The Automation Engineer’s Guide to Media Buying: My Journey from Chaos to Systems

What This Blog Is About

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re like me — someone who values their time — and is constantly looking for ways to work smarter, not harder.
Welcome to my blog, where I document my journey of building systems that create freedom through automation, media buying, and investing.

This blog isn’t about get-rich-quick schemes or overnight success stories. It’s about the methodical process of taking complex workflows—particularly in PPC and media buying — and breaking them down into modular, repeatable systems that can be automated, delegated, and ultimately detached from your daily involvement.

My approach is simple:
Test. Systemize. Optimize. Scale. Detach.

By following along, you’ll get access to the exact SOPs, templates, automation rules, and frameworks I’m building and testing in real-time. Whether you’re a media buyer looking to free up time, an entrepreneur building systems, or someone interested in creating passive income streams, there’s something here for you.

How I Got Here

My journey to systems thinking didn’t start with a grand vision — it started with necessity.

It all began when I stumbled upon a blog called Location Rebel. The author was living the dream: working remotely and traveling the world — the quintessential Tim Ferriss “4-Hour Work Week” lifestyle. I was hooked. I started with web design and quickly realized that traffic acquisition through SEO and PPC was where the real opportunity lay.

My first steps were humble: freelance web design and SEO coordination gigs on Upwork (back when it was called oDesk) and Fiverr. These early experiences taught me the fundamentals, but I wanted more.

Eventually, I landed my first full time role as a media buyer at a local marketing agency specializing in eCommerce. This was where I truly got hands on experience as a media buyer on platforms – Facebook, Google Ads. At the peak of my time there, I was seeing nearly 4x ROAS on some campaigns, generating around $10,000 in revenue on our best days.

The Side Hustle That Changed Everything

While working as a media buyer, I was still striving on my own entrepreneurial pursuits. Inspired by books like “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and mentors like Ryan Deiss, the Morrison Brothers, Marc Augustine, and others, I launched a side hustle in marketplace drop-shipping.

The challenge was clear: how could I grow my business while maintaining performance at my day job?
The answer: systems and virtual assistants.

I began analyzing my eCommerce operation, breaking it down into distinct processes, departments, and workflows. I created spreadsheets to track order states—fulfilled, delivered, problematic—and realized there were only so many scenarios that could occur at each stage.

This meant I could create an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for virtually every task – this revelation changed everything.

I became obsessed with systems, processes, SOPs, and simplification. I automated what I could using tools like Zapier and delegated the rest to VAs. While I was at my day job optimizing ad campaigns, my VAs were building my business, processing orders, and generating sales as I slept.

Within six months, my eCommerce income surpassed my media buying salary, allowing me to take the leap to full-time entrepreneurship.

Scaling Through Modularity

From there, I expanded to other channels like Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. Cross-channel management presented new challenges, but my modular approach to problem-solving proved invaluable.

By breaking down complex problems into manageable components, I scaled my eCommerce business to average $1,000 in daily revenue.

The business model was beautifully simple: a few key performance indicators that could be influenced by straightforward inputs. More product listings equaled more sales and revenue. Clean, measurable, scalable.

When Things Fell Apart

Post-COVID, the eCommerce landscape shifted dramatically. Online shopping demand faded, and my business took a significant hit.
Because I hadn’t diversified enough, the operation eventually collapsed.

This setback, while painful, reinforced the importance of systems and diversification.

It also led me back to media buying, this time for a health insurance marketplace company – Helping Americans on welfare access the coverage they need.

Since September 2023 to 2024, one year over, I’ve generated over $1,020,000 in front-end revenue from $745,000 in ad spend across Meta, Google, and TikTok—achieving a 1.37X ROAS, while managing a near 7-figure advertising budget.

Where We’re Going

Now, I’m taking everything I’ve learned about systems, automation, and modularity and applying it to three key areas:

1. Media Buying Automation: Creating SOPs and systems to delegate and automate my current media buying responsibilities
2. AI-Powered Workflows: Leveraging AI agents and tools to connect and enhance these systems
3. Passive Investment Strategies: Building frameworks for automated stock and crypto trading

The goal? To build systems that generate over $5 figures in monthly net profit with minimal ongoing involvement — true financial freedom and location independence. This blog will document that journey in real-time.

I’ll share what works, what doesn’t, and provide the exact templates, SOPs, and frameworks I’m using along the way.

In my next post, I’ll break down my current media buying process into modules — showing exactly where automation opportunities exist and how I’m approaching them. Following that, I’ll share my first implementation: a system for automating creative testing that’s already saving me hours each week.

The Modular Approach to Media Buying Automation

What I’ve learned through building and rebuilding businesses is that freedom comes from thinking modularly. When you break down complex operations into simple, departmental steps, you can:

1. Identify exactly what happens at each stage
2. Create clear SOPs for the finite number of scenarios
3. Automate repetitive tasks with tools and technology
4. Delegate judgment-based tasks to trained team members
5. Focus your time only where it creates the most value

This approach works whether you’re running PPC campaigns, managing investments, or building an agency. It’s about creating systems that leverage today’s technology & conveniences: AI, virtual assistance, python, SAAS, webhooks, etc.

Join Me on This Journey

If you’re looking to create more freedom in your life through systems and automation, I invite you to follow along.

Subscribe to get access to the templates, SOPs, and frameworks I’m building, and join me as I document the path from manual chaos to automated consistency—and ultimately, to freedom.

Are you building systems for freedom? What area of your business would benefit most from automation? Let me know in the comments below.