All businesses / AI automation for SMEs

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a ai automation for smes: the real numbers

Custom automated workflows. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€300–€2,000

Hours / week

10–30

First income

~6 wks

Net margin

88%

Saturation

medium

Realistic ceiling

€1,500–€5,500

What nobody usually tells you

Fast-growing demand and few serious competitors. But every client wants something different: it productises badly, and the maintenance retainer is the only thing that makes it sustainable.

The route, in five steps

  1. Pick one process only: quotes, or email, or reports
  2. Build it for yourself first and measure hours saved
  3. Sell the hours saved, not the technology
  4. Bill setup plus a maintenance retainer
  5. Reuse the same workflow for the next client

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every ai automation for smes pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

n8n or Make subscriptionLLM creditshosting

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack