After my recent posts, I’m considering starting a community and would like your input. With my experience, I see two possible directions: 1. Selling n8n projects on LinkedIn – Focused on automation specialists who want to create and sell ready-to-use n8n automation flows to businesses. This includes prospecting, positioning, and closing deals via LinkedIn. 2. Building & selling micro-SaaS – For entrepreneurs who want to create small, highly-focused SaaS products (often with low overhead and high margins) and sell them to niche markets. Which one would you find most valuable?

The first thing you need to understand is that LinkedIn is not a place to sell... contradictory right... but let me explain. The purpose of LinkedIn is to generate relationships, and here's the key: "Relationships". If you try to make a sales pitch right from the start, forget it... you'll be ignored. The LinkedIn process is slower and requires patience and discipline. If you do good work, you should get good conversations in the first month and maybe your first contract in the second month. But why use LinkedIn then? If it's so slow and laborious... Because LinkedIn is where big deals are made, so the sooner you start, the sooner you'll be able to connect with major executives. The key to everything is: Be interesting, not interested. On LinkedIn you can access the main executives of most medium, large and Enterprise companies. But then you tell me "I haven't even managed to sell to small clients yet, so LinkedIn isn't for me"... that's where you're wrong. LinkedIn as I said is a network that takes time for your profile to gain relevance, so... start as soon as possible. I'm going to give you some simple tips on the main points you need to focus on before starting: Profile Photo: High-quality, professional, face takes 60% of image. Neutral background. This is your first impression. Cover Photo: Don't use LinkedIn's default. Add your value proposition or company branding. Most people waste this space. Headline: Use all 220 characters. Instead of "Automation Consultant," write "I help companies save 40h/week with automation | n8n Specialist | 50+ projects delivered." This appears every time you comment. About Section: Start strong, show results with numbers, end with call-to-action. Make people want to work with you. Experience: Show achievements, not tasks. "Reduced processing time by 75%" beats "Responsible for automation." Numbers win. Featured Section: 2-4 high-impact items. Client testimonials, case studies, your best content. Immediate social proof.

In my last post, I got over 100 comments — and a common question came up: “How do I get my first clients?” I’ll share what worked for me, in the most practical way possible. I understand — but honestly, getting started is simpler than it seems. Begin with your closest network: friends, your parents’ friends, uncles, anyone who runs a business or can connect you to someone who does. Make a list. Then reach out to these people — not to pitch a solution, but just to listen. Ask a simple question: “What are the biggest challenges you’re facing in your business today?” After listening, ask one more key question: “If you could solve just one of these problems today, which one would bring the most return — either by cutting costs or increasing revenue?” At the end of the day, that’s what every business owner truly cares about: lowering expenses or growing revenue. Talk to at least 3 business owners like this and you’ll start to see your niche take shape — based on real needs, not guesses. From there, here’s what I recommend: 1. Don’t get stuck in the learning loop. It’s normal to spend time downloading templates, testing tools like n8n, watching tutorials... but nothing beats doing a real project. You’ll learn more in one client delivery than in 10 YouTube videos. 2. Don’t worry too much about choosing the “perfect” niche. Start where you have access or some knowledge — even if it’s basic. Use real conversations to find a common pain. That pain defines your niche. 3. Don’t offer a pre-made solution. Listen first. Ask the two questions above. Then think: “How can I solve this specific problem with AI or automation?” 4. Don’t try to sell before you’re clear on four things: * Your niche * Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) * The main pain * Your solution to that pain 5. Your first project can be free — and that’s ok. Do it to learn. Deliver. Measure the result. That first delivery gives you confidence and a story to tell. 6. Then, choose one channel — not many.

I see this pattern over and over again — in the comments, in the DMs, and in the dozens of messages I get after posting here: “I’ve learned n8n, but I can’t land a single client.” So here’s a provocation that might unlock something for you: What if selling automation or AI agents isn’t the only path? At first glance, it makes sense — you learn a tool, and then try to sell what you’ve built with it. That’s first-level thinking. But here’s the hard truth: Selling automation or AI requires more than knowing how to use n8n. You need business context. Process knowledge. Market intuition. Because most small businesses don’t even know what they want — let alone what they could gain from an automation or an agent. Which means it’s not just about your technical skill. You also have to educate the client — and that takes time, trust, and effort. That’s why selling what’s already familiar to your client is often the fastest path to cash. Think about it: You don’t need to convince a small business that they need a website. You don’t need to explain why having a good Google Review score or posting on social media matters. These are known, accepted needs. So here’s the mindset shift: Use n8n to power solutions for what the client already knows they need. Let me make it concrete. Did you know that over 28% of small businesses in the U.S. still don’t have a website? Yet many of them already have a Google My Business profile — they’re visible but not converting. Now imagine this: You build a simple scraping automation with n8n (Google My Business profile). You target a specific niche. You filter only businesses that don’t have a website, have poor reviews, or outdated social profiles. Now you don’t need to educate — you just need to offer the obvious. No website? Offer a basic, clean website. No content? Offer a monthly content machine. And behind the scenes, let n8n agents do the heavy lifting for delivery. See the shift? You’re not selling AI. You’re solving visible, urgent problems — powered by automation.

#Introduction I'm Rodrigo, a programmer with over 20 years of experience based in Texas, USA. After completing my AI & Machine Learning Masters, I launched an AI Agency focused on AI Agents and Automation, and for the last 6 months specifically focused on n8n for businesses generating $1M+ annually. #Key Insights Ideal Clients: Companies with 10+ employees earning $5-10M yearly. You'll work directly with owners (shorter sales cycles) and find better opportunities to improve processes. Best Acquisition Channel: LinkedIn - easily identify decision-makers, engage with their content, then connect with a friendly (non-sales) message. Share valuable content before suggesting demos. Sales Approach: Offer a Proof of Concept (POC) during meetings to demonstrate practical solutions to specific problems. Product Focus: I excel in just three revenue-generating solutions (marketing, sales, customer service), all Ready-to-Deploy. This allows for faster implementation and unified improvements. Pricing Model: Monthly fees outperform one-time setup fees. They provide continuity, prevent "starting from zero" each month, and eliminate friction around maintenance charges. #Clients to Avoid: - Companies under $1M revenue (require foundational work) - Businesses with undefined processes - Those expecting AI to solve cash flow problems - Clients without existing, functioning processes #Operational Tips: - Automate your internal processes - Keep onboarding and support initially manual to better understand clients - Invest in help desk software (I use the open-source solution from https://frappe.io/helpdesk) - Implement professional workflow monitoring (I use n8ops from https://www.n8ops.com) which gives me unified visibility across all client workflows. This has been transformative for proactive maintenance and quick troubleshooting, dramatically reducing downtime and improving client satisfaction. - Focus on rapid value creation (30% of my new clients come from referrals)