FBC – 267 – My Automation Challenge

Today, I am going to tell you about the project I am working on right now and the kind of automation I am adding to it. This is a thing of beauty! My Automation Challenge.

For those who are going to be in Manila this friday 15th february, here is the link to the event:

brownroots Coworking space 102 D.M Guevarra St mandaluyong city from 6 to 9 pm.

Want a system as powerful (if not more) than having your own product?

Then click here: https://martinebongue.com/profit-machines

So I've been busy doing some automation and I forgot how cool automation was. I am working on a tool where I can automate everything. And it’s really insane, my friend.

So basically it takes me some time now, but then afterwards it's going to be a thing of beauty. So if people sign up but they don't buy a product, they get into a sequence to basically get them to buy this product.

If they don't buy this product, then there is another sequence to get them to buy another product. And if they don't get there, then they go to another sequence. If they buy the product, they buy the upscale. If they don't buy the second upscale, they get a communication and stuff. This whole thing will be absolutely magnificent.

My Automation Challenge

So I built the mind map with the decision trees, when the person arrives at zero, they can say yes or no. If they say yes, what happens and stuff. And you know those things can get quite complicated. So mine got really complicated, but really complicated and it took me two weeks to study the damn thing.

But once I started implementing it, it's fascinating. But really, it's astonishing how quickly you can actually learn stuff. So this video that I shot and everything, it's really awesome. Anyway, I wanted to be able to be the one who knows the most about it. And I wanted to know everything about it. And this is why I actually needed to do it once, just for me to understand where things go, if something breaks.

There are so many components. And sometimes you have to create a tag and the tag is hidden in some menu somewhere. And then once you create the tag, you have to create that automation that says, well, if they buy this product but they don't buy product number two, assign this tag and then the tag is used in a sequence.

And if someone else builds that stuff for you, they actually tried to explain that stuff to you, it's not going to work. Trust me, it's really not going to work. This thing that I'm building is in terms of like automation and the different possibilities and stuff I think's the most sophisticated stuff I have built. Because, you know, I've built some really cool stuff. Trust me. But I made it super simple and stuff. I wasn't going into the nitty gritty of it.

It's really, really advanced stuff. It's really cool. And I think it will be a very good topic to discuss on Friday when I'm giving a speech in Manila and it's my first time speaking in the Philippines.

So if you are in Manila and you're around, I'm going to put the link of the actual event in the podcast. Yeah. By any means. Let's connect and let's have a chat, because today I met a really, really cool couple. I can't remember the names, but they were really lovely and they're working online. They're kind of like starting out, I think. And I realized that maybe I should do this a little bit more often because there are two different types of entrepreneurs that you'll meet.

So the kind of experts or something. I mean, they've been there for a while. You've been there for a while. You can talk about stuff, you can brainstorm and come up with something new. But I haven't necessarily been in environments where I'm in a community where people are just starting out. I mean, people are motivated as hell. They're full of passion and it's really refreshing to be able to see people like that.

The automation challenge that changed how I work

You could automate one thing this week and never feel it again. That is the whole game. My automation challenge was simple: for 30 days, every task I did twice by hand got turned into a workflow before I was allowed to do it a third time. It sounds small. It rebuilt my entire business. I have shipped 1,500 plus workflows since, for Fortune 500 clients and for myself, and every one of them started as a task I was sick of repeating. The point is not to automate everything at once. It is to build the reflex: notice the repeat, kill the repeat. Make.com handles the wiring, and n8n runs the pieces I refuse to pay a subscription for. Within a month I had bought back hours I did not know I was losing. I run the full challenge on The Diary of a Virtual CEO and demo the builds on my YouTube channel. For patterns, Make.com and the n8n blog both catalog the exact flows to start with. Pick one task you hate. Automate it today. Then do it again tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is business automation and why does it matter?

Business automation uses software to handle repetitive tasks like email sequences, customer follow-ups, and sales funnels without manual effort. Companies that implement automation see an average 30% reduction in operational costs. It frees you to focus on strategy and growth instead of getting buried in daily busywork that drains your time.

How do you build an automated sales funnel from scratch?

Start by mapping out your customer journey with a decision tree covering every yes-or-no point. Then set up email sequences, tags, and triggers for each path using tools like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit. Testing each branch individually before connecting them prevents costly errors and ensures no lead falls through the cracks.

What are the biggest challenges when automating a business?

The top challenges include overly complex decision trees, hidden settings in automation platforms, and debugging broken sequences. Around 60% of automation projects fail because the builder skipped the planning phase. Creating a detailed mind map of every possible customer path before touching any software saves weeks of rework later.

Should you build your own automation or hire someone to do it?

Building it yourself at least once is highly recommended, even if you plan to outsource later. Understanding how tags, sequences, and triggers connect gives you the ability to troubleshoot problems and manage your systems confidently. Outsourcing without this knowledge often leads to dependency and costly fixes when something breaks.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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