n8n + Supabase: Business Development Playbook
The Stack
| Component | Role | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | Visual workflow automation engine | Free self-hosted / $20+/mo cloud |
| Supabase | Backend-as-a-Service (PostgreSQL + Auth + Storage + Realtime) | Free tier / $25+/mo |
Market Opportunity
The Problem You're Solving
Businesses waste $1.8 trillion annually on repetitive manual tasks. They need:
- Connect apps that don't talk to each other (CRM → Email → Slack → Sheets)
- Automate workflows without hiring developers
- Own their data (not locked into Zapier/Make.com)
Target Market Size
| Segment | Size | Willingness to Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses (1-50 employees) | 33M in US alone | $50-500/mo for automation |
| Agencies & consultants | 1.4M in US | $1,000-10,000/project |
| Startups needing MVPs | 5M globally | $2,000-20,000/project |
| Enterprise departments | Fortune 5000 | $5,000-50,000/project |
Why Now?
- AI explosion - Every business wants "AI automation" but doesn't know how
- Zapier fatigue - $50/mo for 750 tasks is expensive; n8n is unlimited
- Data privacy regulations - Self-hosted = GDPR/HIPAA compliant
- No-code plateau - Businesses hit limits, need custom solutions
Competitive Positioning
Direct Competitors
| Competitor | Weakness You Exploit |
|---|---|
| Zapier | $588/yr for 2,000 tasks; n8n is unlimited |
| Make.com | Complex UI; you offer done-for-you |
| Integromat | No self-hosting; you offer data ownership |
| Custom dev | $150/hr; you deliver in days, not months |
Your Unique Value Proposition
"Enterprise-grade automation at 10% of the cost, delivered in days not months, with full data ownership."
Revenue Models (Pick 1-2 to Start)
Model 1: Done-For-You Services (Fastest Cash)
| Service | Price Range | Delivery Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single workflow build | $200-500 | 1-3 days | 80% |
| Full automation audit + implementation | $2,000-5,000 | 1-2 weeks | 75% |
| Monthly retainer (maintenance + new workflows) | $500-2,000/mo | Ongoing | 85% |
Target: Local businesses, agencies, e-commerce stores
Model 2: Productized Services (Scalable)
| Package | Price | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| "Lead Machine" | $997 one-time | CRM → Email sequence → Slack notifications |
| "E-commerce Autopilot" | $1,497 one-time | Order → Inventory → Shipping → Review request |
| "Content Engine" | $1,997 one-time | RSS → AI summary → Social posts → Analytics |
Target: Specific niches (real estate, e-commerce, content creators)
Model 3: SaaS Product (Long-term)
Build a vertical solution on n8n + Supabase:
| Vertical | Product Idea | Price Model |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate | Automated lead nurturing platform | $99-299/mo |
| Agencies | White-label client reporting dashboard | $49-199/mo |
| E-commerce | Multi-channel inventory sync | $79-299/mo |
| Recruiters | Candidate pipeline automation | $99-399/mo |
Model 4: Templates & Education (Passive Income)
| Product | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| n8n workflow templates | $29-149 each | Gumroad, own site |
| "n8n Mastery" course | $199-499 | Udemy, Teachable |
| YouTube tutorials | Ad revenue + sponsorships | YouTube |
| Consulting calls | $150-300/hr | Calendly + Stripe |
Go-To-Market Strategy
Phase 1: Validation (Week 1-2)
Goal: Get first 3 paying clients
- Identify pain points - Join Facebook groups, Reddit (r/smallbusiness, r/entrepreneur)
- Offer free audits - "I'll analyze your workflow and show you 3 automations that save 10+ hrs/week"
- Convert to paid - "I can build this for $X, done in Y days"
Outreach script:
"Hey [Name], I noticed you're using [Tool A] and [Tool B]. Most businesses I work with save 10-15 hours/week by connecting these automatically. Want me to show you how? Free 15-min audit."
Phase 2: Systematize (Month 1-2)
Goal: Repeatable process, 10+ clients
- Document your workflows - Create templates for common automations
- Build case studies - "Saved Client X 20 hrs/week, ROI in 2 weeks"
- Create packages - Productize your most common builds
- Raise prices - You have proof now
Phase 3: Scale (Month 3-6)
Goal: $10k+/month revenue
| Channel | Action | Expected Result |
|---|---|---|
| Content marketing | Weekly YouTube/blog on automation | Inbound leads |
| Partnerships | Partner with agencies, consultants | Referral revenue |
| Templates | Sell pre-built workflows | Passive income |
| Hiring | Train VA to handle simple builds | 3x capacity |
Phase 4: Productize (Month 6-12)
Goal: Recurring SaaS revenue
- Identify your most-requested workflow
- Build as standalone product with Supabase backend
- Offer self-serve + managed options
- Target: $5-20k MRR
Pricing Psychology
Value-Based Pricing Framework
Never price by hours. Price by value.
| Client saves | You charge | Their ROI |
|---|---|---|
| 10 hrs/week × $30/hr = $1,200/mo | $500 one-time | 240% in month 1 |
| 1 employee worth of work = $4,000/mo | $2,000 one-time | 200% in month 1 |
| Prevents $10k/yr in errors | $3,000 one-time | 333% in year 1 |
Anchor Pricing
Always present 3 options:
| Tier | Price | Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $500 | "Too limited" |
| Professional | $1,500 | "Just right" - most choose this |
| Enterprise | $5,000 | Makes $1,500 look reasonable |
Customer Acquisition Channels
Highest ROI Channels (Ranked)
| Channel | Cost | Time to First Client | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold outreach (LinkedIn, email) | Free | 1-2 weeks | High |
| Referrals | Free | 2-4 weeks | Highest |
| Content (YouTube, blog) | Free | 2-3 months | High |
| Communities (Facebook, Reddit, Discord) | Free | 2-4 weeks | Medium |
| Upwork/Fiverr | 20% fee | 1 week | Low-Medium |
| Paid ads | $500+/mo | 1-2 weeks | Medium |
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Best clients:
- 5-50 employees (big enough to pay, small enough to decide fast)
- Using 5+ SaaS tools (more integration pain)
- Non-technical founder/ops lead (can't DIY)
- Growing 20%+/year (have budget, feel pain)
Industries with highest demand:
- E-commerce (Shopify + inventory + shipping + email)
- Real estate (CRM + listings + email + documents)
- Agencies (client reporting + project management)
- SaaS companies (user onboarding + analytics + support)
- Healthcare (patient intake + scheduling + compliance)
Risk Mitigation
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Client can't pay | 50% upfront, 50% on delivery |
| Scope creep | Fixed-scope packages with clear deliverables |
| n8n goes down | Self-host on reliable VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean) |
| Competition | Build relationships, not just automations |
| Technical issues | Document everything, create SOPs |
90-Day Action Plan
Week 1-2: Foundation
- [ ] Set up n8n (cloud or self-hosted)
- [ ] Set up Supabase project
- [ ] Build 3 demo workflows (lead capture, email sequence, Slack alerts)
- [ ] Create simple landing page
Week 3-4: First Clients
- [ ] Reach out to 50 potential clients (LinkedIn, email)
- [ ] Offer 5 free automation audits
- [ ] Close first paying client
- [ ] Document the process
Month 2: Systematize
- [ ] Create 3 productized packages
- [ ] Build 2 case studies
- [ ] Start weekly content (YouTube or blog)
- [ ] Get 5 paying clients
Month 3: Scale
- [ ] Raise prices 25-50%
- [ ] Launch template store
- [ ] Partner with 2-3 agencies
- [ ] Hire VA for admin tasks
- [ ] Target: $5k/month revenue
Resources
Learning
Tools for Your Business
- Landing page: Carrd ($19/yr) or Framer (free)
- Payments: Stripe or Lemon Squeezy
- Scheduling: Cal.com (free) or Calendly
- CRM: Notion or Supabase (build your own)
- Contracts: Bonsai or PandaDoc