9h • General Discussion
Agency quoted $18k for a workflow they said "requires custom development." Built it in 7 minutes. Zero code.
Agency quoted $18k for a workflow they said "requires custom development." Built it in 7 minutes. Zero code.
THE SETUP
Client: "Need approval routing based on invoice amount"
Agency response:
"Requires custom backend logic"
"Need database for approval rules"
"API integration necessary"
Quote: $18,000
Timeline: 6 weeks
Client: "For approval routing?"
Agency: "Complex conditional logic"
THE CALL
Client: "They said it needs developers"
Me: "What does it need to do?"
Client explains:
- Invoice under $500: Auto-approve
- $500-$5k: Manager approval
- Over $5k: Director approval
- Send notifications
- Log decisions
Me: "That's 3 conditions"
Client: "They said it's complex"
Me: "Give me 5 minutes"
THE BUILD
Opened Skada.ai
Described the workflow.
Generated in 4 minutes.
Tested with sample invoices:
- $200: Auto-approved ✓
- $2,000: Routed to manager ✓
- $8,000: Routed to director ✓
Total time: 7 minutes.
Client: "That's it?"
Me: "Want to see it process a real invoice?"
THE TEST
Client submits actual invoice for $3,400.
Workflow triggers.
Routes to manager.
Manager gets Slack notification.
Approves.
System updates.
Accounting notified.
Works perfectly.
Client: "The agency wanted 6 weeks for this"
THE COMPARISON
Agency plan:
- Week 1-2: Requirements and architecture
- Week 3-4: Development
- Week 5: Testing
- Week 6: Deployment
- Cost: $18,000
My delivery:
- Minute 1-3: Requirements
- Minute 4-7: Build and test
- Cost: $2,400
THE AGENCY'S RESPONSE
Client: "We found another solution"
Agency: "It won't be production-ready"
Client: "Been running for 2 weeks"
Agency: "What about edge cases?"
Client: "Handled 247 invoices, zero issues"
THE PATTERN
Counted 9 similar cases last month.
"Needs custom code" really means:
- Needs IF statements (apparently "complex")
- Needs data lookup (apparently "requires database")
- Needs notifications (apparently "API integration")
Average agency quote: $16,400
Average my build time: 8 minutes
Average my cost: $2,800
CURRENT RECORD
"Most complex" workflow an agency said needed custom code:
- Multi-step approval with 5 conditions
- Agency quote: $34,000, 10 weeks
- My build: 12 minutes
- Running 4 months, zero issues
Client's message: "I almost hired a development team"
THE REAL ISSUE
Agencies know one way to solve problems.
When that way costs $18k and takes 6 weeks, everything looks like it needs that solution.
When you have faster tools, most problems are simple.
Who else has been quoted thousands for basic conditional logic?
6
11 comments
Agency quoted $18k for a workflow they said "requires custom development." Built it in 7 minutes. Zero code.
skool.com/the-ai-advantage
Founded by Tony Robbins & Dean Graziosi - AI Advantage is your go-to hub to simplify AI, gain "AI Confidence" and unlock real & repeatable results.
Leaderboard (30-day)
1
🔥
+1281
2
+1140
3
+783
4
+745
5
+524
Powered by