The 80% Rule: My New AI Automation Framework for Amazon Consulting
How I’m redesigning my workflow to automate 80% of daily operations (September Field Notes Preview)
You know how I’m always building tools to solve Amazon problems? The expiration date scanner, the variation theme tool, the bulk case generator—each one saves hours, but they’re still reactive solutions to specific problems.
I’ve been thinking bigger lately.
What if instead of building tools to fix problems, I built a system that prevents me from having to deal with 80% of the problems in the first place?
Enter what I’m calling “The 80% Rule”—inspired by the AI Surfer methodology but adapted for Amazon consulting reality.
The Current State of My Workflows
Let me paint the picture of a typical client consultation day:
Morning routine:
Check client emails for urgent issues
Review Amazon account health notifications
Analyze overnight PPC performance data
Update project status in Linear
Respond to Slack messages about listing issues
Throughout the day:
Write case documentation for seller support
Research compliance requirements for new products
Create content briefs for listing optimization
Generate reports from multiple data sources
Handle the endless back-and-forth on variation fixes
Sound familiar? It’s the consultant grind—valuable work, but 80% of it follows predictable patterns.
The AI Surfer Revelation
Here’s what caught my attention: the AI Surfer approach suggests that knowledge workers can automate up to 90% of routine tasks using AI agents that actually “see” and interact with applications.
Not just ChatGPT responses. Not just simple Zapier connections.
AI agents that can:
Navigate Amazon Seller Central interfaces
Read account health dashboards and prioritize issues
Draft seller support cases based on successful templates
Pull data from multiple sources and generate client reports
Handle routine email responses with context-aware intelligence
The key insight: instead of building individual tools, build an ecosystem of connected agents that handle entire workflows end-to-end.
My 80% Automation Framework
Based on everything I’ve learned building Amazon tools, here’s how I’m redesigning my operations:
Layer 1: Intelligent Monitoring
Automated systems that watch for issues and flag what needs human attention, turning reactive problem-solving into proactive management.
Layer 2: Response Automation
Smart tools that handle routine communications and documentation using proven templates and successful patterns from past work.
Layer 3: Workflow Orchestration
Connected processes that move information between systems automatically, reducing manual data entry and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Layer 4: Content Creation Avatar
AI trained on successful approaches and communication styles to generate first drafts that sound like me but require only final review and customization.
What the 80% Actually Looks Like
Things I’m working toward automating:
Routine monitoring and issue flagging
Standard documentation creation
Client status updates and reporting
Data aggregation and trend analysis
Initial responses to common questions
Things that stay human:
Complex strategic decisions
Client relationship building
Novel problem-solving
Final quality control
Creative solution development
The math: If I can automate 80% of the routine work, I can either serve 3x more clients at the same quality level, or spend 3x more time on high-value strategy and relationship building.
September Field Notes (coming soon)
I’m documenting this entire build process in real-time for the September Field Notes. Here’s what I’m working on:
Dashboard Development: Building tools that give Amazon sellers complete visibility into their economics without relying on external services
Content Creation Automation: Testing AI avatars for video content (solving my biggest YouTube hangup—being on camera constantly)
Advanced Analytics: Creating automated reporting systems that pull data from multiple sources into actionable insights
Client Workflow Blueprints: Systematizing successful approaches so they can be replicated consistently
RUFUS: Some interesting stats and theory as to why its usage is up and maybe who is actually using it.
The September Field Notes will document what actually works, what doesn’t, and include the frameworks you can adapt for your own business. No theory—just real implementations with measurable results + some RUFUS data I found interesting.
Why This Matters for Amazon Sellers
This isn’t just about my consulting practice. This approach works for any Amazon business:
For brands: Automate compliance monitoring, inventory tracking, and routine optimization tasks For agencies: Scale client management without proportionally scaling headcount For individual sellers: Handle the boring stuff automatically so you can focus on growth and product development
The technology exists now. The question is whether you’ll use it to gain a competitive advantage or watch others pull ahead while you’re still doing everything manually.
The Bigger Picture
Remember my story about selling lamb meat and being told not to use email because “that’s not how we do things”? This feels similar.
While most consultants are still manually checking accounts and writing the same types of cases over and over, I’m building systems that do this work automatically—faster, more consistently, and without the human error factor.
The ones who adapt first get the advantage. The ones who wait get left behind.
What’s Next
The September Field Notes will document the complete implementation journey, including:
Framework development and testing results
Automation strategies that work (and which ones don’t)
Time savings analysis and productivity improvements
Scalable approaches you can adapt for your business
For paid subscribers: Access to the actual automation templates, workflow blueprints, and detailed implementation guides as I develop them.
For founding members: Customized consultation to build an 80% automation framework tailored to your specific Amazon business needs.
This isn’t just about tools anymore. It’s about fundamentally redesigning how Amazon businesses operate.
Questions about the 80% Rule or want early access to the automation frameworks? Hit reply—I’m documenting everything in real-time.
New to the Field Notes? drop me a note lets chat