Should I master n8n first or jump straight into building an AI Automation Agency? Hey everyone! 👋 I'm currently learning n8n and planning to start an AI Automation Agency, but I'm confused about the best way to approach it. Should I first spend time understanding the logic behind n8n, learning how nodes work, how data flows between nodes, APIs, webhooks, error handling, etc., and then start my business? Or should I start building real-world automations and looking for potential clients right away, learning the concepts as I go? I don't want to spend months learning without taking action, but I also don't want to start selling services without having the skills to deliver reliable solutions. For those who have experience with n8n or running an AI automation business: What would you recommend to a complete beginner? How much n8n knowledge is actually necessary before getting the first client? Is it better to learn the fundamentals first or learn by building projects for potential clients? Do you use n8n AI to build complex workflows? If you were starting from scratch today, what would your first 30 days look like? I'd really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who have actually built automations and landed clients. Thanks! 🙌

Hey everyone! I'm starting an AI Automation Agency and trying to understand how to price my services properly. I'd love to hear from people who are already working with clients and selling automations. A few things I'm particularly curious about: - Setup fees: How much do you typically charge for a standard lead follow-up automation? - Monthly retainers: Do you charge a recurring fee for maintenance, monitoring, and fixing errors? - Platform costs: Do you ask clients to pay for their own Make.com or n8n hosting subscriptions, or include them in your package? - Credits and tokens: Who pays for Make.com credits, OpenAI API tokens, and other usage-based costs? Do you bill clients separately or bundle everything together? - Pricing models: Do you charge a fixed project fee, a monthly subscription, or based on usage? - Client ownership: Do you build automations inside the client's accounts or run them through your own accounts? - Scaling costs: How do you handle increased usage and unexpected API or messaging charges as a client's business grows? I'd especially appreciate examples of how you'd price a relatively simple lead follow-up automation for a small business. I'm trying to build a pricing model that's fair to clients while still making the agency profitable. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

I feel like a lot of people get caught up in building cool AI agents without really asking whether the business actually needs one. For example, imagine a business getting 50–100 enquiries every day. The problem might not be getting more leads at all. It could be that they're taking too long to reply, forgetting to follow up, or wasting time dealing with enquiries that aren't a good fit. Now, you could build a complex AI agent to handle the whole process, but honestly, I don't think everything needs AI. A simple workflow using n8n, webhooks, a CRM, and a little LLM logic could probably handle most of it. Something like: - Capture incoming leads automatically. - Use an LLM to understand the enquiry and qualify the lead. - Update the CRM and assign the lead to the right person. - Trigger follow-ups automatically. - Pass anything complicated to a human. The interesting part is figuring out what actually needs AI and what can be handled with simple rules. Using an LLM for everything just adds cost and more potential points of failure. I also think we should focus more on the results these automations produce rather than just how impressive they look. Things like response time, booked appointments, conversion rates, and hours saved are what really matter to a business. I'm curious about something: When you're building automations for clients, do you usually start by finding a problem in their existing workflow and then build a solution around it, or do you start with an automation idea and see whether the business needs it? Would love to hear how you guys approach this.

Hi, My name is Sameen. I have just turned 17 and I found about this community 2-3 months back and it helped me a lot learning about automation. I am planning on starting an agency when I become 18 after finishing my high school. I have learned and experimented a lot with free tiers. I want you guys to give me advice about starting an AI Automation agency. My main concern is that I don't have any experience about companies so how will I identify what needs automation in their business which will save time and cost? Also how do you guys manage outreach? Your advice will be highly appreciated. Thank you very much.