Don’t run workflows from strangers without inspecting every single node first. Whether it’s an n8n workflow, Make scenario, Zap export, or a random JSON someone drops in a Discord or Skool post — blindly importing and running automations is risky. There are bad actors out there. Some are obvious. Some are very good at hiding what they’re doing. I’m sharing workflows to help people learn and move faster — but you should still verify everything before you run anything. Why this matters Automation tools usually have deep access to: - APIs - Databases - Credentials - File systems - Webhooks - Internal business data A single hidden node can: - Exfiltrate credentials - Send your data to a third-party server - Create hidden webhooks - Write or delete database records - Trigger actions on a schedule you never notice And the scariest part? ⚠️ It can look completely harmless at first glance. Good security practices (please don’t skip these) 1️⃣ Inspect every node — no exceptions - Open each node - Check URLs, endpoints, headers, payloads - Look for unfamiliar domains or IPs - Be suspicious of “utility” or “helper” nodes 2️⃣ Verify the source - Who posted it? - Do they explain what it does and why? - Does the workflow come with context or documentation? - Anonymous drops = 🚩 3️⃣ Never import with credentials pre-attached - Remove all credentials before testing - Re-add your own manually - Never trust “ready-to-run” workflows with keys baked in 4️⃣ Test in a sandbox first - Use a dev instance - Use test APIs / fake data - Never run unknown workflows in production first 5️⃣ Watch for outbound traffic - HTTP Request nodes - Webhooks - “Logging” endpoints - Anything sending data “for analytics” If you don’t recognize the destination — investigate. 6️⃣ Least-privilege access - Use limited API keys - Separate prod vs dev credentials - Rotate keys regularly 7️⃣ Assume automation = code No-code does not mean low-risk.

Back in August 2025, I found Nate's YouTube channel. I was curious about AI automation but had no idea where to start. I joined AI Automation Society and started learning. Two weeks in, I saw Nate post about a hackathon event. Did not have a clue what that meant. The catch: it was only available in the paid community, AI Automation Society Plus. The very first week, a hackathon dropped: build a lead gen system in 2 weeks. 119 builders entered. I had no business competing. One month into my automation journey. Zero tech background. But I went all in. Every night after work. Debugging until 3am. Stuck on nodes for hours. Asking Claude, ChatGPT and pretty much any LLM I could talk to explain code like I was 5. I used multiple because I kept hitting my context window... anyway. My final build scraped Google Maps, enriched leads with Hunter + Apollo, scored them, and pushed qualified ones into cold email campaigns — all automated. 50 leads scraped, enriched, and loaded in under 60 seconds. I won first place. $1,000. This began a crazy journey! But what does any of this matter to you? I have a feeling I was once in the same place as many of you. Are you still watching tutorials... or are you actually building? What's stopping you from going all in? For me, it was fear. I didn't think I was ready. I thought I needed to learn more first. But here's what I realized — you don't learn by watching. You learn by doing. I call it massive imperfect action. The hackathon forced me to build. The paid community gave me the structure to finish and be rewarded for hard work. This is why I took the leap of faith and what AIS+ provided for me: → Structure — actual courses that walk you through building real systems → Accountability — hackathons and challenges that force you to ship → Access — Nate and other advanced builders who answer questions and give feedback → Momentum — being surrounded by people who are actually building, not just watching I'm not saying the free community isn't valuable. It is. I started here.