Growth IRL Episode 8: Systems Before Automation with Diego Barrera
Mike Schmutz and Diego Barrera explore how systems engineering turns real client processes, data, and business questions into automated workflows that actually fit.

Build the System. Then Automate.
A useful automation starts with a working process—not a tool looking for a problem.
In Episode 8 of Growth IRL, Mike Schmutz talks with Diego Barrera, founder and CEO of UnlockTheROI, about the systems engineering approach Diego uses to build automated workflows for clients.
Diego explains why his work begins with the client’s sales process: the questions the team asks, the data they need, and the way information moves through the business. That foundation reveals what can be reused, what must be customized, and where automation can create real value.
In This Conversation
- Why automation should start with a real business problem
- How Diego studies a client’s sales process, data, and existing workflow before building
- Where reusable tools end and client-specific systems begin
- Why automated workflows need to fit the environment where they will run
- How business questions guide analytics dashboards, KPIs, and automation
This episode is for founders, sales leaders, marketers, and operators who want automation to strengthen the way their teams already work.
About Diego Barrera
Diego Barrera is the founder and CEO of UnlockTheROI, where he helps clients design systems and automated workflows around their real operating needs.
About Growth IRL
Growth IRL connects mindset, people, and practical growth marketing with Mike Schmutz, founder of DataXGrowth. Follow the show for practical conversations about growing yourself, your team, and your business.
Learn more about DataXGrowth.
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