Automation tools connect the apps you already use, so information moves on its own instead of someone copying and pasting it. For a small business, the two that matter most are Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat).
This post covers how each one works, how to choose, and six automations I set up for almost every client, with the steps to build them.
The basics: how automation tools work
Every automation has the same shape:
- A trigger: something that happens in one app. A form is submitted, a payment comes in, a deal changes stage.
- One or more actions: what should happen next in other apps. Create a task, send an email, update a record, post a message.
- Optional logic in between: filters (“only if the budget is over $2,000”), branches (“if it’s a new client do this, otherwise do that”) and formatting (fixing dates, splitting names).
Zapier calls an automation a Zap. Make calls it a scenario. Both bill based on how much work your automations do, so a busy automation costs more than a quiet one. Check each tool’s current pricing page before you commit, because the plans change often.
Zapier: the strengths
- The biggest app library. If a tool has an integration with anything, it almost certainly has one with Zapier.
- Easiest to learn. Zaps are built as a simple step-by-step list. Most people can build their first useful Zap in 20 minutes.
- Good built-in helpers: Filters, Paths (for branching), Formatter (for cleaning data), Delay, and built-in AI steps.
- Reliable for straightforward, linear automations.
The trade-off: costs can climb as volume grows, and complex logic with many branches gets awkward to build and read.
Make: the strengths
- A visual canvas. You see your whole scenario as connected bubbles, which makes complex flows easier to understand.
- Powerful data handling: routers, iterators and aggregators let you loop through lists of items, split flows and combine results.
- Usually cheaper at volume for the same amount of work.
- Fine-grained control over errors, scheduling and data mapping.
The trade-off: a steeper learning curve, and a slightly smaller library of ready-made app integrations (though its HTTP module can connect to almost anything with an API).
How to choose
- You’ll build and maintain automations yourself and you’re not technical: start with Zapier.
- You have high volume, or automations with lots of steps, loops or branches: use Make.
- Someone else will build and maintain them for you: let them choose the tool they’re fastest and most careful in, as long as everything is documented.
Don’t run both unless you have a clear reason. Two automation tools means two places to check when something breaks.
Six automations every small business should have
The recipes below are written so they work in either tool. App names are examples; swap in whatever you use.
1. Lead capture to CRM to task
Trigger: a new enquiry form submission (website form, Typeform, Tally).
Actions:
- Create or update the contact in your CRM.
- Create a follow-up task in ClickUp or your CRM, assigned to whoever handles sales, due within one business day.
- Post a short alert in Slack with the name, service and budget.
Why it matters: leads stop sitting unseen in an inbox. Add a filter to skip spam or test submissions.
2. New client onboarding
Trigger: a contract is signed or the first invoice is paid (Dubsado, Stripe, QuickBooks, GoHighLevel).
Actions:
- Create the client project from a template in your project tool.
- Create a shared folder in Google Drive using a standard folder structure.
- Send the welcome email with the onboarding questionnaire link.
- Add the kickoff call task to the account lead’s list.
Why it matters: every client gets the same polished start, and nothing depends on someone remembering.
3. Meeting notes to action items
Trigger: a new transcript from your note-taker (Fireflies, Otter, Fathom or similar).
Actions:
- Send the transcript to an AI step (ChatGPT or Claude) with a prompt asking for decisions, action items and owners as a structured list.
- Create a task for each action item in your project tool, set to a Needs review status.
- Post the summary to the project channel.
Why it matters: nothing agreed on a call gets lost. The Needs review status is the important bit: a person checks the tasks before they become real.
4. Overdue invoice reminders
Trigger: a daily schedule.
Actions:
- Search your accounting tool for invoices more than seven days overdue.
- For each one, send a polite reminder from your email account, or create a task for a person to call.
- Log the reminder against the client record.
Why it matters: chasing money is the task founders put off most. Use a router or Paths to send a softer message at seven days and a firmer one at 21.
5. Weekly metrics snapshot
Trigger: every Monday at 7am.
Actions:
- Pull last week’s numbers: new leads, deals won, tasks completed and overdue, revenue invoiced.
- Add them as a new row in a Google Sheet.
- Send a short summary to Slack or email.
Why it matters: you start every week with facts instead of a feeling. Over time, the sheet becomes your trend history.
6. Content repurposing pipeline
Trigger: a blog post or podcast episode is published.
Actions:
- Send the content to an AI step to draft three social posts and a newsletter blurb in your voice (include examples of your writing in the prompt).
- Create a task in your content calendar with the drafts attached, set to Needs review.
Why it matters: one piece of content turns into a week of posts, and a person still approves every word before it goes out.
Building automations that don’t break
Most automations fail quietly. These habits prevent that:
- Name everything clearly. “Lead form → HubSpot + ClickUp task + Slack”, not “My Zap 7”.
- Keep a register. A simple table of every automation: what it does, its trigger, its owner, and when it was last checked.
- Turn on error alerts and send them somewhere a person actually reads.
- Test with real-looking data before switching on, including the odd cases, like a missing phone number or a name with an apostrophe.
- Review monthly. Business changes break automations: a renamed form field, a new pipeline stage, an expired connection. A 15-minute monthly check catches most problems.
- Never let AI output reach a client unchecked. Route it to a draft, a review status or a person first.
When to get help
If you’re spending more time fixing automations than they save, or you’re nervous about what happens when one breaks while you’re away, that’s the point to hand them to someone who will build, document and maintain them. Building and running automations is part of my Build and Run stages.