THE TOOLKIT

Theme: Digital Marketing & Automation

THE STORY: The Solution in Code

As Debi’s illness progressed, she began to lose her vision. Managing our online store—DCBcrafts—became physically impossible. The lifeline that gave her purpose was about to be severed.

Faced with this, I turned to the only tool I had: Automation.

I developed a system that synced price and inventory status directly with suppliers. It removed the physical barrier of sight, allowing Debi to continue running the business from her bed. The result? The business didn't just survive; it tripled in size, offering over 100,000 products.

THE FRAMEWORK: The Automator’s Blueprint

Systems Over Hustle There is a myth in ministry that "burnout is a badge of honor." This is false. If you are burned out, you cannot serve. You must build systems that work for you.

The 3 Rules of Missional Automation:

1. Eliminate: If it doesn't bring revenue or impact, stop doing it.
2. Automate: If a computer can do it, a human shouldn't.
3. Delegate: If a human must do it, can you teach someone in your mission field to do it? (See Module 4).

INSIGHT: "We don’t automate to be lazy. We automate to buy back our time. Every hour you save on admin is an hour you gain for the mission."

ACTION: The "Buy Back Your Time" Audit

Use this simple 3-step process to identify what to automate this week:

1. The "Repetition" Check Look at your last week of work. Circle any task you performed more than three times that required zero creative thought (e.g., sending invoices, posting social updates, data entry).

• Target: If you do it 3x a week, a computer should do it for you.

2. The "Bottleneck" Identification Where does your work stop because it is waiting on you?

• Solution: Create a template, a FAQ page, or a self-service form.

3. The Low-Code Fix Start with accessible tools: Zapier (to connect apps), Calendly (to fix scheduling), or AI Tools (to draft content).