The Automation Autopsy: Why Your Business Might Die With You

(And How to Build a Legacy That Lasts)

In 2017, I lost my mum. In the haze of grief and the chaos of sorting through a life well-lived, a thought started to form that has stuck with me ever since.

As I build my own business, brick by brick, system by system, I can’t help but ask: what if she’d had one?

What would we, her family, have done with it? Would one of us have tried to take it on? Would we have been forced to fold it, losing her legacy in a sea of overwhelming admin? Could we have sold it to provide for the family?

This isn’t just a hypothetical exercise. For every self-employed person, every freelancer, every solopreneur, it’s the most important question we’re not asking: have we built a business, or have we just built a job that only we can do?

The answer often lies in the invisible systems we use to keep the lights on.

The Solopreneur’s Progress Trap

The journey for most of us follows a familiar path. We start out, doing everything ourselves. It’s tough, but we manage. Then, we discover a tool like Zapier or Make. Suddenly, a whole new world opens up. Repetitive tasks disappear, our time is freed up, and our business grows.

We feel like we’ve unlocked a superpower. And we have. But we’ve also unintentionally built a hidden vulnerability into the very heart of our business.

We’ve built our business’s critical functions—its nervous system—on rented land. And if something happens to us, the rent is the first thing that stops getting paid.

The Unthinkable Scenario

Imagine the worst happens. Your family, in the midst of grieving, takes a look at the business you built. They’re trying to keep it afloat, trying to honour your legacy. They open the bank statements and see a recurring charge for £50, £100, £200 a month for a tool they’ve never heard of.

To a person who doesn’t know the intricate backend of your business, this is just an expense. A line item to be cut. In a well-meaning attempt to save money, they cancel the subscription.

And in that single click, your business is crippled.

The system that sent the invoices stops. The automated emails that nurtured new leads go silent. The process that onboarded new clients breaks down. The invisible engine you so carefully built grinds to a halt.

Does an Apps Script Code Add Real Value?

This is where we need to have a serious conversation about what “value” really means. The setup of a custom Google Apps Script automation is a one-time fee. Yes, like your Zapier subscription, it can be classed as a business expense. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Option A

The Subscription Model

A business held together by a complex web of third-party subscriptions.

It is a Liability.

A recurring cost and financial drain that shows up on the balance sheet month after month.

Option B

The Custom Asset

A business with a self-sufficient, internal engine that just works.

It is an Asset.

A one-time investment. Like buying the plumbing instead of renting it. It has no monthly bill for someone to question.

This isn’t just about saving money. It’s about building a resilient, more valuable business. If you decide to sell, the integrated, automated business is fundamentally more valuable. It’s not an ongoing cost that will be the first to get cut when someone who doesn’t know the backend takes over.

Build a Legacy, Not Just a To-Do List

Thinking about what happens after we’re gone is uncomfortable. But as business owners, it’s our responsibility. Building your systems with custom automation isn’t just about reclaiming your time now. It’s about ensuring the business you’ve poured your heart and soul into can survive without you.

The Automation Autopsy

Take a moment and perform an autopsy on your own business. If you were to step away tomorrow…

Would its heart keep beating?
Or would someone accidentally unplug the life support?