We were doing research wrong. Every Monday morning, 4 of us would independently search ArXiv, Google Scholar, and PubMed for papers on AI automation and document processing. 3 hours each. 12 hours total team time. Then we'd compare notes and realize we'd all found the same 7-8 papers. Complete duplication of effort. THE BREAKING POINT: One Monday, our lead researcher was sick. We had a client call Tuesday needing current research on AI extraction methods. Nobody had done the Monday search. We looked unprepared. "We can't keep doing research this way. There has to be a better system." WHAT I BUILT: n8n workflow that runs daily at 6 AM: SCHEDULE TRIGGER - Fires every morning before team arrives ACADEMIC SEARCH NODE - Searches ArXiv, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar simultaneously for "AI automation document processing" papers published in last 24 hours DATE FILTER - Code node that validates papers are actually from last 24 hours (some databases have lag) VALIDATION FILTER - Ensures paper has abstract, PDF link, and author information (removes incomplete entries) LIMIT TO TOP 5 - Selects highest-cited papers only NOTION INTEGRATION - Creates database page with: Title, Authors, Abstract, PDF link, Citation count, Source, Publication date SLACK NOTIFICATION - Sends formatted morning digest to #research channel The whole workflow took 30 minutes to set up. THE RESULTS: Team arrives each morning to curated research digest. Zero manual search time. Everyone sees same papers. Complete metadata automatically captured. From 12 hours weekly search → 45 minutes weekly review. Found 3 papers in last 4 months that directly influenced client projects. Would've missed them with old manual approach because they were published Thursday afternoon (we only searched Mondays). CURRENT STATUS: Been running 4 months. Zero maintenance required. Notion database now has 480+ papers with full metadata. Searchable knowledge base that grows automatically. Team actually reads MORE papers now. Discovery friction removed.

Small beginnings turned into unexpected expansion. Curious, what would you reinvest into if your income suddenly scaled?

A lot of AI automation fails not because the tech is bad, but because the wrong process gets automated. If a process is unclear or constantly changing, automation doesn’t fix it, it just speeds up the mess. I now ask myself one thing before automating: would this still be a problem if it ran instantly? If yes, it’s probably a process issue, not an automation one. How do you decide what’s worth automating?

As businesses scale, managing customer relationships and conversations becomes just as important as generating leads. That’s where the right CRM and support platforms make a real difference. Here are some widely used platforms—and how they support growth: HubSpot An all-in-one CRM for marketing, sales, and customer support. Helps businesses track leads, automate follow-ups, manage pipelines, and understand what’s driving conversions Best for teams focused on inbound marketing and long-term customer relationships. Zoho CRM A flexible and budget-friendly option for small to mid-sized businesses. Offers sales automation, pipeline management, reporting, and strong integrations across business tools. Great for teams that want customization without complexity. Pipedrive Designed around sales pipelines and deal tracking. Helps sales teams stay organized, follow up consistently, and move deals forward with clarity. Ideal for businesses that want simplicity and strong sales visibility. Commslayer Built to unify communication across multiple channels It helps businesses manage calls, messages, and customer conversations in one place, improving response time and team coordination. Useful for companies handling high volumes of inbound and outbound communication. Gorgias A customer support platform made for e-commerce brands It centralizes email, live chat, social messages, and order data so support teams can respond faster and more accurately. Great for improving customer experience while reducing support workload. Zendesk A powerful helpdesk and customer service platform used by growing and enterprise businesses. Supports ticketing, live chat, knowledge bases, and automation to streamline customer support operations. Best for businesses that need structured, scalable customer support systems. Why these platforms matter - Centralize customer data and conversations - Improve follow-up and response times - Enhance customer experience - Reduce manual work through automation - Support scalable growth across teams

Hi everyone! I’m curious to know: how much do you spend monthly on tools for automation, and which tools do you use? Excited to hear your experiences and compare strategies!