Hiring operations folks can feel like the grown-up thing to do—especially when you're scaling. But if you're bringing on humans to push buttons all day, you're not building a business… you're building a bureaucracy. Instead, there's a better way: automate what doesn’t need a brain and free up your humans for the stuff that actually does.
Why We Default to Hiring (Even When We Don’t Need To)
There’s a common myth in the business world: when ops get messy, throw more people at it. Feels logical, right? More projects, more hands. But this mindset often leads to bloated teams managing spreadsheets instead of real outcomes. Operations roles absolutely have their place—especially strategic ones. But too often, companies hire folks just to glue together tools, chase teammates for status updates, or move data around. None of that should require a salary north of $90K. That should require... an automation policy.
Before You Hire, Audit Your Ops Stack
Before posting that ops job, answer these quick questions: - Is this task repetitive and rules-based? - Can a tool (like Zapier, Airtable, or Notion) do this faster, cheaper, or better? - Has this process been critically reviewed—or is it just 'the way we’ve always done it'? - Would automating this unlock higher-value work for your current team? If the answer to any of these is yes, you don’t need a new hire. You need a better system.
Give Your Team a Brain, Not Just Hands
Hiring shouldn’t be your go-to band-aid for operational growing pains. Instead, lead with systems that scale—and bring in humans when their thinking, not their clicking, is what you’re paying for. At Automanium, we believe in building businesses that work for you—even while you sleep. Stick with us, and let's make sure you only hire humans when you really need a human. See you in the next post!