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Mistakes and Learning with a Lead Generation Workflow
I automated my lead generation workflow. Here's what broke (and what I learned fixing it) π
The goal: Search Google Maps for businesses β Scrape websites for emails β Verify them β Save to Google Sheets. All automated.
Sounds simple, right? It wasn't.
Reality: Nothing worked the first time. I watched a YouTube video few months earlier and was trying to find a way to find emails of businesses for FREE.
What broke (and what I learned):
π΄ Problem: I tried Apify but the limits were Hit in 2 days.
Fix: I built an email pattern generator (info@, contact@, sales@)
Lesson: Check API limits BEFORE you build
My pattern generator got emails with www.
Fix: One line code fixed "www."
Lesson: Test with 1 item first, not 50
π΄ Problem: "Too Many Requests" errors everywhere
Fix: Added a loop with 1-second delays between requests
Lesson: Rate limiting is about workflow structure, not just code
π΄ Problem: All my data disappeared after API calls
Fix: I used set data node to preserve data
Lesson: Data doesn't magically stick aroundβyou have to design for it
π΄ Problem: Paid API's everywhere π
The main problem with lead generations is to get verified emails and these are not FREE.
Fix: Cut patterns from 15 to 6 per business (still works!)
Lesson: Free tiers force you to optimize (not a bad thing)
The real takeaway?
Not every automation project is a portfolio piece. Sometimes the real value is in what broke and how you fixed it.
After all the fixes: I can now generate 100-200 verified leads in 15 days, fully automated.
But honestly? The debugging taught me more than the final result.
Quick question: How you handle paid APIs costs
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Mistakes and Learning with a Lead Generation Workflow
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