u/opla-infinite

Most agents and small business owners pay for leads they never follow up with. Not because they're lazy—because doing it manually doesn't scale.

I built a system that handles the entire process automatically.

What it does:

· Finds leads in any industry or location via Google search
· Verifies email addresses before sending a single message
· Generates a personalized outreach email based on the lead's business and industry
· Sends the email automatically
· Logs everything in Google Sheets—who was contacted, when, and the status

The stack: n8n, SerpAPI, Hunter.io, Groq, Gmail, Google Sheets.

Why it matters:
One person manually can maybe reach out to 10-15 leads a day without burning out. This system does it while you sleep. Consistent. Personalized. Trackable.

Already built. Already tested.

I've been building AI automation systems for months now. 6 working systems. Good engagement on Reddit. People ask for demos. But I haven't crossed the line from "looks cool" to "here's my money."

For those who've been here: what was the ONE thing that got you your first paid client?

Was it:

· Niching down to one specific industry?
· Cold DMs?
· A specific platform (Upwork, Fiverr)?
· Giving away free work first?
· Something else entirely?

Not looking for generic advice. I want to know what actually worked for you. The messy, specific, "I didn't think it would work but it did" stuff.

Appreciate any real stories.

I used to spend 2 hours per post. Now it takes 10 seconds.

How it works:

· You type a topic (e.g., "summer sale" or "new product")
· AI writes the body, headline, call-to-action, and hashtags
· Everything saves to Google Sheets — copy, paste, post

What makes this different:

· Works in multiple languages (tested with Serbian, Arabic, English)
· You can edit before posting — AI does the first draft, you keep control
· Delivered via Google Sheets — no new tools to learn
· One-time build — no monthly SaaS fees

Proof: This system got 84 upvotes and 21,000+ views on Reddit. Built and run from my phone. 5 other systems also available

your niche and I'll send a free sample post. No obligations.

I build custom AI automation systems using n8n. All systems delivered via Google Sheets so you never touch the tech.

What I can build for you:

· AI Content Generator — LinkedIn/Instagram posts from one topic, with hashtags, in any language
· Lead Generation + Cold Outreach — find leads, verify emails, send personalized AI-written messages
· BI Competitor Reports — daily competitor tracking, market trends, and action items to your inbox
· Custom automation — tell me your repetitive task, I'll automate it
I really with i can find my first client that would encourage me too much.

Building a lead gen system with n8n and running into the classic automation paradox: the more automated it is, the less personal it feels.
Current setup:
• SerpAPI → finds prospects
• Hunter.io → gets emails
• Groq LLM → writes personalized email
• Gmail → sends
The problem:
My LLM is generating decent emails, but they still feel… AI-generated. Response rates are around 5%, which isn’t terrible, but I know it could be better.
What I’ve tried:
✅ Passing company name, industry, location to the LLM
✅ Specific prompt engineering (no “Dear Sir/Madam”, casual tone, etc.)
✅ Manual review before sending (semi-automation)
❌ Scraping recent LinkedIn posts (too complex/expensive per lead)
❌ Fully custom research per prospect (defeats the automation purpose)
Questions for the community:
1. For those doing AI outreach at scale: What’s your sweet spot between automation and personalization?
2. How are you sourcing the “specific detail” about prospects? (Recent post, company news, etc.) Or do you skip it and still get good response rates?
3. Anyone using AI to research prospects before the email gen step? What tools/APIs?
4. What response rates are you seeing with AI-generated cold outreach? (Want to benchmark if 5% is actually good or not)
Stack: n8n, Groq, SerpAPI, Hunter.io
Appreciate any insights from people who’ve solved this better than I have.

I’m 29, been working in my dad’s grocery store in Morocco for the past few years. Makes about $150/month profit after expenses, barely covers rent and food. I work 10 hours a day for basically nothing.
Over the past year I’ve taught myself AI automation:
• Built 6 working systems (content generators, lead gen, outreach automation)
• Got accepted to an AI training platform ($10/hr gig work)
• Can build n8n workflows, integrate LLMs, automate business processes
I’m trying to escape the store and actually earn a living income. Ideally remote work in:
• AI training/data annotation
• Automation engineering
• No-code development
• Technical implementation
The challenge: I’m in Morocco, have no formal degree, and most of my experience is self-taught projects (no paying clients yet, though I’ve been doing outreach).
Any advice appreciated. Just trying to build a better future.

I run a small business too. And I used to spend 2 hours every week staring at a blank page trying to write LinkedIn or Instagram posts. Topics. Headlines. Hashtags. It ate my time.

So I built a simple tool that does it in 10 seconds.

Here's how it works:

· Type a topic (e.g., "summer sale" or "new product launch")
· AI writes the post—headline, body, call-to-action
· Hashtags are added automatically
· Everything saves to Google Sheets—copy, paste, post

No monthly SaaS fees. No complicated dashboards. Just a Google Sheet that makes content while you run your business.

For non-technical owners: This isn't something you build yourself. But if you're spending hours on content every week, there's probably a way to automate it.

What's one repetitive task in your business you wish you could automate?

I'm a self-taught automation builder from Morocco. No CS degree. Just a phone, n8n, and a lot of late nights.

I've built 6 AI systems so far:

· Content generator (LinkedIn/Instagram, multilingual)
· Lead gen + automated cold outreach
· Daily BI competitor reports
· AI compliance agent
· Competitor analysis tool
· Email verification + personalized outreach

What I learned:

1. The tool doesn't matter. Problem-solving does.
2. Clients don't care about your stack. They care about the output.
3. A clean Google Sheet beats a fancy dashboard every time.
4. You don't need perfect conditions to start building.

To other SaaS builders: What's one thing you built that started as a "quick fix" and turned into something bigger?

Happy to answer questions about the builds.

I build AI automation systems using n8n. Custom-built, tested, and delivered via Google Sheets so you never touch the technical side.
Systems I can build for you:
· AI Content Generator (LinkedIn/Instagram)
· Lead Gen & Automated Cold Outreach
· Daily Competitor Intelligence Reports
· AI Compliance Agent
Proof of work: 6 systems built. [Check my Reddit profile for a 20k-view workflow breakdown].
Rate: $150-300 one-time build. No monthly SaaS fees.
DM me with what you need automated.
.

Applied for an AI Trainer role via YO HR Consultancy. Got referred to Micro1.

The email clearly said: "Complete the AI interview (approx. 15–25 minutes)."

When I clicked the link, the actual screen said: "This interview will take ~83 minutes."

That's almost 4x longer than advertised. Camera on. Recorded. Timed responses. C1 English evaluation.

I closed the tab.

Not because I can't do the work. But because if a company misleads you before you even start, what else will they mislead about?

Anyone else experienced this with Micro1 or similar AI training platforms?

I used to spend 2 hours per post thinking of topics, writing drafts, finding hashtags.

Now, it takes just 10 seconds.

• type atopic
• write the body, headlines, and CTA
• Hashtags auto-added
• save to google sheet, just copy-paste ready

Built with n8n.

One of 6 systems i’ve built.

I used to spend 2 hours per post thinking of topics, writing drafts, finding hashtags.

Now it takes 10 seconds.

· Type a topic
· AI writes the body, headline, and CTA
· Hashtags auto-added
· Saved to Google Sheets—copy and paste ready

Built with n8n.

One of 6 systems I've built. Happy to answer questions.

Writing content used to eat my time. Thinking of topics. Writing drafts. Finding hashtags. 2 hours easily.

So I built a simple automation.

Here's what it does:

· I type a topic

· AI writes the body, headline, and call-to-action

· Hashtags get added automatically

· Everything saves to Google Sheets—ready to copy and post

10 seconds. Full post done.

No fancy dashboard. No monthly SaaS fee. Just a Google Sheet that makes content.

Built with n8n + Gemini. Run from my phone.

If content creation takes too much of your time, happy to answer questions.

Recently I built an agent that generates Instagram posts for a mid-size hotel in Montenegro. Client wanted posts in Serbian, warm tone, ready to publish. Delivered via Google Sheet so they don't touch the tech.

The workflow:

· AI Agent (Google Gemini) + SerpAPI for research

· Prompt structured for tone, language, and format

· Output to Google Sheet with separate posts and hashtags

What I learned:

1. Clients don't care about your stack—they care about the output

2. Language localization is a huge selling point

3. A clean Google Sheet is more impressive than a fancy dashboard

I'm still learning. If you're building agents for paying clients, what's been your best lesson so far?

I’ve built 9 solid n8n workflows (AI compliance agent, lead gen systems, content generators, etc.). I’m self-taught and built everything on my phone. Now I want to turn this into paying work, but I’m stuck on the “finding clients” part.

How did you get your first automation clients? Which platforms worked for you (Upwork, Reddit, cold outreach)? Any specific subreddits or strategies you’d recommend?

Thanks for any help.