broken — we just never made the system in the first place.” That single re-frame changes everything. You can’t fix whatwas never built. You have to build it from the ground up. Mark is the Executive Director of Early Matters San Antonio,and he’s doing exactly that. For example, they are leading the early childhood communityto launch a search tool that brings together licensed childcare centers, home-based providers, Early Head Start, public pre-K, school vouchers, and subsidy programs — all in one place, with an eligibility screener built in. 👉 For the first time, a parent in San Antonio will be able to say: “I have a 1 and a 3-year-old — who can take both, starting next week?” And get a real answer. 👉 This is what solving an asystemular problem actually looks like. Watch the reel and share with someone who thinks about theimportance of early childhood learning and access. 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the second of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BNIkByLlSX52rYpIEcy2Z?si=4u6WsPQNTwSTeZ-FSlMhQQ         #EarlyChildhood #Childcare #SanAntonio #ChildcareAccess#WorkingParents #WorkforceDevelopment #CommunityBuilding #ChildhoodDevelopment #SystemsThinking #ImpactLeadership #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated MarketingWerx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ References to: ◼️ Find San Antonio Area Childcare https://childcare.twc.texas.gov/find/welcome __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!"👉  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KL6KUWK/ 👈

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Welcome to "Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy" where we have real conversations and talk about practical strategies for visionary experts and creators who want to scale without sacrificing their voice, values, or sanity; as well as ways real people use habits, processes, and systems to uplevel their lives and legacy. Our host, Kathy Swanson, a Business AI and Automation Guide, author, and speaker with Integrated Marketing Werx, is known for cutting through the noise and translating big visions into practical workflows that actually get implemented.

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