How to Automate Your Business with AI: GoHighLevel + ChatGPT Guide

Feeling overwhelmed by repetitive tasks that eat up your time but don't grow your business?

I used to spend 20+ hours every week on manual follow-up, scheduling appointments, answering the same questions over and over, and trying to keep leads from falling through the cracks. I was working IN my business instead of ON it.

Then in 2018, I discovered GoHighLevel at the original 50-person launch in San Diego with Rob Bailey. I started automating everything I could with AI, and my life changed. I went from working 60-hour weeks to 30-hour weeks while actually making more money.

Since then, I've generated over $1 million using AI automation across fitness lead generation, insurance quoting, AI callbots, and Solar Lead Generator. The businesses I've introduced to the platform—like Ana Covert and Alex Branning—are now each generating seven figures per year using these same strategies.

In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to automate your business with AI, what to automate first, and how to save 20+ hours per week without sacrificing quality or customer experience.

Key Insight: The goal of automation isn't to replace yourself—it's to free yourself from repetitive tasks so you can focus on the high-value work that actually grows your business. AI handles the grunt work. You handle the strategy and relationships.

What Should You Automate First?

The biggest mistake I see business owners make is trying to automate everything at once. They get overwhelmed, nothing gets finished, and they give up.

Instead, start with the tasks that meet these three criteria: (1) You do them repeatedly, (2) They follow a predictable pattern, and (3) They don't require complex human judgment.

Here's the exact order I recommend, based on ROI and ease of implementation:

The 10 Tasks Every Small Business Should Automate

Once you've automated the big three above, here are the next tasks to tackle. I've automated all of these in my businesses, and collectively they've saved me 20+ hours per week.

Total time saved: 25-44 hours per week. That's like hiring a full-time employee, except it costs you less than $150/month instead of $3,000+/month.

My Automation Journey: From Manual to Automated

Let me walk you through my personal journey so you can see what's possible. When I started in 2018, I was doing everything manually. Here's what my week looked like:

Before Automation (2018):

• Manually responding to every lead within hours (if I remembered)
• Playing phone tag to schedule appointments
• Forgetting to follow up with leads who went silent
• Answering the same questions over and over
• Working 60+ hours per week just to keep up

After Automation (2019-Present):

• AI responds to every lead within 60 seconds, 24/7
• AI books appointments automatically without my involvement
• AI nurtures leads for weeks or months until they're ready to buy
• AI chatbot answers common questions instantly
• Working 30-35 hours per week while making 2-3x more revenue

The transformation didn't happen overnight. It took me about 3 months to automate everything. But once it was done, it ran on autopilot. And the ROI was undeniable: over $1 million in revenue since 2018 across my various ventures.

Step-by-Step: How to Automate Your Business

Here's the exact process I use to automate any business. Follow these steps and you'll have your first automation running within a week.

Step 1: Audit Your Time (1 Week)

For one week, track every task you do. At the end of each day, write down: What did I spend time on? How long did it take? Could this be automated?

You'll be shocked at how much time you waste on repetitive tasks that could be automated.

Step 2: Choose Your First Automation (1 Hour)

Look at your audit and identify the task that meets these criteria: (1) You do it frequently, (2) It follows a pattern, (3) It takes significant time. Start with lead follow-up if you're not sure.

Step 3: Sign Up for GoHighLevel (30 Minutes)

Use my link to get 30 days free plus $3,000+ in bonuses. Start with the $97/month Starter plan—it has everything you need.

Step 4: Build Your First Workflow (2-3 Hours)

In GoHighLevel, create a simple workflow: When someone fills out your contact form, send them an instant email and SMS using AI to generate personalized messages. This is your foundation.

Step 5: Test and Refine (1 Week)

Turn on your automation and test it with real leads. Watch what happens. Are leads responding? Are they booking appointments? If not, adjust your messaging or workflow logic.

Step 6: Add Your Next Automation (Repeat)

Once your first automation is running smoothly, add the next one. I recommend: (1) Lead follow-up, (2) Appointment booking, (3) Lead nurturing, (4) Missed call text-back.

Within 60-90 days, you'll have a fully automated lead generation and conversion system running 24/7.

Common Automation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

I've made every automation mistake in the book. Learn from my failures:

Mistake #1: Automating too much, too fast. Start with one workflow. Get it working. Then add more. I tried to automate everything in week one and ended up with a confusing mess.

Mistake #2: Making automation sound robotic. Your automated messages should sound like you wrote them. Use casual language, contractions, and your natural voice. Nobody wants to talk to a robot.

Mistake #3: Set it and forget it. Check your automations weekly, especially in the beginning. Make sure they're saying what you want and getting the results you expect.

Mistake #4: Automating the wrong things. Don't automate high-value, relationship-building conversations. Automate the repetitive stuff so you have time for the important conversations.

Mistake #5: Not measuring results. Track your metrics before and after automation. Lead response time, conversion rate, appointments booked, revenue generated. If you're not measuring, you can't improve.

The Bottom Line: Automation is Your Competitive Advantage

Here's the hard truth: Your competitors are already automating. If you're still doing everything manually, you're falling behind.

The good news? Automation is easier and cheaper than ever. GoHighLevel + ChatGPT gives you enterprise-level AI automation for less than $100/month. You don't need to be a tech expert. You don't need to hire developers. You just need to commit to setting it up.

I've been using AI automation since 2018, and it's generated over $1 million across my businesses. The businesses I've introduced to the platform—Ana Covert and Alex Branning—are now doing seven figures per year using these same strategies.

If you're ready to stop working IN your business and start working ON it, automation is the answer. Start with one workflow this week. See the results. Then scale from there.

The future of small business is automated. The only question is: Will you lead the charge, or play catch-up?