Status so far: I’ve found 440 emails, which is not really enough, but it’s a start at least. Next step is to clean the leads, and after that start sending emails to the recruiters :)

I'm 15 days of 30 in the game, did a recap for myself (week review & planning new week) and I read many posts & questions here regarding contacting clients, prospects, whatever reaching out to people. So, I want to tell you what I did, how it worked so far and if you have any questions how to translate it to your situation, let's talk 😊 What I did: Started 18 conversations with friends & family (details follow) Responded with pain points: 4 friends/sister with each 2+ cases, 1 friend with 1 big task plan Responded, need to clarify: 2 friends Responded with "no": 1 family (she's not working, will change work, will ask her again), 1 friend (too busy), 1 family, 1 friends Pending: 3 Other ones I need to check/involved in previous responses Whom I have contacted: Friend (NGO) -> gave pain points Friend (project manager in big company) -> gave pain points Friend (volunteer, leading translation Team) -> gave pain points Family (Children home, network marketing) -> gave pain points Friend (Head of School) -> gave pain points Friend (leading startup) -> open to discuss/call Friend (started a NGO, english teacher) -> clarify Friend (office of NGO) -> clarify Family (Accounting car sale) -> pending Friend (real estate owner) -> pending x2 Colleague (Expat coach) -> pending Family, receptionist at dentist (paused, will change work) -> ask later again Friend (CRM manager) -> no Family (Kindergarden) -> no Friends (social worker & doctor) -> no (ask again) Plan to monetize: None. Why? >> I'll take my sister as pilot user and let her talk to her peers and charge them. Will leverage this workflow for further family & friends in network marketing, self-employed, etc. hopefully before year-end tax time is coming and everybody gets... happy 😊 >> Support my friends in NGOs for free. I rather be able to support their mission than to charge them anything. Just my opinion. >> Big companies, complicated setups, etc.? I don't think about this yet. I rather get pain points, build something and not sell it (yet) than miss the opportunity.

A few months ago, I think I really started with n8n in August. At that point, I hadn’t made money with any of the things I’d tried up to then. Then I randomly came across n8n and started getting into it. And damn, that changed everything. Since then, I’ve managed to get 21+ clients, landed a few retainers, and built a steady flow of jobs. In fact, I’m now saying no to more jobs and constantly raising my prices so I can get into the $1,000 range per job. So what changed? I started pitching to more people and actually applying. And because of that, I started getting more jobs. The funny part is that the people I talked to when I started laughed at me when I told them I made $20 on my first gig. But when I look at them now, they’re still stuck in the same place, having not made a single dollar yet. Meanwhile, I’m turning down contracts that are too low for me to even consider. Here's the lessons I learned after a while. 1. You can start making money pretty fast. But building automations are harder than what you might think. 2. A lot of the things that I see on YT are things I barely see people order. 3. A lot of people suck at this and are slow. If you're fast and good, people will keep coming back and buy more. I had one client give me a 2 week deadline, I completed the project within 4 days, and I made a new order right then and there. I don't know if I can say keep pushing or keep going, because looking back on my own journey. They're certain actions if done right will lead you to the place you want to. But if you do the wrong actions it won't really work. So you kinda need to figure out what the right actions are fast. GL and enjoy the year!

Guess what? It's exactly 80 days ago, when I started with a local n8n setup. Not more than some "maybe" and the desire to do something. 80 days ago. That was Oct, 1st. I accepted the challenge. The last 80 days I spent hours building, supporting, coaching, reading. I texted some friends and family. I registered a server. A domain. Participated in a challenge - successfully. Went through the 30 Day accountability plan here. --> Thanks to @Duy Bui Amazing how far I have come in this short time! 80 out of 360 days (roughly about 22%). I got stuck - and you helped me to get unstuck! --> Thanks to @Chris Jadama, I still remember your Loom spotting my HTTP request issue, spot on. I found friends 😊 --> Thank you, @AI Automate Services 🥰 My lesson? Conclusion? I'm right at the beginning. Next year is around the corner. It will be good, really good. Some fresh new 365 days. Check this out. This, was meant to encourage you. Every single one of you. You might be at the beginning or before the finish line, doesn't matter, everyone can do it, everyone can share. And if you need some inspiration, check out @Sarah Martinez posts. 🎉

So something that has happened to me so far when working with new people is that after a large majority of projects, the person I’m working with asks me, ‘What else can you do for me?’ or says we need to work more together because they’re really impressed. The craziest part is that I’m not doing anything crazy. When I get the job, I build the solution as fast as possible, ask for feedback, and then keep building until it’s done. This is actually how the people I work with end up upselling themselves on more things from me. What I’m trying to say is that once I get hired, I try to deliver the automation within 2 to 4 days. Most of the time it goes even faster, depending on how complex it is. By doing that, I get repeat business and more orders. So for anyone out there who wants to get clients, when you get that one, overdeliver so they’ll pay you more.