If you're still requiring college degrees in your job postings, you're accidentally filtering out some of your best potential hires—and you might not even realize it.

In this eye-opening episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah share why they ditched degree requirements over 15 years ago and never looked back. Plot twist: the person with the master's degree still needed training on PowerPoint, while some of their most innovative team members never set foot in a lecture hall.

The reality is simple: whether someone has a diploma or not, you're going to train them anyway. The real question is whether they have the curiosity to learn, the drive to teach themselves, and the personality that thrives in your specific role.

Here's what you'll discover:

• Why degree requirements actually limit your talent pool without improving quality
• How to screen for the traits that actually predict success (hint: it's not GPA)
• The portfolio approach that reveals real skills better than any transcript
• Why former entrepreneurs often make exceptional employees

This isn't about lowering standards—it's about focusing on what actually matters. If you want team members who think creatively, solve problems independently, and aren't afraid to be wrong, this episode shows you exactly how to find them.

Ready to revolutionize your hiring process? Get started with our free hiring manager toolkit here.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we're hitting the mark. And don't forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

If you're drowning in resumes, losing track of candidates, and having scattered hiring conversations in Slack threads, you're making hiring way harder than it needs to be.

In this game-changing episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah reveal the exact applicant tracking system they've been perfecting for over a decade—built right inside your existing project management tool (no expensive HR software required).

Here's the thing: when you have 100+ applicants, multiple interviewers, and hiring managers across different departments, a spreadsheet just doesn't cut it. You need visibility into where every candidate stands, seamless knowledge transfer between interviewers, and a way to keep great candidates warm for future roles.

Here's what you'll take away:

• The exact structure that transforms hiring chaos into an organized pipeline
• How to use AI to create interview summaries that save hours of knowledge transfer
• Why "red flags" don't mean rejection (and what to do with them instead)
• How to move great candidates between different roles without starting over

Whether you're hiring your first employee or your fiftieth, stop losing great candidates to disorganization. This episode shows you exactly how to build a professional hiring system using tools you already have—plus the AI shortcuts that make it ridiculously efficient.

Get started with our free hiring manager toolkit here.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we're hitting the mark. And don't forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

If your remote team feels disconnected and your Slack channels are ghost towns, it's not your team that's the problem—it's your meeting strategy.

While Alane was captivating audiences on the West Coast, Micah sat down with our behind-the-scenes podcast editor Beau Cunningham to reveal the meeting framework that is transforming our remote team into a collaborative powerhouse.

In this episode of Automate Your Agency, they break down how a simple 60-minute Monday gathering accomplishes what endless Slack messages and one-way leadership announcements never could—creating actual team connection, idea-sharing, and results.

Here's what you'll take away:

• The exact Monday meeting structure that gets even the quietest team members voluntarily contributing ideas
• Why forcing "team building" fails (and what actually works to build genuine connection)
• How to balance fun, learning, and productivity in a single meeting without wasting time
• The ripple effect that happens when team members start seeing each other's strengths

If you've tried and failed to build culture with your remote team or find yourself dreading "another meeting that could be an email," this episode shows you exactly how we turned our mandatory Monday meetings into something the team actually looks forward to—with measurable business results.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we're hitting the mark. And don't forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Let’s be honest: you’re probably spending way too much time reinventing the wheel every day-and so is your team.

In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah get straight to the point. They’re here to show you that templates aren’t just another bland productivity tip-they’re actually the secret sauce behind real business growth and smooth automation.

Think about it: How many different ways does your team answer the same client questions? Why does every project kickoff feel totally different depending on who’s in charge? And seriously, why are you still starting from scratch every single time?

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

• How shared templates can turn a bunch of scattered processes into a streamlined system everyone can follow
• The one crucial step most businesses skip when making templates (spoiler: if nobody knows they exist, nobody’s going to use them)
• How to upgrade your manual templates into fully automated workflows that actually scale

Whether you’re leading a team of two or twenty, it’s time to stop settling for the chaos of everyone doing things their own way. This episode is your green light to standardize, template, and eventually automate the repetitive stuff-so you can finally focus on the work that really matters.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, we’d love a 5-star review! It helps other listeners find us and lets us know we’re on the right track. And don’t forget to subscribe-new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

If you're leading a team or running a service-based business, you know meetings are a necessary evil for building relationships and keeping things moving forward.

Truthfully, the worst part about having a meeting is not the meeting itself, but having to summarize it, delegate tasks, send follow-ups, and somehow keep everyone aligned afterward.

In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah share how AI meeting tools are doing the heavy lifting—turning conversations into clear summaries, action items, and providing the key details you need to quickly draft follow-up emails. No more scrambling through notes or asking, “Who was supposed to do that again?” 

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• How to use AI to instantly generate to-dos and follow-ups (without lifting a finger)
• Why clear internal processes are the real secret to getting value from these tools
• Reduce manual tasks and improve accountability
• How AI can double as your meeting assistant and your content repurposing engine

If your calendar is packed with calls but your team’s still chasing clarity after every one, this episode is for you.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we're hitting the mark. And don't forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Landing that big client feels amazing—but you know what feels even better? 

Making that sale without sacrificing half your profit margin on endless sales calls, proposal drafting, and all those other non-billable hours.

In this episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah reveal how they've transformed their sales process using AI, allowing them to pursue more opportunities while spending dramatically less time on each one. The result? Higher margins, less busywork, and a sales system that practically runs itself.

You'll discover:

• A fresh approach to follow-ups that feels authentic, not automated
• How to turn generic lead magnets into personalized tools clients actually value
• The 30-second research hack that makes you look like you've done hours of homework
• Why proposal creation could be the easiest part of your sales process (yes, really!)

This episode is for anyone who's ever stayed up late crafting proposals or scrambling to prepare for a sales call. Check out these other great episodes to help supercharge your sales machine!

(EP 19) Get New Clients: How do I 10x sales with automated outreach using Lemlist or Apollo?

(EP 20) No more stagnant PDFs: What is the next generation of personalized lead magnets using automation and AI?

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we're hitting the mark. And don't forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Ever feel like you're constantly being pulled in a million directions—Slack, email, texts, pings, dings, and buzzes? Suddenly, you’ve jumped between five things and finished none of them.

 Sound familiar?

That's exactly why we recommend turning off all notifications No banners. No buzzes. No red bubbles shouting for attention. Just quiet. 

In Episode 46 of Automate Your Agency, Alane and Micah talk about the surprisingly simple mindset shift that allowed us to reclaim focus, how we handle the fear of missing something urgent, and why turning off notifications might be one of the healthiest things you can do.

You'll discover:

• The impact of constant notifications on productivity and focus
• How to distinguish between true urgency and unnecessary interruptions
• What improved when we eliminated all notifications
• Practical systems for staying organized and responsive—without the overwhelm

This episode is for business owners and leaders who are tired of feeling “on” 24/7 and ready to reclaim some calm without sacrificing responsiveness. Trust us: your brain will thank you.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we’re hitting the mark. And don’t forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Are you tired of endless emails and confusing task requests slowing down your team? I get it. Delegating can be a nightmare—misunderstandings, constant follow-ups, and wasted time. But what if you could eliminate all that with one simple tool?

In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson share their favorite quick win for delegating tasks without the frustration: video-based communication. Whether it’s a quick Loom video explaining what needs to be done or a team member showing you what they’ve completed, this approach cuts down on confusion, saves time, and gets things done faster.

What’s more, these simple videos can serve as reusable systems that make delegation and feedback a breeze, helping you scale faster and more efficiently.

Here’s what you’ll get from this episode:

• How to delegate tasks in a way that eliminates confusion and saves time
• Why video feedback from your team will make your life easier
• The secret to building SOPs that are simple and scalable with videos

If you're ready to stop wasting time on miscommunication and start working smarter, this episode is for you.

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot to us! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we’re hitting the mark. And don’t forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

Feeling the need for better systems in your business but unsure where to begin? Many businesses recognize inefficiencies but struggle to determine where to start. That’s why we developed the Priority Impact Review—a structured approach to identifying high-impact improvements across operations. 

Some of the most common challenges we find in our review? 

Excessive meetings. If every decision requires a meeting, productivity suffers. 

Data silos—when departments hold onto information rather than sharing it efficiently.

There's so much more to explore here. In this week's episode of Automate Your Agency, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson break down how the Priority Impact Review works:

•  ✅ Start with an anonymous (or semi-anonymous) survey to gather candid feedback from your team.
•  ✅ Conduct one-on-one interviews to uncover deeper insights into key challenges and opportunities.
•  ✅ Identify department-wide and company-wide trends to pinpoint the best opportunities for automation, workflow optimization, and AI-driven solutions.
•  ✅ Balance quick wins with high-impact initiatives—smaller optimizations can drive immediate efficiency gains while laying the foundation for larger improvements.

👉 The goal of the Priority Impact Review is simple: focus on the changes that will drive the most meaningful impact in the shortest time. Have you done something similar in your business? 

🎧 Micah mentioned it in this episode, but if you are interesting in exploring how AI agents can automate and optimize your business processes, check out EP 41: "What are AI Agents and What Could They Be Automating in Your Business?" on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  

Enjoying the podcast? A 5-star review would mean a lot to us! It helps other listeners find our show and lets us know we’re hitting the mark. And don’t forget to subscribe—new episodes drop every week!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!

If your project planning feels like throwing tasks into Asana, ClickUp, or Monday and hoping for the best, we need to talk. That’s not a plan—it’s a recipe for stress, delays, and way too many “Where are we on this?” messages.

In this episode, Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson are keeping it real about why so many teams struggle with project planning, and how to fix it. No fluff, no corporate jargon—just simple, practical steps to help you take control of your workflow and actually get stuff done.

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

•  💡 Why dumping tasks into a list isn’t the same as real project planning.
•  💡 Easy ways to structure workflows so things don’t fall through the cracks.
•  💡 How to stop bottlenecks before they derail your projects.

If you’re tired of last-minute scrambles and missed deadlines, this episode is for you. Let’s get your projects on track, hit play now!

Loving the podcast? Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube, or find us wherever you listen to podcasts!

Learn More about our AI Leadership Workshop

Winning businesses aren’t just working harder, they understand how to use AI strategically. Sign up for the AI Leadership Workshop, a 3-hour expert-led mastermind designed to give leadership teams clarity, alignment, and a practical path to stay competitive.

Book a call to customize your workshop today!

This episode is brought to you by Biggest Goal, the AI education company Alane Boyd and Micah Johnson co-founded.

Most leaders feel pressure and get stuck between ignoring AI and moving too fast. What works is hands-on training.

That's why Alane and Micah built Biggest Goal. Fifteen years of scaling their own companies taught them that adoption is a people problem long before it's a technology problem, so we train executives and their teams through workshops, cohorts, mastermind groups, and hands-on implementation support.

For more info about our AI programs, join our free community at your.biggestgoal.ai to get early access to episodes and learn about our upcoming events.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!