5 boring workflows you can build for small businesses
Five small automation services for businesses that already have the problem, each mapped onto the same 4 blocks, plus how to build a demo, write a one-page scope and hand it over.
What you’ll build
A plan for one small automation service you can offer to a business you already know, built on the 4-block pattern (Trigger → AI step → Router → Action). You’ll get the block map for five services, then the five steps to go from idea to a hand-over:
- Inbox sorting with AI
- Review reply drafting
- Meeting notes to tasks
- Receipt sorting for bookkeeping prep
- Simple lead follow-up
In every one, a person checks the result before it reaches a customer.
Who it’s for
People who are good at writing, organising or keeping track of details, have no interest in building an audience, and know at least one small business with one of these problems. The video’s example is Priya, a fictional office coordinator who built an inbox workflow for her (also fictional) cousin’s landscaping company.
The honest part: none of this is passive. Results vary, finding clients takes real work, and the rules for running a small business (registration, taxes, data privacy, recording and messaging consent) depend on where you live. This guide makes no income claims and isn’t legal or tax advice.
Prerequisites
- You understand the 4-block pattern (see the 4-block pattern guide) or have built the inbox assistant
- An automation platform account (the channel’s builds use Make)
- An AI model with API access (the channel’s builds use OpenAI)
- Made-up sample data for your demo: no real customer information
Tools used
| Tool | What it does here | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Automation platform (e.g. Make) | Runs the four blocks | Check current plans |
| AI model API (e.g. OpenAI) | The AI step (classify, draft, extract, read receipt photos) | Pay per use |
| Gmail | Triggers, labels, drafts, owner alerts | Free |
| Google Sheets | Task sheets, receipt rows, lead status | Free |
The video doesn’t name a platform for each service; use the stack you already know.
Time estimate
The video’s example built the first workflow in an afternoon. Your demo may take longer, and the video says to expect the first build to need adjusting after the first week of real messages. Treat any time figure as an estimate.
🔒 The rest of this guide is for members
The numbered steps, test checklist, troubleshooting and copy-paste templates are part of the membership. The video stays free on YouTube.