Enterprise automation tools are overkill for small teams. Zapier is too limited. Custom development is too expensive. We built something in between.
The Problem
A 12-person marketing agency came to us frustrated with manual work. They were copying data between 5 different tools, creating reports by hand, and spending 6 hours weekly on admin tasks that should take minutes.
Why Existing Solutions Failed
Zapier: Hit limits quickly with their complex workflows. Multi-step processes were expensive and unreliable.
Enterprise Tools: Salesforce, HubSpot workflows required extensive setup and monthly fees that didn't make sense for their size.
Custom Development: Quoted $25k for a custom solution. Too much for workflows that might change in 6 months.
Our Solution
We built a lightweight automation layer using:
- •**Airtable as the hub**: All data flows through one source of truth
- •**GPT for data processing**: Cleans up form submissions, categorizes leads, writes follow-up emails
- •**Simple webhook triggers**: When X happens, do Y — no complex decision trees
The Results
Time Savings: 6 hours of weekly manual work reduced to 30 minutes of monitoring.
Cost: $180/month total (including our management fee). Previous manual process cost them $400/week in labor.
Flexibility: When they wanted to change lead scoring criteria, it took 15 minutes instead of a development sprint.
Key Insights
Start Simple: We began with their most painful manual process, not the most complex one.
Use Existing Tools: Instead of building custom software, we connected tools they already used.
Plan for Changes: Small teams pivot frequently. The automation needed to be as flexible as they are.
The Takeaway
Small teams need small solutions. The best automation for a 12-person company isn't a scaled-down version of enterprise software — it's something built specifically for how small teams actually work.