You have 2 extra hours today. What do you do with them?
If you’re like some of the climate tech founders I talk to, you’re deep in YouTube tutorials or reading some “AI expert’s” lead magnet, trying to figure out AI agents and lead gen automation. Building the “perfect” workflow that’ll scale your outreach.
I get it. The promise is tempting. Automate everything, get leads while you sleep, never lift a finger again.
But founders spend weeks tinkering with AI agents that might save them 30 minutes a week. Meanwhile, their ICP is posting on LinkedIn right now. Their last five sales calls are full of gold they haven’t documented. And their product is sitting there waiting for customer feedback.
Shiny Object Syndrome killed more climate tech companies than bad products ever did.
So today, I’m breaking down the true ROI of 3 different ways you could spend 2 hours. And one of them wastes more time than you think. Let’s dig in.
Option 1: Spend 2 hours building AI agents
When you dedicate 2 hours to figuring out AI lead gen workflows:
→ You watch a 45-minute tutorial on setting up an agent in Make or Zapier.
→ You try to replicate it.
→ You hit an error because your tech stack is slightly different.
→ You Google the error.
→ You watch another tutorial.
→ You get one piece working.
→ You realize you need another tool.
→ You sign up for a trial.
→ You try to connect the pieces.
One hour and 50 minutes later, you have a half-functional workflow that needs another 2 hours next week to finish.
Realistic outcomes:
You understand the concept better. Maybe one piece of the workflow is functional. You’ve added another SaaS subscription to your budget. And you’ll need to maintain and debug this thing forever.
Time to value: 3-4 weeks minimum. If you actually finish it and don’t abandon it halfway through.
Best case scenario: In a month, you have an agent that saves you 30 minutes a week on a task you could’ve delegated for $20/hour.
Don’t get me wrong, automation has its place. But only after you’ve done the thing manually 500+ times and know exactly what good looks like. If you haven’t closed enough customers manually yet, you’re not ready to automate customer acquisition.
Option 2: Spend 2 hours on LinkedIn social selling
This is where most climate tech founders are leaving money on the table.
Social selling means taking content signals and turning them into conversations. Every person who likes your post, every profile view, every comment: those are warm leads. People who already know you exist.
Here’s how to spend 2 hours on LinkedIn that’ll move the needle.
Hour 1: Engage with your ICP.
Spend 30 minutes finding 20-30 posts from people in your target segment (founders, product managers at relevant companies, people in your space). Comment thoughtfully on each one. Not “Great post!” but actual thoughtful additions. Ask questions. Add your perspective. Then spend 30 minutes sending 10-15 personalized connection requests to people who match your ICP. Reference something specific from their profile or recent posts.
Hour 2: Start conversations.
DM 5-10 existing connections who’ve engaged with your content in the last two weeks. Use your content as the conversation starter: “Hey, saw you liked my post about [topic]. Curious what your experience has been with [related problem]?” Check your profile views and reach out to 3-5 relevant people who’ve checked you out.
Realistic outcomes:
5-10 new connections accepted by the end of week (from your target ICP). 2-4 actual reply conversations started. At least 1-2 of those turn into discovery calls within the week. And you learn something new about your market from every conversation.
Time to value: Immediate. You could have a call booked by Friday.
Best case scenario: One of those conversations is with your next customer. Or a design partner. Or someone who introduces you to three other people in your space.
This is how you validate your product. How you find beta testers. Or how you build a pipeline before you have a “structured” sales process.
And the best part? You’re not selling. You’re just having conversations with people who already signaled interest in what you’re doing.
Option 3: Spend 2 hours documenting your sales calls
If you’ve had any sales calls or customer conversations in the last month, you’re sitting on a content goldmine.
Here’s what to do with 2 hours.
Step 1: Listen to your last 3-5 calls (or read the transcripts).
Don’t just skim. Actually pay attention to every question they asked (especially the ones that caught you off guard), every objection that came up (price, timing, “we’re not ready yet”), what made them excited vs. hesitant, and the exact language they used to describe their problems.
Step 2: Create your content queue.
Open a doc and write down 5-10 post ideas that answer the questions they asked, 3-5 posts that pre-handle the objections before they get on a call with you, and 2-3 posts about the outcomes they said they wanted.
These aren’t just random topics. These are the exact questions every prospect in your space is asking. You know they’ll resonate because you’ve already heard them multiple times.
Step 3: Note the patterns.
After 5 calls, you’ll see the same questions pop up over and over. That’s your signal.
Those repeated questions should become a section in your pitch deck, an FAQ on your website, a post that gets reshared in every sales conversation, and maybe even a lead magnet if it’s a big enough pain point.
Realistic outcomes:
5-10 content ideas you know will hit (because they’re real questions). You can write posts that pre-educate prospects before they talk to you. Future sales calls get easier because you’ve already addressed 80% of their concerns. And you build a library of content you can send in follow-ups.
Time to value: 1-2 weeks, as you start publishing that content.
Best case scenario: Your next post answers the #1 question every prospect asks. Three people DM you about it. You book two calls without ever pitching.
This compounds. Every sales call becomes content. Every piece of content makes the next sales call easier. After three months of doing this, you’ll have a content engine that does half your selling for you.
So, which one do you pick?
All three options can take 2 hours.
One might save you 30 minutes a week in a month. One gets you customer conversations this week. One creates content that makes every future conversation easier.
The founders who, let’s be frank, are slaying it in climate tech aren’t the ones with the fanciest automation. They’re the ones who talk to customers relentlessly. Who document everything. Who show up where their ICP already is.
You can automate later. After you’ve figured out what actually works.
But right now? If you have an extra 2 hours, they should get you closer to a customer conversation.