Your Processes Do Not Have to Suck
Featuring Ben “The Automator” Christensen on Leaders and Their Stories with Richard Lowe
How can a non-technical business owner automate repetitive work?
TL;DR: What This Conversation Establishes
- Any repetitive, structured process can be automated, not just factory robotics
- Automating one five-minute daily task saves about one percent of your work year
- Automation delivers lifetime ROI: it saves time every time the process runs
- A good automation candidate has a clear trigger, consistent inputs, repeatability, defined outputs, and decision logic
- AI is a workforce multiplier, not a replacement
What You’ll Learn
- What makes a process a good automation candidate
- How to automate email and content workflows
- Why automation delivers lifetime ROI
- Why AI multiplies your workforce instead of replacing it
- How to think about automation without being technical
Ben “The Automator” Christensen joins Richard Lowe (The Writing King) on Leaders and Their Stories to demystify automation for people who aren’t technical.
Green-haired and ADHD-driven, with 20+ years in IT security and automation, Ben has saved companies over 15 million dollars and automated more than 500,000 hours of work. His tagline: your processes don’t have to suck.
Ben “The Automator” Christensen is an automation and cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience who has saved companies more than 15 million dollars and automated over 500,000 hours of work. He’s the author of Demystifying Automation and runs a community at automatewithben.com.
Ben is a recurring guest; see also his conversation on digital transformation, and more in the Leaders Hub.
Full transcript of the interview follows.
Richard Lowe: Hello and welcome to Leaders and Their Stories. I’m Richard Lowe, your host, also known as The Writing King and Ghostwriting Guru. Today, I’m joined by Ben “The Automator” Christensen, who has some fascinating insights into automation. Ben, take it away.
Meet Ben the Automator
Ben “The Automator” Christensen: Thanks, Richard! A little about me—I’m an unconventional, green-haired, ADHD-driven expert in automation with over 20 years of experience in IT security, automation, and cybersecurity. Throughout my career, I’ve saved companies over $15 million and automated more than 500,000 hours of work. What I’m really passionate about is streamlining processes and, quite frankly, making them not suck.
In fact, my business tagline is, “Your processes don’t have to suck.” I’d love to share some insights on how I do that. Where would you like to start? What’s Automation and Why Does It Matter? Let’s begin with the basics. What exactly is a process, and why would someone want to automate it? Could you give us an example?
How can AI automate email responses?
Ben: Absolutely. Processes are everywhere—some simple, some complex. Take email, for instance. Many professionals spend a huge portion of their day replying to emails, which can be tedious. With automation, you can analyze how you typically respond and create an AI-driven system to draft responses for you. That’s a great example.
Ben: Right? Once you identify what information is needed in a reply, the system can generate responses based on your style and preferences. This kind of automation saves significant time and allows professionals to focus on higher-value tasks. So if someone wanted to automate email responses, how would they go about it?
Automating Email Responses
Ben: AI is a game-changer here. Tools like ChatGPT, paired with few-shot prompting, allow you to train the system using a handful of example responses. You could set this up with a workflow automation tool like Make.com, which ingests incoming emails, categorizes them, drafts replies, and allows for human review before sending. Would this apply to all emails or just specific ones?
Ben: That depends on how you set it up. Some people automate all emails, while others choose specific categories—such as customer inquiries or emails containing certain keywords. There are lots of ways to customize it based on business needs. Real-World Automation Applications I imagine that alone could lead to huge productivity gains.
The email automation workflow Ben the Automator walked through.
How much time does automating a five-minute daily task save?
Ben: Absolutely. Consider this: Automating just one five-minute daily task saves 1% of a person’s work time annually. Now multiply that by several tasks—those small efficiencies add up fast. Let’s take a more complex example. Right now, I use Riverside to record this podcast. After recording, there’s manual editing, formatting, transcription, and posting across different platforms. I’d love to hear how automation could help streamline that.
Ben: Great example! I’m currently working on automating YouTube content. The process involves transcribing the video, generating summaries and chapters, and automating posting. Depending on your needs, you could set it up to publish directly or keep a human in the loop for final review.
So there’s an upfront setup phase, but once it’s running smoothly, you just let it go, with occasional monitoring?
What is the ROI of business process automation?
Ben: Exactly. Automation provides lifetime ROI—it doesn’t just save time once; it saves time every time that process runs. If you upload 20 videos per month and each one takes an hour to process manually, automating that workflow will pay for itself very quickly. Right now, I manually send content to a virtual assistant.
That’s a form of automation, but a fully automated solution would save even more time.
Lifetime ROI From Automation
Ben: Absolutely. You could train a chatbot to mimic your writing style, generate summaries, and distribute content—all while maintaining consistency. Automation Beyond the Digital World When people think of automation, they often picture factories with big robots. Have you worked in that space?
What makes a task a good candidate for automation?
Ben: A little bit, but automation isn’t just about robotics. Any repetitive, structured process can be automated. A good automation candidate typically has five key characteristics: A clear trigger that initiates the process. Consistent inputs—knowing what information is coming in. Repeatability—the process must follow a set pattern. Defined outputs—what you expect as a result.
Decision-making logic—rules for handling different scenarios. The Role of AI as a Digital Assistant I see AI as a digital assistant rather than a job replacement tool. Automation doesn’t eliminate jobs—it enhances productivity.
| Trait | What it means |
|---|---|
| Clear trigger | Something initiates the process |
| Consistent inputs | You know what information is coming in |
| Repeatability | The process follows a set pattern |
| Defined outputs | You know what result to expect |
| Decision-making logic | Rules for handling different scenarios |
Is AI a workforce multiplier or a job replacement?
Ben: Exactly! I always frame AI as a workforce multiplier, not a replacement. A junior employee bogged down with mundane tasks can now focus on higher-value work, making them more valuable to the company. Ben’s Book: Demystifying Automation You’re also writing a book, Demystifying Automation: A Non-Technical Guide to Streamlining Your Business. Tell us about it.
AI as a Workforce Multiplier
Ben: Yes! Writing this book has been a journey. I condensed my 20+ years of automation experience into an easy-to-understand guide, with golden rules of automation, best practices, and step-by-step breakdowns. It’s ADHD-friendly, with TL;DR sections for quick scanning. Why should a leader write a book?
Why should a business leader write a book?
Ben: A book helps share your expertise, establish credibility, and educate others. Great leaders learn from great leaders—this book is my way of giving back. Final Thoughts & Where to Find Ben This has been a fantastic conversation. Where can people find you?
Ben: You can find me at automatewithben.com, where I run a community focused on AI and automation. I’m also active on social media as Ben the Automator Christensen. And I’m Richard Lowe, The Writing King and Ghostwriting Guru. You can find me at TheWritingKing.com or Ghostwriting.Guru. I offer ghostwriting, book coaching, and self-publishing services. Thanks for joining us today, Ben!
Where to Find Ben
Ben: Thanks for having me!
Quotable moments
My tagline is your processes do not have to suck. Any repetitive, structured process can be automated. — Ben “The Automator” ChristensenShare on X
Automation provides lifetime ROI. It does not just save time once, it saves time every time the process runs. — Ben “The Automator” ChristensenShare on X
I always frame AI as a workforce multiplier, not a replacement. — Ben “The Automator” ChristensenShare on X
I wrote this as the other path after The Death of Thinking: the practices that maintain your cognitive capacity when you use AI, and what those practices build over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your story could be a book
Every leader I interview has a book in them. If you’ve spent a career learning what works, let’s talk about turning it into the book that outlasts the work.
