Ben Mackley
Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Ben Mackley, Cofounder and President of Automation Helpers. We build apps, portals, and integrations to simplify businesses. Since our inception, we've helped over 130 businesses by building out CRMs, Project Management processes, and automated invoicing. We work with small business owners and heads of departments in larger organizations.
What did it take/how did you get started?
A couple years ago I was working at Zoom with Dan Leeman. Dan had started putting out videos on Airtable and SmartSuite when people began contacting him to help with implementation. Things started taking off and after a few projects he noticed a need for opinionated integrations with things like email.
Since Dan and I worked together on similar problems, he reached out to me to help build the syncing software. I pulled in Eli Geske, an Engineering leader I had worked with previously and we created Syncable. Dan kept going with the services work separately with Automation Helpers for a couple months before asking us to merge everything together under one business.
What does the future look like for you and your business?
The services growth has been phenomenal. The rise of AI has actually pushed the Nocode space forward as well. As old as nocode platforms like Airtable and Zapier are, it feels like the past 3-4 when the industry has finally started to pick up momentum. We've already seen 3 stages of growth for the services work we do, and are preparing for the next stages with hiring and training to onboard more consultants.
What drives / motivates you on a daily basis?
I've always been passionate solving problems. My initial interests were in business and economics before I began a journey of trying to solve complex problems like global poverty. That path initially led me to look into education reform since education is the catalyst to changing people's lives.
What I didn't expect was how it would bring me to look at how to help an individual. Change happens one person at a time and I've learned to love coaching because it allows that personal connection that can drive monumental changes for an organization. I love solving human problems at scale.
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
Entrepreneurship and business is all about doing. And doing boils down to 2 things: building and selling. Get good at one of those. Then partner with someone who is good at the other thing. Or master both.
What has been the hardest part of your business journey?
Everything is hard. But scaling teams has to be one of the hardest. People don't follow rules.
How have you managed burnout thus far?
Not well. Scaling a startup requires so much time and effort that the stress is non-stop. Taking time off doesn't help because you know there isn't anyone else to do the work. The only thing that's kept me sane is having a schedule.
I start the day with exercise, then I'll always eat breakfast with my kids. I try to take a walk to feel the sun at least once a day. I'll usually end the day with journaling to process all of the emotions.
What are a few resources that you'd recommend?
Reed Hoffman's Master's of Scale. First Round Review has a great podcast and blog.
The STATS
List the founders
Dan Leeman, Ben Mackley, Eli Geske
How many hours a week do you work on this hustle?
60
# of Employees?
15
When did you start?
2024
How much did it cost to launch?
No capital, but alot of time
What were your funding methods and ballpark amount raised?
Bootstrapped
Annual revenue?
Over $1 million
Projected revenue?
Over $1 million
What's the #1 thing you need right now?
Sleep