Day 508 - Idea: Automation-as-a-Service - https://golifelog.com/posts/idea-automation-as-a-service-1653272010474
I just saw someone launch a custom YouTube automation app that’s completely run on Make’s automation recipes in the backend.
Welcome to the era of AaaS – Automation-as-a-Service.
(Unfortunate acronym, I know)
It’s crazy how far nocode automation platforms like Zapier and Make had come. Apparently, Zapier now supports 2000+ apps for integrations for 2.5+ million active users! That’s a LOT. Gone are the days where they were just fancy, nice-to-have conveniences for workflows. They’re integral parts of business ops. And now people even build SaaS off them, like some sort of white label software.
Writing’s on the wall
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It’s not surprising actually, if you track the parallels with other software platforms like say Wordpress. WP provided an easy way to set up a website for non-technical folks, just as Zapier did. But despite the low barrier, there’s still services that white label off Wordpress to make it even easier for businesses owners who want a site but are too busy to bother with learning how to use Wordpress. Similarly, learning Zapier recipes does take a while. It’s nocode as in it doesn’t involve having to programme it yourself, but it can still get pretty technical if you dig into more complex integration and automation workflows. The other advantage is that with a custom app, the user doesn’t have to go buy subscriptions for every automation platform – the white label AaaS takes care of that.
What’s the opportunity?
-------------------------
So coming back, that YouTube automation app got me entrepreneurial juices flowing. If this guy can make a niche app on top of another app (that’s Make), then there’s a lot more other possibilities here. Imagine an automation app with ready-made recipes for every major social platform – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Whatsapp, Telegram. Narrow down the niche even more, and have automation apps for say, ecommerce on Telegram (even this niche is huuuuge).
A quick Google search shows some of the popular tasks that can be automated for these niches:
- Message your team about potential leads/customers, e.g. Facebook ads → Gmail
- Consolidate info into a spreadsheet, e.g. add new Stripe sales as rows to Google Sheet
- Automate social media workflow, e.g. post new YouTube videos to Facebook, Twitter
- Create backups, e.g. Evernote → Google Drive
This idea is really making me think:
- What are some workflows I’ve experienced in the past that can be—should be—automated?
- Which one of these workflows helps people make more money, or saves they from a huge pain?
- What’s a high impact but tricky to DIY automation workflow that can be packaged into a convenient AaaS app that people would gladly pay for?
What else did I miss?
Welcome to the era of AaaS – Automation-as-a-Service.
(Unfortunate acronym, I know)
It’s crazy how far nocode automation platforms like Zapier and Make had come. Apparently, Zapier now supports 2000+ apps for integrations for 2.5+ million active users! That’s a LOT. Gone are the days where they were just fancy, nice-to-have conveniences for workflows. They’re integral parts of business ops. And now people even build SaaS off them, like some sort of white label software.
Writing’s on the wall
---------------------
It’s not surprising actually, if you track the parallels with other software platforms like say Wordpress. WP provided an easy way to set up a website for non-technical folks, just as Zapier did. But despite the low barrier, there’s still services that white label off Wordpress to make it even easier for businesses owners who want a site but are too busy to bother with learning how to use Wordpress. Similarly, learning Zapier recipes does take a while. It’s nocode as in it doesn’t involve having to programme it yourself, but it can still get pretty technical if you dig into more complex integration and automation workflows. The other advantage is that with a custom app, the user doesn’t have to go buy subscriptions for every automation platform – the white label AaaS takes care of that.
What’s the opportunity?
-------------------------
So coming back, that YouTube automation app got me entrepreneurial juices flowing. If this guy can make a niche app on top of another app (that’s Make), then there’s a lot more other possibilities here. Imagine an automation app with ready-made recipes for every major social platform – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Whatsapp, Telegram. Narrow down the niche even more, and have automation apps for say, ecommerce on Telegram (even this niche is huuuuge).
A quick Google search shows some of the popular tasks that can be automated for these niches:
- Message your team about potential leads/customers, e.g. Facebook ads → Gmail
- Consolidate info into a spreadsheet, e.g. add new Stripe sales as rows to Google Sheet
- Automate social media workflow, e.g. post new YouTube videos to Facebook, Twitter
- Create backups, e.g. Evernote → Google Drive
This idea is really making me think:
- What are some workflows I’ve experienced in the past that can be—should be—automated?
- Which one of these workflows helps people make more money, or saves they from a huge pain?
- What’s a high impact but tricky to DIY automation workflow that can be packaged into a convenient AaaS app that people would gladly pay for?
What else did I miss?