I work as a software developer and solutions architect, primarily focusing on enterprise-level applications. Recently I came across some videos about workflow automation platforms and it got me thinking about a potential side business.
I’m curious about the actual market demand for these mini automation solutions. Are there really customers willing to pay for simple workflow setups? What types of businesses or individuals are the main buyers?
As someone who’s used to building complex enterprise systems, I’m wondering if there’s legitimate money to be made in this space. The workflows seem pretty basic compared to what I usually work on, but maybe that’s exactly what some customers need.
Has anyone here had success selling automation workflows? What kind of pricing can you expect and how do you find your customers?
different story here - I make solid side income building zapier and make integrations for local businesses. restaurants need their online orders syncing with pos systems, small law firms want automated document workflows. basic stuff, but they pay well since they can’t do it themselves. facebook groups and linkedin beat cold calling every time.
Yes, selling automation workflows can indeed be profitable. Many small to medium businesses struggle with repetitive tasks and often lack the resources to implement automation themselves. From my experience, sectors like accounting, real estate, and e-commerce show significant demand for solutions such as automated invoicing and lead management. Pricing varies, generally ranging from $200 to $800 per workflow, depending on complexity. A substantial portion of income comes from ongoing maintenance services. Initially, acquiring clients can be challenging, but successful cases lead to local networking and referrals that boost your outreach.
The market’s definitely there, just not where you’d expect. I’ve hit healthcare practices, marketing agencies, and consulting firms hard. They’ve got money but zero tech skills for workflow automation. What blew my mind was what they’ll pay for dead simple stuff - appointment reminders, client onboarding, basic report generation. We’re talking $500-1500 per solution depending on how bad their pain is. Don’t pitch generic automation though. Figure out their actual problems first. I started doing free consultations to find their bottlenecks, then naturally converted those into paid work. Your enterprise background’s gold here - you’ll spot inefficiencies faster and build way better solutions than the usual no-code crowd.