Hey Nick, what are some automations, builds, and offers that can be easily sold by beginners on cold traffic? Is it strictly stuff that brings new money or clients to the company? And is there something automation related rather than say cold email?

#263 · the dumbest automation still makes the most money

Hey Nick, what are some automations, builds, and offers that can be easily sold by beginners on cold traffic? Is it strictly stuff that brings new money or clients to the company? And is there something automation related rather than say cold email?

Cold email isn't really automation; you can easily build an AI‑enabled cold‑email agency, which is a top solo‑freelancer model right now. But the simplest, highest‑leveraged system you can build for a client is a 'speedtole' system—a glorified autoresponder. You watch a mailbox for incoming mail from a filter (e.g., Facebook lead ads sending an email), then using Make.com, n8n, or cloud routines you scan the mailbox, get the trigger, and immediately reply via email. Then you send a Twilio SMS, and a team member calls the prospect. This cuts response time from minutes to under a minute, boosting pickup and conversion rates because of the perceived professionalism of your system. I’ve seen this system add over a million dollars in revenue for clients and improve existing funnels by 10‑20%, easily generating an easy $500k per year.

automationspeedtolecold emaillead generation

Related answers

youtube ↗Lead Generation

When running a cold email campaign for a client, who should manage the inbox and replies—me or the client, especially with a big time zone difference?

Either way, my recommendation is to containerize your entire offer into an ongoing service where the client pays you a set amount and you return a booked‑meeting package. This is essentially lead generation, not just handing over an AI automation system. Clients often don’t know how to turn an opportunity into a lead or appreciate the value of leads, so they need you to build the system for them. You can take the cold‑email templates and systems you already use to acquire clients and duplicate them for the client—highly leveraged, scalable, and you can add AI‑based auto‑reply features. Containerizing means bundling all the steps (Apollo search, lead scraping, Google Drive upload, etc.) into a single service where the client only sees the money‑in, money‑out exchange and a multiple on their investment. Many agencies discover this approach organically; it’s worth systematizing.

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youtube ↗Cold Email

How can I do cold outreach with little money? I'm starting an agency and can't afford cold email tools; I'm using cold calling instead. Can you suggest low-cost tools or a quick guide?

You don't need money to do cold outreach; everyone has a free mailbox (email). You just need to figure out the email address and be willing to trade some time for potential money. As a beginner with time but little money, you can manually write and send cold emails—each taking 3–4 minutes, allowing 10–20 per day, which is less than an eighth of a typical workday. Tools aren't required; they only speed up a process that's already potentially profitable. You can also send cold DMs via Loom video on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

cold emaillow budgetmanual outreach

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

Should I focus on cold email or Upwork to reach $5‑10 k per month, and if cold email, what tips would you give to start?

You have three main approaches: cold email, Upwork, or both—and you can also upsell existing clients on follow‑up work. There’s no need to pick just one; you can do both and see which works better. If a client is already getting great value from your automation, pitch them on additional scope or an incentive‑based arrangement. To start with cold email, consider the offer size, niche, and daily email volume per mailbox, and test different tactics to see what yields results.

cold emailupworkclient acquisitionoutreach

youtube ↗Cold Email

What is the best strategy for sending cold emails, when did you start your first campaign, how many days did you send them, and after how long did you get your first client?

I started cold emailing around 2018‑2019 with my business partner Gurinder; those early attempts didn’t work well. I kept sending emails for about three to four years before I made any money, and it was probably closer to two years before I saw real revenue. The breakthrough came in roughly 2021 with what I called 'one second copy': I ran many cold email campaigns and offered free sample articles that were produced cheaply using AI, which hardly anyone else was doing at the time. That got me attention from big companies like Kixie. The best cold‑email strategy is to front‑load value—give the recipient more work or benefit than you’re asking for. Instead of asking for free labor, identify a problem they’re suffering from, solve it, and attach the results to your email. For example, I once rewrote 40 YouTube titles for a follower, provided a one‑click doc, and they saw immediate CTR improvements. That’s how successful, ‘rich‑people’ cold emails work: you save them time or make them money, not the other way around.

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