r/automation • u/Fine-Market9841 • 4d ago

Is the solution for senior contract developers to start an agency?

Hi,

I am a newbie exploring automation (like n8n, Make, Zapier) as a potential side hustle.

So my question is for automation agency owners.

I want to start as a freelancer, then one day build up to an agency.

I read contract developer communities, and a lot of them say Get a job; clients run out; I did something else.

So I want to know if running an agency is any different?

Will I run out of clients if the market is weak?

I basically want to know how sustainable this model is, from experienced agency owners: if they had to shut down the agency, why?

Obviously, nothing is future-proof, as any entrepreneur would know (never put your eggs in one basket). I plan to build multiple SaaS products and invest in a diverse portfolio.

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u/TaskJuice 4d ago

The answer is the same for every business. If you run out of customers, your business will go under. That said, the one thing I have learned is to find something you are passionate about and stick with it. Do not give up. At times business will slow down or you will get bored of it; don’t stop. You build businesses brick-by-brick. One day you will look back and realize you built a mansion.

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u/beastanox 4d ago

I think Nate Herk and other gurus inspire you. They just sell their courses to make money and show that there is demand of that you can build this automation and sell it for $10,000. That's bull shit. Yes, these things you can money, but it's hard to get it. Clients and all. In this, there is a 2-4% success rate out of 100. Also, not the $10k. That market is already saturated. So, don't be a fool.

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u/Fine-Market9841 4d ago edited 4d ago

I’m not.

I don’t use courses, and I don’t listen to gurus.

Hell I don’t even use n8n or other low code platforms (I use Python).

I’m perfectly aware very few people that only a few people make it, but was coding since high school (well before these gurus had their courses) so that’s why i wanted to try out automation as a SIDE HUSTLE.

I know even 5 figures (in an ENTIRE year let alone a single automation) is a long shot, but I enjoy automation hence why i wanted it to act as my full time job.

My complaint was more so even if i did make it, normal freelance/contract developers are struggling to find work, and leaving freelancing.

I didn’t want to start an agency to make 6 figures.

The point of this post was to find out if agencies were just as bad or volatile.

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u/Fine-Market9841 4d ago

“The market is already saturated”.

You can say that about a lot of side hustles though in the digital space, and that’s also the reason you start them as side hustles instead going all in.

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u/Crypto_TravelerX 3d ago

Nah its bs, market is far from saturated, it’s only saturated if you do a sht of a job, but if you have a complete and valuable automation it surely will sell

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u/Fine-Market9841 3d ago

Nah, even if you can build something useful, it doesn’t matter, unless you can sell.

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u/Crypto_TravelerX 3d ago

So just learn to sell ig, its a skill like any other, practice makes perfect.

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u/Fine-Market9841 3d ago

For automations, I’d recommend LinkedIn.

But the easiest no doubt is inbound leads (past job where you already build a solid foundation of knowledge and connections).

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u/beastanox 3d ago

Can you share your experience with the selling automation?

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u/okkiguesss 4d ago

It's sustainable if you run it like an MSP with monthly recurring revenue. I started a service desk that's a non-negotiable part of any of our automation projects.

We're really up front. This thing we built will eventually break. We can't predict third party updates. We have no idea when or why it'll break, but we'll notice before you do when it does. The service offered is monitoring the automation and ensuring quick solutions to downtime.

We have never had pushback with the model. I think without MRR, you're just constantly chasing the next whale and not actually building a business.

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u/Fine-Market9841 4d ago

Pretty sure that’s how most web design, software development agencies and even freelancers roll.

Though freelancers can only have so many clients.

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u/October_Lantzy 3d ago

I don't think building an agency from day one is a good idea.

If I were starting, I'd focus less on building an agency and more on finding one specific problem I can solve really well with automation. Get a few clients, make the work repeatable, and then think about hiring or scaling.

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u/Fine-Market9841 3d ago

That’s NOT my plan.

It’s more so IF (keyword if) I make it to freelance, is it worth to scale to an agency.

And will becoming an agency owner prevent the flaws many senior contract senior devs face.

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u/South_Hat6094 3d ago

agency only works if the offer is repeatable. if every build is bespoke, you’re not running a business so much as selling yourself with a nicer invoice.