Spent 18 hours building first client’s workflow. Added every feature imaginable. Felt so proud.
Client used 30% of what I built.
THE PROBLEM:
Wanted to impress first client. Prove I was worth $1,200. Built way more than needed.
Error handling for every edge case. Multiple approval paths. Complex routing logic. Dashboard. Notifications. Reports.
THE CLIENT REALITY:
They just wanted invoices in QuickBooks automatically. That’s it.
All my fancy features? Ignored.
THE LESSON:
Build the 80% solution fast. Add the 20% if they actually need it.
WHAT I BUILT (FIRST CLIENT):
18 hours total
12 modules in Make
3 approval paths
Error notification system
Weekly summary reports
Dashboard for monitoring
What they used:
– Invoice extraction: YES
– Post to QuickBooks: YES
– Everything else: NO
WHAT I BUILD NOW (CLIENT 8):
4 hours total
6 modules in Make
1 happy path (errors go to me)
Basic confirmation email
That’s it.
Client equally happy. Saves same amount of time.
THE PERFECTION TRAP:
“But what if X happens?”
“Should I add Y just in case?”
“Maybe they’ll want Z later?”
NO. Build what they need TODAY. Add features when actually needed, not hypothetically.
THE MVP APPROACH:
Minimum Viable Automation:
1. Trigger (when document arrives)
2. Extract data (core function)
3. Send to destination (their system)
4. Confirm success (email notification)
That’s it. 4 steps. Works perfectly.
Add later IF needed:
– Complex error handling
– Multiple approval paths
– Advanced routing
– Fancy dashboards
THE TIME COMPARISON:
Client 1 (overbuilt): 18 hours build, 8 hours revisions
Client 2 (overcorrected): 3 hours build, 6 hours adding missing features
Client 3-8 (balanced): 4-5 hours build, 1 hour minor tweaks
Sweet spot: 4-5 hours for solid MVP with room for growth.
THE CONFIDENCE ISSUE:
Overbuilding comes from insecurity. “Am I worth $1,200 for 4 hours work?”
YES. You’re worth what you save them, not hours spent building.
Client saves 10 hours monthly = $6,000 yearly value
Your 4 hours × $300/hour = $1,200
Their ROI: 500% annually
You don’t need to overbuild to justify pricing.
THE CLIENT FEEDBACK:
Showed client overbuild workflow: “Wow, this looks complex…”
Showed client simple workflow: “This is exactly what I needed!”
Simple sells better than complex.
CURRENT APPROACH:
Discovery call: Identify core pain (invoice data entry)
Build: Solve that ONE pain perfectly
Deliver: Clean, simple solution
Iterate: Add features as truly needed
Result: Faster delivery, happier clients, more time for next client.
THE PERMISSION:
You don’t need to build everything perfectly first time. Build the 80% that solves their main problem. Perfect it later based on actual use.
Perfection is procrastination disguised as quality.
