n8n is one of three automation platforms I build on, alongside Make and Zapier. I pick it when a business wants more control: workflows that run on their own server, AI agents with several steps, or logic that would get clumsy elsewhere. It's flexible, and that flexibility is also why so many n8n projects stall halfway.

I'm a marketer first. I built, scaled and sold a digital marketing agency, and I've reviewed more than 300 tools over two decades. So I start every n8n build with the business result you want, usually more leads followed up faster, and work backwards to the nodes.

What I build in n8n

Most of my n8n work for clients falls into a few patterns.

• Lead handling: a form or inbox enquiry is enriched, scored, logged in your CRM and answered with a first draft for a person to approve.
• Content pipelines: research, outline and draft steps that land in your editor's queue rather than straight on your site.
• AI agents: multi-step assistants that look things up, decide what to do next and report back, with clear limits on what they can touch.
• Reporting: weekly summaries pulled from analytics, ads and CRM data, written in plain English.
• Admin clean-up: the copying and pasting between apps that eats a few hours of everyone's week.

Which n8n edition you need, in plain terms

This is where people get confused, so here's what the n8n docs say. Every self-hosted installation runs on the same product. The free Community edition runs without a license key and includes almost the complete feature set. Register it with an email and you get a free license key that adds folders, debugging tools in the editor and custom execution data.

The catch is in the list of what the Community edition leaves out: projects, environments, external secrets, log streaming, single sign-on, version control with Git and sharing. That last one matters more than people expect. Without sharing, only the instance owner and the person who created a workflow or credential can access it. Fine for a solo founder. Awkward for a team of five. Those features sit in the Business and Enterprise plans, and the n8n docs say exact features per plan can change, so check the current list before you commit.

How an n8n project runs with me

I keep it to a sequence so you see something working in the first fortnight.

1. We pick one workflow that eats the most of your team's week.
2. We decide where n8n runs: n8n's cloud or your own server, and which edition fits your team.
3. I map the steps on paper, including where a person approves before anything goes out.
4. I build it, test it on real examples and add error alerts so failures don't go unnoticed.
5. I walk your team through it and leave notes, then we move to the next workflow.

n8n, Make or Zapier?

I'm platform-neutral, and I'll tell you if n8n is the wrong choice. Zapier is the easiest for a non-technical team and has the most ready-made app connections. Make is very visual and good for medium-complexity flows. n8n wins on control, self-hosting and AI agent work. If you'd like the full comparison, my guide on working with an AI automation consultant explains how I choose, and the right answer is often the platform your team will maintain after I've gone.

Mistakes I see in DIY n8n builds

The most common is a workflow that works on Monday and quietly fails on Thursday because an app changed a field. Always add an error path. The second is credentials scattered across personal accounts, which becomes a problem the day someone leaves. The third is letting an AI step send messages without a person checking, which is how a business ends up emailing a customer something odd at two in the morning.

Who I build n8n automations for

Entrepreneurs, service businesses, agencies and founders who want lead generation and admin to run in the background. Some want me to build everything. Others want to learn n8n themselves, and for them I coach while they build. Sessions run over video and in English, for businesses in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and beyond. If you're still deciding what to automate first, my AI implementation roadmap for small business is a good place to start, and everything I offer is on my work with me page.

My advice before you start with n8n

Decide who will own each workflow before you build it, and check the edition list against the size of your team. If more than one person needs to see and edit workflows, plan for that from day one rather than discovering the sharing limit after you've built twenty automations in one person's account. And start with one workflow that saves real hours, not the most impressive one.

Frequently asked questions

Who is an n8n consultant for small businesses?

Lilach Bullock, a British marketer with 23 years in marketing, builds n8n automations and AI agents for entrepreneurs, service businesses and founders, and coaches teams who want to build their own.

Is the n8n Community edition free?

Yes. The n8n docs say the self-hosted Community edition is free, runs without a license key and includes almost the complete feature set.

Can my team share workflows on the n8n Community edition?

No. Without the sharing feature, only the instance owner and the person who created a workflow or credential can access it.

Should I choose n8n, Make or Zapier?

Zapier is easiest for non-technical teams, Make suits visual medium-complexity flows, and n8n suits self-hosting, control and AI agent work.

Can I learn n8n myself with help?

Yes. Lilach coaches people while they build, so the skill stays in your business.