AI automation agencies

The claim

“I compiled 200+ n8n automation templates you can copy & paste into your business or sell to other companies.”

@damianplayer, 15 May 2025, 9,136,399 views¹

“Get paid $5,000 to $15,000 to set up AI automation for businesses using a FREE tool.”

@JulianGoldieSEO, 2 February 2026, 778 views¹

These tweets are examples of the claim. The page judges the method, not the people who tweeted.

An “AI automation agency” sets up software so that another business’s routine work runs by itself¹. n8n and Zapier are tools for building this, and a “template” is a ready-made file of steps⁶⁷.

The sums

Six of the 30 most-viewed tweets state a monthly income, from $10,000 to $100,000; in the text we collected, none gives a price per client with a number of clients; attachments were not viewed¹. So we tested $10,000 a month at other prices (our sums).

On Freelancer.com, where anyone may bid, nine fixed-price n8n jobs open on 7 October 2026 had an average bid of $102⁹. Bids are not payments⁹.

n8n lists a firm as a partner only if at least three customers use n8n²⁹. Of 43 such firms that state budgets, 42 say they accept nothing under $1,000 (our count; stated bands, not payments)⁷⁰. So the claim rests on whether a newcomer can get one client at that price.

What happens to most people who try

Nobody publishes what share of new agencies get a paying client. The only group figures come from a seller of training, Morningside Education: “7,250+ agencies” trained over 4 years, “1,000+ clients landed”¹². That is about 0.14 clients the firm has tracked per agency (our sum). It is not a success rate: the figures are the firm’s own minimums, unreported deals are missing, and we found no outside check¹².

Zapier’s partner directory lists 556 firms and freelancers, each with a count of client reviews⁶⁶. Of the 402 we captured, 272 show none and 9 have 100 or more (our partial count)⁶⁶.

In reviews of Morningside’s programme, a software engineer writes “I made $0”; the company disputes his account¹⁶. Another reviewer got his first paying clients within six months¹⁶.

The upside

We found no agency income confirmed by a payment company, an auditor or a journalist who checked records⁷⁶. Every figure here is the person’s own.

• A one-person practice. Andrew Davison says he started on Upwork and Fiverr and was full-time “by 2018”. In an undated interview after 2019 he says the business was making “between $5-$8k per month”⁶⁸. Zapier’s record shows 239 client reviews⁶⁷.
• One problem in a known industry. Rezora, founded by a real-estate broker with a computer science degree, says it took “$40,000 in our first 40 days” selling AI phone calling to brokers⁷³⁷⁴. The founder then turned the service into software⁷⁴.
• An engineering firm. PressW’s founder says “over $2 million last year” in a January 2026 interview, about three years in⁷².

None of the three sells a course on this; Andrew Davison runs a mentoring group, and we did not check whether it is paid⁶⁸. Zapier, which sells automation software, sponsored the Rezora and PressW interviews⁷²⁷⁴.

Our judgement on this evidence: a good first year is a handful of paid jobs and perhaps one client who keeps paying. After several years the best-documented result is a small one-person business that has lasted seven years; its income is the owner’s own figure, which filings for a company that small do not show⁶⁷⁶⁹.

What it takes to compete

Our reading:

• They could build. PressW began with a former chief technology officer and two engineers⁷². Skill alone is not enough: the engineer who reported $0 had it¹⁶.
• They knew an industry first. A roofing salesman automated the firm he worked for, and took about four years to reach his own business⁸⁰.
• They built contacts. PressW’s founder says 90% of clients were people he met after starting⁷².
• They could last months with little income. One owner says a real automation takes three to six months inside a client’s company⁸².
• They could show proof. Buyers ask for “2-3 examples of workflows you have built”⁸⁸.

Tools cost about $140 a month (our estimate)⁶². A typical hiring post on n8n’s forum drew about 48 replies (our count)⁸⁶.

To tell early (our judgement): can you name five business owners who would take your call, and has anyone paid you anything in the first three months?

Who else makes money from it

About 45 of the 55 tweets point to something of the author’s: a course, tool, giveaway or services (our reading of the tweet text)¹. Reviewers of Morningside’s programme report paying £5,000 or 6,300 euros¹⁶. n8n pays “30% on all your referrals for 12 months”³. Before buying training, ask the seller what number and share of buyers reached the income advertised²⁷.