01What It Means to Grow an AI Automation Agency

Growing an AI automation agency means getting more clients and sales calls, not building more tools. In this episode, Julian Goldie shares what actually works for him to scale an agency or freelancing business.

The core idea is simple: focus on two activities only—generating sales calls and doing sales calls. That's it. Most people waste time on shiny tools, new agents, and testing workflows, but that doesn't bring revenue.

Julian shows real examples from Upwork with two profiles, positive reviews, and testimonials to prove his methods work. He emphasizes that the fastest way to win your first clients is by jumping on sales calls and having live conversations with potential customers.

02Key Strategies to Focus On for Growth

  • Apply to qualified jobs on Upwork every day and chase up leads who responded but haven't closed yet.
  • Create videos every day on YouTube, demoing what you do, with a call-to-action to book a call.
  • Jump on sales calls with anyone who shows interest—this is the fastest path to clients.

Julian stresses that these are the only two things you need to do to generate leads. He even had a poster from Sam Ovens saying the same: generate sales calls and do sales calls.

He warns against spending time on other activities like watching YouTube about new AI, setting up new agents, or posting on social media (except the videos). The more you focus, the more leads you get.

03How to Set Up Your Daily Routine for Leads

  1. Identify one to three activities that generate leads—like Upwork applications and video creation.
  2. Spend your day doing only those activities, ignoring everything else that does not lead to sales calls.
  3. When you get responses, chase them up promptly to schedule calls.
  4. Create a video every day, even if you only get 100 views, and always include a call-to-action to book a call.
  5. Once on the call, focus on selling your AI automation services.

This routine keeps you super focused. Julian admits it's not fun or exciting, but it grows your agency more than any tool. He has tested this for years and when he gets distracted, he gets fewer leads.

04Simplify Your Tech Stack to ChatGPT or Codex

For delivering AI automation services, you don't need fancy tools. Julian recommends using just ChatGPT or Codex for 99% of your work. If a client wants marketing automation, build it there.

If they want to automate N10 (likely a system), connect the MCP and set it up.

You can do everything with these two tools. You don't need Hermes agent, Orca, or the agent OS for delivering a service. Keep it simple to stay focused on getting clients.

Also, you'll often use the client's accounts and APIs, not your own. But keep your own subscription to test things before setting them up for clients.

05What to Stop Doing to Avoid Distraction

Julian advises against fixing integrations, bugs, or worrying about video generation tools inside the agent OS. Unless you're doing this specifically for a client, ignore it.

He calls out common distractions like watching YouTube videos about new AI tools, setting up new agents, creating blog posts, or posting on social media (except your own videos). These activities don't generate sales calls.

He references Charlie Munger's advice: reverse engineer what you shouldn't be doing and avoid it. This keeps your time and energy focused on what matters—getting calls and doing calls.

06Results and Proof from Julian's Experience

Julian shares his Upwork results with two profiles, showing earnings and positive reviews from clients for AI automation. This proves his methods work in real life.

He also mentions that even when he got only 100 or 300 views per video, he still generated leads because each video included a call-to-action. This shows that consistency and direct offers matter more than virality.

The episode is based on a question from a community member named Brian, who was building his agency Orvanis. Julian uses this example to illustrate common pitfalls like spending time on tools instead of customers.

07Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

  • Mistake: Spending too much time building and experimenting instead of finding customers.
  • Mistake: Chasing every new AI tool, spreading attention too thin.
  • Mistake: Trying to fix integrations or bugs that aren't for a client.
  • Mistake: Doing anything other than generating or doing sales calls.

Julian says many people confuse keeping up with AI with making progress. That's not the same. You need to be laser-focused on revenue-generating activities.

He also advises new agency owners to avoid the agency course if they don't know how to sell yet. Focus on getting calls first, and learn to sell through practice.

08Who Should Use This Advice and Why It Matters

This advice is for anyone starting or scaling an AI automation agency, especially if you're working full-time and building a side business. Brian's situation—limited time, many tools, no clients—is common.

Julian's approach matters because it cuts through the noise. Instead of being overwhelmed by a 2000-piece puzzle, you focus on the two pieces that bring revenue: generating calls and doing calls.

By simplifying tools and activities, you can transition from building to earning. Julian's own success shows it works, and his community at Air Profit Boardroom offers additional training, coaching calls, and a roadmap to help others do the same.