Operate Pillar · n8n Developer
Your ops team is drowning in copy-paste. n8n fixes that.
I build self-hosted n8n workflows for founders running 15-50 person companies in Hyderabad. Forms to CRM. WhatsApp confirmations. Daily reports. Inventory sync. The boring work that eats 20 hours of someone's week, running in the background on a Rs. 600-a-month server you own.
What goes into a real n8n build.
Not a one-screen demo. Production workflows with hosting, error handling, alerts, and a runbook your team can read.
The leak audit
I sit with your ops person for an hour and watch the actual work. Every form re-entered, every status ping, every report rebuilt by hand goes on the list, ranked by hours-per-week.
Self-hosted n8n setup
n8n installed on a small VPS or your existing cloud. SSL, basic auth, encrypted credentials, automated backups. You own the server, the data never leaves your stack.
The workflows themselves
Connecting the tools you already use: HubSpot, Zoho, Sheets, WhatsApp Business API, Razorpay, Tally, Shopify, Gmail, Telegram, Notion. JavaScript nodes when the visual builder won't do it.
Error paths and alerts
Every workflow has retry logic and a fallback. When a critical flow fails, you or your ops lead get a WhatsApp or Slack ping inside 60 seconds. Silent failures kill automation projects.
Runbook and team training
Every workflow named, commented, and documented in a Notion runbook. Two-hour walkthrough with whoever will own it post-launch. n8n is visual enough that your ops lead can edit a flow within a week.
Friday WhatsApp report
On retainer, every Friday you get a one-screen WhatsApp summary: runs this week, failures, hours saved, what shipped, what is next. No 40-slide decks.
How an n8n project actually runs.
Watch the work
One hour with the person doing the manual task. I write down every step, every tool, every wait. That list becomes the workflow spec.
Rank by hours saved
The flashy idea rarely saves the most time. Pick the 3-5 flows that kill the most weekly hours, not the ones that look smartest in a deck.
Ship on real data
Hosting up, credentials wired, workflow built and tested against your actual records. Error paths in before launch, not after.
Runbook + training
Documented, version-controlled, walked through with your ops lead. Alerts set. You own it from here, with or without me on retainer.
n8n vs. Zapier vs. building it in-house.
| What matters | n8n (self-hosted) | Zapier / Make | Custom dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost at 10,000 runs / month | Rs. 600-1,200 hosting | Rs. 18-30K | Rs. 50K+ build, then maintenance |
| Where your data lives | Your server, your country | Vendor's US servers | Your server |
| Time to first live workflow | 3-5 days | Same day (but locked in) | 2-3 weeks |
| Custom logic and JS code | Built in | Limited code steps | Anything |
| Integration coverage | 400+ native, plus HTTP | 7,000+ but per-task billed | Only what you build |
| If I disappear tomorrow | Open source, your VPS, your team can continue | Vendor lock-in on credits | Codebase orphaned |
n8n running in real businesses.
Three projects where automation carried real load: leads, invoices, content. Not demos.
Three ways to bring me in.
The leak audit
~1 week
One hour with your ops lead, three days of mapping, a written report ranking 5-10 manual tasks by hours-per-week saved and which 3 to automate first. You can execute it yourself or bring me back for the build.
Build sprint
4-6 weeks
n8n hosted, 3-5 production workflows shipped end-to-end with error handling and alerts, runbook written, two-hour training session for whoever will own it. Fixed scope.
Retainer
ongoing
I run your n8n. New workflows added monthly, weekly health checks, n8n version updates, on-call when an integration breaks. Friday WhatsApp report. Pause anytime.
The real questions founders ask before hiring an n8n developer.
What pairs with n8n.
Related services
Industries that get the most out of n8n
Tell me the one task your team copy-pastes most.
Send me a 3-line brief: the manual task, the tools involved, how many hours a week it costs you. I will reply within 24 hours with whether n8n is the right fix, what the workflow looks like, and a rough timeline. No sales call needed.