Lone Wolf Unleashed - avoid exhaustion, reclaim your time using tools, systems and AI

Mike Fox
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Lone Wolf Unleashed with host Mike Fox, founder of Action Advisory, provides practical solutions for business owners overwhelmed by administrative tasks and seeking more personal time. Rather than endorsing impractical hype, the podcast focuses on actionable steps and frameworks to help entrepreneurs streamline their operations without compromising growth. Expect candid discussions, dark humor, and tools to eliminate bottlenecks, aiming to help listeners reclaim their time and improve work-life balance.

  1. 4d ago

    Stop Undercharging: Use Margin and Systems to Work Less and Earn More

    I'm Mike Fox from Lone Wolf Unleashed, Do you want to earn MORE CASH as a solo operator? Ever wonder why your calendar is packed but your wallet isn’t? In this episode of Lone Wolf Unleashed, I expose the trap most solo operators fall into—underpricing... and how it sabotages your profit, your free time, and even your ability to build those simple, lean systems you keep hearing about. Hear why doubling, even tripling your prices isn’t just a power move—it’s the key to cutting your hours without cutting your income. I share stories from the trenches, concrete math on price and demand, and the mindset shift that separates overworked grinders from strategic business builders. Get ready to rewire how you think about pricing, margin, and systems, so you can finally get your afternoons back—without a pay cut, extra staff, or the admin agony. Let’s break you out, one smarter decision at a time. 🚨BIG POINTS 🚨 Charging more : Double your price—even if you lose half your clients, you’re working less and earning the same (or more). Fewer headaches, more headspace.Higher prices = time to work ON your biz. When your margin grows, you can finally invest in better systems, smarter processes, and higher-value work.The ‘piss off price’ lesson. Set a rate so high you’d be fine if the client walked. If they say yes? You just discovered your true market value is way north of where you thought.

    12 min

  2. Jun 1

    Why the Everything App Is a Myth and How to Actually Simplify Your Stack

    I'm Mike Fox from Lone Wolf Unleashed, are you a solo operator? Swamped in platforms, still dreaming of a one-app-to-rule-them-all? This week on Lone Wolf Unleashed, Speaker A shreds the myth that you can cram your whole business into a single system—especially when it comes to CRMs that promise the moon and deliver a messy tool sprawl. You'll get the straight-up reality on why multi-platform stacks are unavoidable, how process truly cuts through tool confusion, and what lean, light-touch tech actually looks like for real solopreneurs who want their afternoons back—not another admin headache. If you're ready to stop wasting time and cash on the wrong platforms and start making smart, streamlined decisions that buy you hours (not more busywork), this episode will walk you through the thinking, the trade-offs, and the workflow hacks you actually need. Let's strip the bloat and unleash your afternoons—no hiring, no hype. 🔑 Key takeaways: Map your process before you shop. Know every step, every tool—even the little stuff like Excel or booking links—before you invest in new platforms.Don’t get sold by vendors. Challenge blanket “this system does it all” claims and always ask: “What’s in it for you?” if someone pushes a particular tool.Trade-offs are healthy. Consolidate where it makes sense, but accept that juggling a few well-chosen platforms is way better than shoehorning everything into one. Your laptop isn’t a life sentence. Build a tech stack that works for you, not the other way around! Mentioned in this episode: This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network You might also like... Check out the "Websites Made Simple" podcast with Holly Christie at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/

    15 min

  3. May 25

    Embed Your Procedures Into Your Templates (And Cut Your Document Maintenance in Half)

    Most business owners have two documents where they should have one. I'm Mike Fox from Lone Wolf Unleashed, and in this episode I'm walking you through a technique I've been developing with teams managing upwards of 140 document templates — embedding the procedural knowledge directly inside the template itself. Here's the problem: your procedure sits in one place and your template sits in another. Ninety-five percent of the time, people go straight to the template and skip the procedure entirely. That means the guidance that took you hours to write is being ignored — and when things change, you're maintaining two ageing documents instead of one. The fix is simpler than you think. And here's why it matters beyond today: a template structured properly is already in the format it's needed in to be able to automate it. Click play to hear me walk you through it. What you'll learn: Why documents begin decaying the moment you create them (organisational entropy)The knowledge embedding techniqueWhy fewer documentation surfaces means a more resilient, maintainable systemHow a well-structured template becomes the direct input for AI automationThe staged approach: manual templates first, then automation — and why that order matters Start building smarter templates today. Head to lonewolfunleashed.com/resources for tools and frameworks from the show. Mentioned in this episode: Blogging Masterclass with Holly Christie, Nikki Pilkington and Kane Mitchell https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/masterclass This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network

    13 min

  4. May 18

    How to Tell If AI Has Made YOU The Bottleneck In Your Own Business

    AI is supposed to make you faster. So why are you more buried than ever? I'm Mike Fox from Lone Wolf Unleashed — and in this episode, I'm talking about something I'm living right now: AI burnout. Not the kind where you're exhausted from using AI, but the kind where AI has moved so fast through the front end of your processes that you've become the bottleneck. Multiple clients. All at the same stage. All waiting on me. This episode is a systems diagnosis of a problem every solo founder is going to hit as they adopt AI tools — and a practical framework for what to do about it. What you'll learn: Why AI creates a "wave" of output that crashes into the human layer of your processHow running multiple client projects in parallel compounds the bottleneck effectWhy you can't just throw unreviewed AI output at clients — and what's actually at stake when you doThe "unicorn hire" mistake most business owners make when they finally decide to bring someone onWhat a "pilot" actually looks like — and why that's the person you need, not a technical specialistHow to use part-time contractors and VAs to unblock specific functions without over-hiring If you're starting to move faster with AI but feeling more overwhelmed, not less — this one is for you. Head to lonewolfunleashed.com/resources for tools and frameworks to help you manage what AI is building up in your business. Mentioned in this episode: This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network Blogging Masterclass with Holly Christie, Nikki Pilkington and Kane Mitchell https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/masterclass

    20 min

  5. May 11

    The Right Way to Transition Work to AI Agent Teams and Work 4 Hours, NOT 3 Weeks

    Lots of people are handing work to AI agents and crossing their fingers. This episode is about doing it properly. Hi, I'm Mike, host of Lone Wolf Unleashed. This week I walk you through the controlled, step-by-step method for transitioning your work into an AI agent team — so you stay in control, your quality holds, and you don’t end up with an agent deleting your production database. The short version: you don’t hand everything over on day one. I'm going to teach you "The Two-Lane Method" and explain how to hand work to AI Agents in a controlled way. And I bring receipts. One of my own processes went from three weeks to four hours. A 96% time reduction. Listen to hear me walk you through it. Chapters00:00 Transitioning work to AI agents in a controlled manner 00:16 Back from the Investors Forum — Sydney & Melbourne 00:36 Warren Otter’s multimillion-dollar exit story 01:02 Human in the loop — what it means and why it matters 01:24 How I build AI skills from real work 02:14 Process diagrams, LinkedIn, and learning by doing 02:39 From task-based to workflow-based thinking 03:20 Why you can’t hand everything to an agent team on day one 04:18 The two-lane model: your lane vs the agent team’s lane 05:10 Shifting reviews down into the agent lane 05:40 What to keep in your lane vs what to delegate first 06:44 Why control matters: the AI database deletion story 07:27 Build skill by skill, then string into a pipeline 07:58 Using separate manager and QA agents for review 08:51 Why it’s not just “checking its own homework” 09:55 The end state: one input, one output, you’re not in the middle 10:28 Real result: a task reduced by 96% 10:50 The business requirements document use case 13:07 From three weeks to four hours 13:17 What this means for your business 14:00 Resources at lonewolfunleashed.com Resources: lonewolfunleashed.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network You might also like... Check out the "Websites Made Simple" podcast with Holly Christie at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/

    17 min
  6. Zooming Out From AI: The Persona and Values Framework and Why Your Business is YOU

    May 4

    Zooming Out From AI: The Persona and Values Framework and Why Your Business is YOU

    Everything will still be here when we get back to AI... Hi, I'm Mike, host of Lone Wolf Unleashed. This week I'm doing something a little different — zooming out from all the systems, the tools, and the tech to talk about the thing that actually underpins everything in your solo business: you. If you're a solo founder, you know the feeling. Work coming from every direction. Kids getting sick. Clients to juggle. Hours that never seem to end. You started this business for a reason — flexibility, financial freedom, intergenerational wealth, doing cool stuff with cool people. Whatever it was, it was yours. But somewhere along the way, you've become one person working two people's hours. This episode is about zooming out and remembering why. I walk you through the first P in my Five P Framework — Persona — and why getting clear on who you are, what you value, and why you started has to come before any system you build. Your values don't just inform your decisions — they determine them. Which platforms you use. How your processes run. What you do and don't send. Your dreams are the architecture. Your systems are built to serve those dreams. The solo business is you. And that's not a motivational slogan. It's operational reality. Chapters 00:00 Taking a break from AI — zooming out 00:36 The thing that matters most in your solo business 01:00 Solo founders: getting hit from every side 02:16 The solo business is you 02:48 Why Mike started his business 03:46 What are your reasons? Zoom out. 04:43 Sitting in the car in tears — keeping going anyway 05:28 Good systems make the dream possible 05:56 The Five P Framework: Persona first 06:49 How your values shape your decisions and processes 07:33 Systemisation starts and ends with you 08:16 It's okay not to want this anymore 09:31 Wrap-up: reaffirming why you're in this Resources: lonewolfunleashed.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network You might also like... Check out the "Websites Made Simple" podcast with Holly Christie at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/

    12 min
  7. AI for Information Routing: A Three-Layer Framework for Solo Founders

    Apr 27

    AI for Information Routing: A Three-Layer Framework for Solo Founders

    AI isn't taking your job. It's taking one layer of it — and most people are getting that distinction wrong. In this episode of Lone Wolf Unleashed, I walk through a three-layer framework for understanding where AI actually fits in your business: information routing, judgement, and signals. AI is excellent at the first layer. It can't do the other two. We cover why mass layoffs are misreading the boundary, why accountability sits with you (not the model), and a simple way to find AI-ready tasks in your own day. If you run a service-based business, this is the lens to use before you automate anything. Chapters00:00 — The premise: AI isn't taking all the jobs 00:46 — Layer 1: Information routing (what AI is excellent at) 01:17 — Layer 2: Judgement (and the new transparency legislation) 02:04 — Layer 3: Signals in the physical environment 02:30 — Why wholesale layoffs are misreading the boundary 03:51 — Freeing middle managers to make good decisions 04:50 — How to apply this to your own business 05:55 — Worked example: my podcast content workflow 07:08 — Communication is performance 07:49 — Connected systems in 2026 08:21 — Recap of the three layers 09:37 — A 95% time-saving benchmark 10:13 — Closing thoughts More from Lone Wolf UnleashedOther episodes: https://lonewolfunleashed.com/episodes/ Resources: lonewolfunleashed.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network You might also like... Check out the "Websites Made Simple" podcast with Holly Christie at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/

    13 min
  8. The Target Operating Model Approach to Building AI Agent Teams with Paperclip

    Apr 20

    The Target Operating Model Approach to Building AI Agent Teams with Paperclip

    Most AI agent content is hype. This isn’t. I’m Mike, host of Lone Wolf Unleashed. This week I walk you through how I implemented my first AI agent team using Paperclip — an open-source multi-agent platform — and more importantly, the methodical approach that made the result controllable rather than chaotic. The short version: I started with a target operating model in Obsidian, not with the tool. People, process, technology, on a page. I handed the architecture to Claude, spun up a “CEO agent” in Paperclip, and let it form a team — CTO, business analyst, content writer, marketing manager, clips publisher — that now runs my content pipeline from Asana through Descript, SharePoint and into Metricool. Architecture before automation. Human-in-the-loop, non-negotiable. You’re still the master of your business. Listen to hear me walk you through it. Chapters 00:00 First AI agent team, implemented 00:30 Why Paperclip (and going from local to cloud) 01:18 Starting with a target operating model in Obsidian 02:03 Handing the architecture to Claude 02:22 The CEO agent spawns the team 03:40 The content workflow: Asana → Descript → SharePoint → Paperclip → Metricool 05:04 Matching agents to models: Opus, Sonnet, Haiku 05:56 Routines instead of manual triggers 06:40 What took the time (spoiler: it wasn’t the agents) 07:34 Human-in-the-loop and run history 09:10 You are the master of your business 10:54 The 80/20 rule for phase-one builds Resources: lonewolfunleashed.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: You might also like... Check out the "Websites Made Simple" podcast with Holly Christie at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/ This podcast is part of the Podknows Podcasting ICN Network

    14 min
See All (43)

Trailer

About

Lone Wolf Unleashed with host Mike Fox, founder of Action Advisory, provides practical solutions for business owners overwhelmed by administrative tasks and seeking more personal time. Rather than endorsing impractical hype, the podcast focuses on actionable steps and frameworks to help entrepreneurs streamline their operations without compromising growth. Expect candid discussions, dark humor, and tools to eliminate bottlenecks, aiming to help listeners reclaim their time and improve work-life balance.

Information