How to Automate Without Losing the Personal Touch
A gentle, step-by-step guide for building systems that feel like you.
So maybe you’ve realized something.
You want your business to feel personal.
But you also want it to run without you holding every piece together by hand.
You’re not trying to automate connection.
You’re trying to protect your presence.
Here’s how I do that.
These are the exact systems I use to create breathing room — while keeping every part of my client and subscriber experience honest, warm, and human.
Take what works. Leave what doesn’t.
This is here to support you.
1. Write Every Email Like a Letter to One Person
When I write an onboarding sequence, I imagine writing to a specific person — someone I’ve actually worked with. Someone I care about.
I start with “Hi [FirstName],”
I end with “I’m glad you’re here.”
I write like I would if I were typing it from my phone on a walk. Clear. Kind. Direct.
Tool: I use ConvertKit to schedule welcome sequences and reminders.
Tip: Use simple plain text formatting. No banners, no clutter. Let the words do the work.
2. Use Forms That Feel Friendly
Instead of asking a hundred intake questions, I ask the ones that matter.
I include language like:
“Take your time — or don’t. This is just a starting point.”
“There’s no pressure to impress me here. I’m already in.”
Tool: Google Forms or Notion Forms
Tip: Add small notes that reflect your tone — like “This isn’t a test,” or “Start where you are.”
3. Build Resource Hubs with Personality
When I create client or community resource libraries, I avoid naming folders things like “Module 1” or “Client Documents.”
I name them:
Start Here
What to Do When You Feel Stuck
Things I Wish I Knew Earlier
Only Open This If You're Overthinking
Tool: Notion, Google Drive, or a private portal
Tip: Include a short welcome note at the top. A voice memo. A message that says, “This was made for you.”
4. Schedule the Personal — in Advance
Personal doesn’t have to mean spontaneous.
I schedule:
A check-in email that goes out 7 days after someone joins
A “how’s it going?” note at the 30-day mark
A renewal reminder that sounds like a conversation, not a transaction
Tool: Google Calendar reminders, or automations inside your CRM
Tip: Draft these messages once. Edit them quarterly to keep them feeling fresh.
5. Choose Your Channel — and Name It With Care
If you use Slack, Voxer, Circle, or any community tool — name your channels like they’re part of a living space, not a software system.
Instead of “General” and “Support,” use:
The Lounge
The Studio
Ask Me Anything
In the Middle of Something
Tool: Whatever you already use
Tip: Introduce new subscribers to these spaces with a short guided tour — a screen recording or voice message goes a long way.
6. Don’t Over-Automate What Needs to Be Felt
There are moments that still need to be live.
The celebration message when someone shares something brave.
The pause before you reply to a big question.
The quiet message that says, “I saw what you wrote. I don’t have an answer yet — but I’m thinking with you.”
Not everything needs to be fast.
Not everything needs to scale.
Tip: Set the system to hold the basics — so you can show up when it actually counts.
A Final Thought
The point of automation is not to do less.
It’s to do what matters — with more presence, more peace, and more trust.
Systems are love notes in advance.
They give your clients structure.
They give you freedom.
They give your work room to breathe.
Let them carry your voice.
Let them reflect your care.
Let them evolve as you do.
And let them hold your people — so you can meet them with more of your whole self, when it really matters.
If you’d like a behind-the-scenes look at how I map this out — or you want to create your own personalized automation flow that still feels like you — I’d be glad to walk you through it.
You can build a system.
And you can make it feel like home.
