Key Takeaways
- Most automation failures stem from poor project approach, not technical issues
- Start with MVP testing at 10% cost before committing to full builds
- Experienced developers cost more upfront but prevent expensive do-overs
Why It Matters
Alice's decade-long automation expertise reveals a sobering truth: businesses are burning through cash faster than a crypto day trader in a bear market. With 70% of automation projects failing, companies are essentially playing expensive roulette with their operational budgets. The rush to automate everything has created a gold rush mentality where businesses grab the shiniest tools without understanding what they actually need.
The real kicker is that most failures happen before a single line of code gets written. Business owners approach automation like they're ordering from a drive-through menu, pointing at features without understanding the underlying complexity. Alice's approach of starting with minimum viable processes and gradually scaling makes perfect sense—it's like learning to walk before attempting parkour. The browser-based versus requests-based distinction alone could save companies thousands in infrastructure costs if they understood the trade-offs upfront.
Perhaps most telling is Alice's math on developer costs: spending $1,500 on an experienced developer beats throwing $1,000 at someone inexperienced who might deliver nothing functional. This isn't just about automation—it's a masterclass in how businesses consistently undervalue expertise while chasing bargain-basement solutions. The legal considerations around data scraping add another layer of complexity that most businesses stumble through blindly, making Alice's practical guidance particularly valuable for companies looking to automate without accidentally stepping on legal landmines.
