How I Built a Six-Person Virtual Team Without Traditional Hiring

I want to tell you about a new AI workflow that I'm very excited about. The product is called Marblism. One of the things I struggle with in my writing business is time management and ensuring that I get things done as productively as possible. Besides hosting this podcast, I also work full-time in my own business, Laura Williams Pages, and I cannot take time away from servicing my clients to produce and manage my podcast. I've spent the last couple of months testing several different AI tools to help streamline my workflow. It has been quite a journey. A few days ago, I came across a Facebook post from Marblism that piqued my curiosity. I proceeded to learn more about it, including watching a few YouTube videos on the inner workings of the system. Needless to say, I was impressed. They earned bonus points because I saw that if this worked, I could ditch two other AI tools I use; they actually cost more than what I pay monthly for Marblism.

So, what is Marblism? It is a suite of "AI employees" who automate your business. There are six different AI agents to choose from; you can use all of them or choose the ones that best fit your needs. Let me introduce you to each of them and explain the useful tasks I've already found for each.

First, there's Eva, Marblism's executive assistant. She is a rockstar who basically oversees my business. Since so much of my business takes place in my inbox, she organized it by creating labels for all my emails so I don't lose any client communications. If you are anything like me, your inbox can be a bit of a nightmare. Not only do I receive client emails, but I also get emails for The Writing Biz, newsletters I subscribe to, and a myriad of others. Eva tidied up my inbox and somehow made that mess make sense again. But that's not all; she can help write my emails. For example, I have an email that goes out to a certain client once a month, and Eva handles that for me. I set up a template, and each month on a particular date, she sends a draft to my inbox so I can update the details. It may sound like a small thing, but it's a significant time-saver. I also have other automations in place where she helps answer emails as they come in. When she creates an email for me, she adds it as a draft to my inbox so I can review it and make any changes. I'm still learning everything she can do, but so far, I'm in love.

Next, let me tell you about Sonny. Sonny is a social media manager who helps me create content for The Writing Biz. The interesting thing about Sonny is that he is trained on my own content to understand my writing style. He also searches the internet for new content that I can use to educate my audience. I'm pretty sure he and I will become besties. Not only does he help create my posts, but he also schedules them as needed. My content scheduler is one of the apps I kicked to the curb since I started using Marblism. The best thing about Sonny is that he does not randomly create content; it's a collaborative process. If you see a post from me on social media, rest assured that it has my "magic touch." However, if you want Sonny to work as a completely automated community manager, he can do that too.

Another agent is Penny, a blog writer. Before you cringe, let me explain how I use her talents. I work with Penny collaboratively to create blog posts for The Writing Biz. Admittedly, at the time of this article, I've only used her twice for this purpose. FYI, I did not use her for this specific blog post because it was important to me that this was entirely my own interpretation. That being said, she and I work together to brainstorm titles, outlines, and ideas. She also helps me find sources. It's like having an employee sitting next to me helping to flesh out my thoughts and structure the post. It saves a lot of time and is going to improve my productivity significantly. I have a lot to say about the business of writing.

Now, let me introduce you to Stan. Stan is a sales associate who helps find leads for your business. Stan, AI Sales Rep, and I had an interesting chat over a cup of coffee where I asked him how he could help me find guests for The Writing Biz. It turns out he's perfect for that. We worked out a system where I provided the types of people I was looking for on LinkedIn. We then worked together to build a sequence that sends an introductory email and invites them to be a guest on the show. This email includes a form for their information and a link to my booking schedule. This saves me a tremendous amount of time. He even sends a follow-up email if I haven't heard back in a few days. I write the templates for these emails myself to ensure they sound like me.

The last two agents I haven’t used yet. Linda is a legal associate. To be clear, she is no replacement for professional legal advice, but she can help you understand contract terminology or draw up simple contracts. Then there's Rachel, who is a receptionist. She provides a phone number for your website and sales materials; when someone calls the number, the caller is directed to her. Like all these agents, she requires a little time to understand your business. She reviews your website and materials to talk intelligently to callers and intuitively decides where to direct the call. She may satisfy a caller's inquiry or let them know you will get back to them. She then sends a text to let you know about any calls that need a return.

By now, you can see how much time and effort these AI agents save me. Just today, some unexpected client work came in. Usually, this would have derailed my planned tasks, but with the help of these agents, I had already saved enough time to handle the extra work quickly. Anything that improves the service I provide for my clients is a win. It’s well worth the less than $45 I spend a month for Marblism!

Marblism is working so well that I can avoid hiring help or interns for now. If you'd like to learn more, check out their website. There is a cool demo that shows how you can use these AI agents in your own writing business. Use this link to get Marblism at 10% off for your lifetime!

Just a note: This article does include affiliate links. A girl has to make a living!