How we build automations (and why there's no lock-in)

"Automation agency" can mean anything from a fancy Zapier subscription to a six-month enterprise project. Here's precisely what working with us looks like, so you can decide if it fits before you ever get on a call.

The process

1. Map (free). Either through the configurator or a 30-minute call, we work out where the hours are actually going in your business. You get a written blueprint of what we'd automate and in what order — it's yours regardless of whether you go ahead.

2. Build (usually within a week or two). We build on n8n, an open-source automation platform, running on infrastructure dedicated to your business — not shared with other clients. Your automations connect to the tools you already use: ServiceM8, Tradify, Xero, Gmail, Google Sheets, whatever your stack is.

3. Test with training wheels. Before anything runs solo, it runs in shadow mode — you see every message it would send and approve the tone. We adjust until it sounds like you, not like software.

4. Hand over and support. You get a plain-English runbook for each automation, a kill switch you control, and a direct line to us. Retainer clients get monitoring, fixes, and ongoing tweaks; everyone else can call us when they need us.

Why no lock-in matters

Because we build on open-source n8n rather than a proprietary platform, the automations are genuinely yours. If we disappeared tomorrow, any competent technician could pick up where we left off — the workflows are portable, documented, and running on infrastructure you can take over.

We think that's how it should be. Lock-in is a substitute for being worth keeping; we'd rather be worth keeping.

What it costs

Setup builds start in the low thousands depending on complexity, and ongoing support is a monthly retainer sized to what's running. Exact numbers depend on your stack and what we're building — the blueprint stage exists precisely so you get a real number before committing to anything.

The first step

Three minutes in the configurator, or a free 30-minute call. Either way you walk away with a concrete plan — even if you take it to someone else or build it yourself.