What I automated vs. what I still do manually as a SaaS founder
I’m Julien, founder of Linkeme.ai — a SaaS that automates social media content (text, visuals, scheduling) for small teams and solo founders.
We built Linkeme to reduce the mental load of content creation. And yes, 90% of our posting workflow is now automated — for our users and for ourselves.
But here’s the part I don’t see talked about enough:
Even in an automation-first product, some things are still better done manually.
So here’s my real breakdown:
What I’ve Automated (and don’t touch anymore):
Post ideas and copy, generated from our roadmap and tone
Visuals created with templates + AI (no Canva needed)
Publishing to LinkedIn/X/Instagram
Headline A/B tests (in beta)
Weekly consistency reports
This saves me 6–10 hours/week.
I haven’t opened a “New Post” window in months.
What I Still Do Manually (on purpose):
Writing the first 1–2 onboarding emails
→ That’s where trust is built
Reviewing our homepage copy
→ Automation can’t guess clarity
Talking to 2–3 users every week
→ No AI beats the depth of a real conversation
Refining prompt logic
→ Yes, it’s technical. But it’s still craft.
What I Learned:
Automation gives leverage — but not direction.
You still have to know what matters and why.
Most importantly:
→ I automate execution
→ I keep control over vision, value, and voice
If you’re building a SaaS with automation in the core, ask yourself:
What should you never outsource — even to your own product?
Happy to share more if you’re in the same phase.
Julien
Great breakdown - like how clearly you've separated what’s worth automating early vs what still benefits from a manual touch.
Which manual task do you think will be hardest to let go of later, even if you technically could automate it?
Thanks! That’s a great question — and something I’ve been thinking about lately.
Honestly, user onboarding conversations might be the hardest to let go of. Even though I could automate it with a chatbot or flow, those early chats reveal so much — pain points, wording, hesitations — that help shape both the product and the messaging.
It’s tempting to automate everything… but some things still give disproportionate value when done manually. Curious if you’ve faced the same?
Totally agree - those early convos are gold. You learn things you’d never get from a form or flow.
I’ve faced the same tension: efficiency vs insight. Automating too soon can mute signals you actually need early on.
I think the trick is knowing when to let go. Is there a point where you'd start testing light automation while keeping a manual fallback?
Absolutely. I think that’s the sweet spot — layering light automation as a support, not a replacement.
We’re experimenting with this at Linkeme: using AI to pre-qualify or cluster user intent from onboarding answers, but still keeping a real conversation open. Kind of a “co-pilot” model for onboarding — automation handles the predictable, but humans dive into nuance.
It’s also a good way to scale without disconnecting too early. It's on test now, not in real production
Curious if you’ve tried a hybrid setup like that, or found a specific trigger when it made sense to shift more toward automation?
Great approach. That hybrid “co-pilot” setup sounds like the right balance - automation to handle the repeatable and humans for the nuance.
I haven’t fully tested intent clustering during onboarding yet, but it’s something I’ve been exploring too. Are there any signals or drop-off points that prompted you to introduce it?
Also, how are you deciding when to escalate from bot to human in real-time? That handoff is tricky to get right.
Thanks for sharing these insights - sounds like you are not automating those items where deep understanding and personal touch is needed.
Automation helps you focus on less and prioritise those items that truly matter!
Absolutely — you nailed it.
I try to automate everything repeatable so I can stay fully present for the parts that require intuition, empathy, or strategic thinking. For me, automation isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing less, but better.
Appreciate you taking the time to read and share your thoughts!
I like it
thanks !
I have tried to create an account in your website. but when I entered the verification code in the website, It's not showing the typed code and website stopped working. Try to resolve the problem.
Thanks a lot for letting me know — and sorry for the issue! That definitely shouldn’t happen.
We’ll look into the verification bug right away. In the meantime, feel free to DM me on linkedin or email help@easylab.ai and I’ll help you get your account set up manually.
Really appreciate your interest and your patience
Hey Julien, I will check out your product. I firmly believe that AI is still no more than digital assistant (a very knowledgeable one though!!), great for execution within defined parameters, for personalized research and for bouncing off ideas (brainstorming). I like the way you described it.
Thanks a lot! Totally agree with your take, I see AI exactly like that too: not a magic brain, but a super-fast assistant that helps us move faster once we know where we’re going.
That’s how we designed Linkeme: it doesn’t try to be clever on its own, but it takes care of all the repetitive parts of content creation, so founders can stay focused on strategy and messaging.
Let me know what you think once you try it — happy to hear any feedback!
This is such a clean execution. No landing page, no fluff — just straight to solving a real problem. How did you get your first few users to trust the product without a typical “About” or explanation page? Brilliant move though — less noise, more action.
Thanks a lot — really appreciate that.
To be honest, trust came mostly from real conversations. I shared Linkeme directly with people in my network who already knew me or had seen my own content improve thanks to the tool. That made the product itself the proof.
There was no “About” page, but I was present — answering questions, onboarding manually, showing examples.
In a way, I was the landing page at the start.
It doesn’t scale, but it gave me exactly what I needed: real feedback, fast iteration, and just enough traction to keep going.
Thanks so much for the honest insight — that last line hit hard: “In a way, I was the landing page.” 🔥
I’m building something similar but taking a different route — creating a story-driven digital asset brand that speaks for itself, even while staying anonymous. Your point about trust being earned through presence is gold though. Might be time to test some direct conversations, even if behind the scenes.
Appreciate the transparency. Following your journey!
Thank you so much for the kind words — really means a lot. It’s been a scrappy journey so far, and seeing that line resonate reminds me why I chose this path. I love your approach too — building trust through story and consistency is powerful, even more so when it’s done quietly. Wishing you all the best as your brand takes shape — and thanks again for following the journey!
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