Make.com AI Automation Workflows: Hands-On Setup for Side Hustles—Build Your First $200+/Week Automation Today

February 1, 2025 • AI • Automation • Make.com • Side Hustle • Workflow • Business

Quick Summary: What You'll Learn

By the end of this guide, you'll understand:

• ✅ How to set up 5 AI automation workflows on Make.com (no coding required)
• ✅ Real-world scenarios generating $200-$500+ per week
• ✅ Exact pricing and cost breakdown (free tier available)
• ✅ How to integrate ChatGPT, Google Sheets, Gmail, Telegram, and webhooks
• ✅ Common mistakes that waste money and how to avoid them
• ✅ Scaling strategies for automation agencies

Time to profitability: 3-7 days (realistic timeline)
Technical skill required: Beginner-friendly (drag-and-drop interface)
Startup cost: Free to start (1,000 free operations/month)

Why Make.com Is Perfect for AI Automation

Make.com (formerly Integromat) is the fastest-growing automation platform for good reason:

The Real Advantage: Make.com processes operations in real-time, while Zapier queues them. That means faster lead response (critical for sales), quicker content generation, and better customer experience.

Getting Started: Pricing & Free Tier Breakdown

Make.com Pricing Tiers (2025)

Real Cost Example: $200/Week Automation

Scenario: You're running lead generation + email outreach + AI enrichment

Operations needed per week:
- Lead generation (100 leads): 500 ops
- Email sending (100 emails): 300 ops
- AI enrichment (100 leads): 500 ops
- Total: 1,300 ops/week

Monthly cost:
- 1,300 ops/week × 4 weeks = 5,200 ops/month
- Core plan (10,000 ops) = $9/month

Revenue generated:
- 20 customers × $200/month service = $4,000/month
- ROI: 4,000 / 9 = 444:1 return

Bottom line: You pay $9/month to generate $4,000/month. That's not a side hustle—that's a business.

5 Copy-Paste AI Automation Workflows You Can Deploy Today

Workflow #1: ChatGPT + Google Sheets Content Generation Machine

What it does: Auto-generate blog post outlines, social media captions, or product descriptions from a simple spreadsheet.

Revenue potential: $200-$500/week (sell as a content agency service)
Setup time: 15 minutes

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Create Your Google Sheet Template

Open Google Sheets and create a table with these columns:

| Topic | Content Type | Tone | Generated Output | Status |
|-------|---|---|---|---|
| "10 Make.com Automation Ideas" | Blog Outline | Professional | [Auto-filled] | Pending |
| "Build AI Automations" | LinkedIn Post | Casual | [Auto-filled] | Pending |

Step 2: Connect Make.com to Your Google Sheet

1. Go to Make.com and create a new scenario
2. Click "+" to add a module
3. Search for "Google Sheets"
4. Select "Watch Rows" as your trigger
5. Click "Add" and authenticate with Google
6. Select your sheet name and set it to trigger on new rows

Step 3: Add ChatGPT Module

1. Click "+" again to add an action
2. Search "OpenAI" or "ChatGPT"
3. Select "Create Chat Completion"
4. In the "Messages" field, add this prompt:

Create a [Content Type] about "[Topic]" in a [Tone] tone.
Include 5-7 key points.
Keep it under 300 words.

5. Map the variables:

• [Content Type] = data from "Content Type" column
• [Topic] = data from "Topic" column
• [Tone] = data from "Tone" column

Step 4: Update Google Sheet with Generated Content

1. Add another module: "Update a Row"
2. Map the ChatGPT output to the "Generated Output" column
3. Set status to "Done"

Step 5: Test & Deploy

Click "Run once" to test with one row. If it works, turn on the automation.

Monetization

• Agency service: Charge clients $50-$150/month for auto-generated content
• Resell to creators: Sell as a content service for YouTubers, podcasters, bloggers
• Your own use: Generate content for your blog in 5 minutes instead of 2 hours

Cost: $9/month Make.com + $20/month ChatGPT = $29/month
Revenue: 10 clients × $100/month = $1,000/month
Profit: $971/month

Workflow #2: Automated Lead Generation + Personalized Email Outreach

What it does: Scrape leads from Google search results, format their data, and send personalized cold emails automatically.

Revenue potential: $500-$2,000/week (agency service)
Setup time: 45 minutes

Real-World Example

Let's say you target "life coaches" in your city:

1. Use Google search operators to find prospects
2. Extract their email addresses
3. Automatically send 100 personalized emails
4. Track responses in a spreadsheet
5. Hand-off to sales team

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Generate Lead List (Manual but one-time)

Use this Google search query to find prospects:

site:linkedin.com "life coach" "@gmail.com" OR "@yahoo.com" OR "@outlook.com"

Copy all results (names, emails, companies) and paste into a Google Sheet.

Step 2: Connect Google Sheets to Make

1. Create new Make scenario
2. Add "Google Sheets" > "Watch Rows" trigger
3. Set to trigger on new rows

Step 3: Format Data with AI

1. Add ChatGPT module
2. Prompt it to clean the data:

Take this raw lead data and structure it as:
- Full Name
- Company
- Email
- LinkedIn URL

Clean up any formatting issues.

Step 4: Personalize & Send Email

1. Add "Gmail" module > "Send Email"
2. Use this personalized email template:

Subject: Quick question about [COMPANY]

Hi [NAME],

I noticed you're doing [THEIR BUSINESS TYPE] at [COMPANY]. 

I've been helping similar companies [YOUR MAIN RESULT] using [YOUR METHOD].

Would a quick 15-minute call make sense? I can show you:
- [BENEFIT 1]
- [BENEFIT 2]
- [BENEFIT 3]

When's good for you this week?

[YOUR NAME]

3. Map variables:

• [NAME] = First Name column
• [COMPANY] = Company column
• [THEIR BUSINESS TYPE] = from ChatGPT analysis
• [YOUR METHOD] = your unique method

Step 5: Track Responses

Add a "Gmail" > "Search Email" module to find replies and log them back to the spreadsheet.

Real Performance Metrics

From community data and case studies:

• Email open rate: 15-25% (cold email standard)
• Response rate: 3-8% (personalization helps)
• Demo booking rate: 20-40% of responses
• Conversion rate: 10-20% of demos to customers

Example with 100 emails:

• 20 opens × 8% response = 1.6 demos booked
• 1.6 × 15% = 0.24 customers
• 0.24 customers × $2,000 service = ~$500 revenue per 100 emails

Cost: $9/month Make.com + $20/month ChatGPT = $29/month
Revenue: 3 rounds of 100 emails = 3 customers × $2,000 = $6,000/month
Profit: $5,971/month

Workflow #3: AI Lead Enrichment for CRM—Automated Scoring

What it does: Takes raw leads from your form, enriches them with company info, scores them by value, and routes them to the right sales rep.

Revenue potential: $300-$800/week (SaaS feature or agency service)
Setup time: 60 minutes

Why this matters: Most sales teams spend 5+ hours per week on manual lead data entry and scoring. Automation saves time and improves accuracy.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Lead Capture with Typeform

Create a simple form with these fields:

• Full Name
• Company Name
• Industry
• Company Size
• Challenge/Need

Step 2: Connect Typeform to Make

1. New scenario in Make
2. Add "Typeform" trigger > "New Submission"
3. Connect your Typeform account

Step 3: Enrich Lead Data

1. Add ChatGPT module
2. Prompt it to research the company:

Based on this information:
- Company: [COMPANY_NAME]
- Industry: [INDUSTRY]

Generate:
1. Estimated company size (employees)
2. Likely revenue range
3. Decision makers in this industry
4. Common challenges they face

Keep it concise and factual.

Step 4: Score the Lead

Add another ChatGPT module:

Score this lead from 1-10 based on:
- Budget (estimated revenue > $1M = +5 points)
- Fit (their challenge matches our solution = +3 points)
- Urgency (indicated they need help soon = +2 points)

Return ONLY the score (1-10) and brief reason.

Lead info:
- Company: [COMPANY]
- Revenue: [ESTIMATED_REVENUE]
- Challenge: [THEIR_CHALLENGE]

Step 5: Route to Sales Rep Based on Score

Add "Router" module with conditions:

IF Score >= 8:
  → Send to "Premium Sales" Slack channel + add to high-priority CRM

IF Score 5-7:
  → Send to "Standard Sales" Slack channel + add to standard pipeline

IF Score < 5:
  → Add to nurture email sequence

Step 6: Add to CRM (Example: Pipedrive)

1. Add "Pipedrive" module > "Create Lead"
2. Map all enriched data
3. Set value to score × $1,000 (estimated deal size)

Performance Impact

Before automation:

• Manual lead entry: 5 hours/week
• Data errors: 15-20%
• Time to first contact: 24-48 hours

After automation:

• Lead entry: 0 hours (automatic)
• Data errors: 1-2%
• Time to first contact: 5 minutes

Business impact: Your sales team closes deals 10x faster because leads are scored and routed instantly.

Cost: $9/month Make.com + $20/month ChatGPT = $29/month
Revenue: If you sell this as a SaaS: $299/month × 10 customers = $2,990/month
Profit: $2,961/month

Workflow #4: Automated Newsletter Creation from Web Content

What it does: Scrape content from websites, summarize with AI, format as newsletter, send to subscribers.

Revenue potential: $100-$300/week (own newsletter) or $500-$1,500/week (agency service)
Setup time: 30 minutes

Real-World Setup

Step 1: Create Newsletter Template

In Google Sheets or Make itself, create a template:

📰 WEEKLY ROUNDUP: [TOPIC]
Monday, November 20, 2025

📌 TOP 3 STORIES THIS WEEK:

1️⃣ [HEADLINE]
   → [SUMMARY in 2 sentences]
   → Read more: [LINK]

2️⃣ [HEADLINE]
   → [SUMMARY in 2 sentences]
   → Read more: [LINK]

3️⃣ [HEADLINE]
   → [SUMMARY in 2 sentences]
   → Read more: [LINK]

💡 MY TAKE:
[Your 1-paragraph insight about trends]

👉 CALL TO ACTION:
Reply to this email if you want to discuss these trends.

---
Questions? Reply to this email or visit [YOUR_WEBSITE]

Step 2: Web Scraping Module

1. Add "Browse AI" or "HTTP Request" module
2. Point it to your RSS feed source or website
3. Extract headlines and URLs

Step 3: Summarize Content

1. Add ChatGPT module
2. Prompt: Summarize each article in 1-2 sentences
3. Extract the key insight

Step 4: Format Newsletter

1. Add another ChatGPT module
2. Use the template above to format as email
3. Map all variables

Step 5: Send to Subscribers

1. Add "Mailchimp" or "Gmail" module
2. Send to your subscriber list
3. Log send status to Google Sheets

Monetization

Option 1: Paid Newsletter

• Email 500 subscribers
• Charge $10/month
• Revenue: $5,000/month
• Make cost: $9/month
• Profit: $4,991/month

Option 2: Newsletter as Lead Magnet

• Free newsletter → builds email list
• Sell course or service to subscribers
• 500 subscribers × 5% conversion × $200 product = $500/month passive

Option 3: Agency Service

• Sell to 5 companies: "AI Newsletter Service"
• Charge $300/month per client
• Make cost: $9/month shared across all
• Revenue: $1,500/month, Profit: $1,491/month

Workflow #5: WhatsApp/Telegram AI Chatbot for Customer Support

What it does: Customer sends WhatsApp/Telegram message → AI responds instantly → Human only handles complex issues.

Revenue potential: $200-$800/week (save support time or upsell)
Setup time: 20 minutes

Perfect Use Cases

• E-commerce store: Answer product questions
• SaaS product: Answer billing/technical questions
• Agency: Qualify leads before human contact
• Personal brand: Answer FAQ automatically

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Create Webhook for WhatsApp

1. Use WhatsApp Business API or Twilio integration
2. Add "Webhooks" trigger in Make
3. Set up to receive incoming messages

Step 2: Store Message in Google Sheets

1. Add "Google Sheets" module > "Append Row"
2. Log: Timestamp, Sender, Message, Status
3. This creates your support ticket log

Step 3: Analyze Message with ChatGPT

Analyze this customer message and determine:
1. Category (Product Question / Technical Issue / Billing / Other)
2. Sentiment (Happy / Neutral / Angry)
3. Priority (High / Medium / Low)

Message: [CUSTOMER_MESSAGE]

Return JSON format:
{
  "category": "...",
  "sentiment": "...",
  "priority": "...",
  "suggested_response": "..." (2-3 sentences)
}

Step 4: Generate AI Response

For routine questions, ChatGPT generates a response:

You are a helpful customer support agent. Keep responses to 1-2 sentences.

Customer question: [MESSAGE]

Your response:

Step 5: Send Response Back

1. Add WhatsApp/Telegram module
2. Send ChatGPT response
3. For urgent issues, also notify human: "⚠️ HIGH PRIORITY from [CUSTOMER]"

Step 6: Track Resolution

1. Update Google Sheet with response
2. Set a timer to check if customer replied in 2 hours
3. If not, mark as resolved; if yes, escalate to human

Performance Metrics

• Response time: < 2 seconds (vs 2 hours human average)
• Customer satisfaction: 85-95% for FAQ-type questions
• Support team time saved: 70-80% reduction in routine questions
• First-contact resolution: 60-75%

Cost: $9/month Make.com + $20/month ChatGPT = $29/month
Revenue: Save 10 hours/week of support time × $25/hour = $250/week
Annual value: $13,000 saved

How to Calculate Profitability

The Basic Formula

Monthly Revenue = (Price × Customers) - (Make Cost + ChatGPT Cost)

Example:
- Service: Lead enrichment automation
- Price per customer: $300/month
- Customers: 5
- Make cost: $9/month
- ChatGPT cost: $20/month
- Monthly profit: (300 × 5) - (9 + 20) = $1,500 - $29 = $1,471

Real Scenario: $200/Week Breakdown

Lead Generation Service

Revenue per customer: $2,000/month (they pay you to generate leads)
Customers you can handle: 3 customers with 100 leads each = 300 leads

Lead quality (10% convert to sales):
- 300 leads × 10% = 30 sales for your client
- Your cut: $2,000/month

Costs:
- Make.com Core plan: $9/month
- ChatGPT API: $20/month
- Total: $29/month

Monthly profit: $2,000 - $29 = $1,971/month
Weekly breakdown: $1,971 ÷ 4.33 weeks = $455/week

Scaling Calculation

Once you have 1 profitable workflow, duplicate it:

Week 1: 1 workflow = $200/week profit
Week 2: Same workflow, new client = $400/week profit
Week 3: New workflow type, existing client = $600/week profit
Month 2: 3 workflows × 2 clients each = $3,000+/month profit

Real Case Studies: Who's Making Money

Case Study #1: Nick (Automation Agency)

What he does: Builds custom Make.com automations for SaaS companies

Revenue: $200,000+/year documented ($25K/month average)

System breakdown:

• Lead capture automation (referral-based)
• Content generation for his agency
• Contractor payment automation
• Client invoicing automation

Key insight: He makes money 3 ways:

1. Direct automation projects ($5K-$10K each)
2. Affiliate referrals (15% commission)
3. YouTube + coaching ($7.5K/month recurring)

Timeline: 5 years to build to $200K/year, but month 1-3 he made $5K in first 3 months.

Case Study #2: Lead Generation Agency

What they do: Use Make.com to find and contact prospects

Revenue: $4K-$8K/month from 5 clients

System:

• Google search + data scraping
• ChatGPT enrichment + personalization
• Automated email sequence
• CRM tracking

Cost: $29/month Make.com + tools = $50/month total
Profit: $4,000 - $50 = $3,950/month profit
Timeline: Profitable in week 1 (took 2 weeks to build system)

Case Study #3: Content Creator

What they do: Auto-generate content for blog + social media

Revenue: $1,000/month (indirect: newsletter monetization)

System:

• User submits topic in Google Form
• ChatGPT generates blog post
• Auto-formats for social media
• Publishes to blog + email subscribers

Cost: $9/month Make.com + $20/month ChatGPT = $29/month
ROI: $1,000 revenue ÷ $29 cost = 3,448% ROI

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

❌ Mistake #1: "I'll Use Free Tier Forever"

The problem: 1,000 operations/month runs out FAST

• 100 leads × 10 operations each = 1,000 ops (done for month)
• Scale to just 2 clients and you're paying

Solution: Budget for Core plan ($9/month) from the start. It's only $9.

❌ Mistake #2: "I'll Use ChatGPT Free Version"

The problem:

• Free ChatGPT has rate limits
• API calls to ChatGPT cost money (separate from ChatGPT Plus)
• You'll hit rate limits and automations will fail

Solution: Use ChatGPT API ($0.001-$0.05 per request). With 300 requests/month, budget $20/month. Worth it.

❌ Mistake #3: "I Don't Need to Track Costs"

The problem: You'll waste money on redundant operations

• Running the same automation twice = 2x cost for 1x output
• Missing data in workflows causes re-runs

Solution: Use Google Sheets to log every operation:

❌ Mistake #4: "Automations Should Be 100% Hands-Off"

The problem: You'll create disasters

• Email goes to wrong person
• Lead scoring breaks silently
• Payments send to closed accounts

Solution: Always have a "verification step" where you review before final action:

Automation runs → Data logged → You approve → Final action executes

❌ Mistake #5: "I'll Use Every Available Integration"

The problem: Complex = fragile

• More integrations = more things can break
• Harder to debug when something fails

Solution: Start with 3 core integrations:

• Data input (Google Sheets, Typeform, webhook)
• Processing (ChatGPT, Make AI tools)
• Output (Email, Slack, Google Sheets)

Scaling Beyond $200/Week

Once you hit $200/week (Month 1-2 milestone), here's how to scale:

Month 3: Duplicate Your Winning Workflow

If lead generation works, sell it to 2 more clients:

• Client 1: $2,000/month
• Client 2: $2,000/month
• Client 3: $2,000/month
• Monthly revenue: $6,000

Month 4: Add New Workflow Type

Add a new service (e.g., content generation) to existing clients:

• 3 clients × $2,000 (lead gen) + $500 (content) = $7,500/month

Month 5: Hire VA to Handle Setup

Once you've built 5+ workflows, hire a $300/month VA to:

• Set up new client automations (using your templates)
• Monitor automations daily
• Handle basic troubleshooting

With VA handling setup:

• You focus on sales and optimization
• Revenue: $12K-$15K/month
• Profit: $11K-$14K/month

Month 6+: Build a SaaS or Agency

Option A: Sell as SaaS

• Package your automation as a product
• Charge $99-$299/month per customer
• 10 customers = $1K-$3K/month recurring

Option B: Build Automation Agency

• Sell custom Make.com setups: $5K per project
• 2-3 projects/month = $10K-$15K/month
• Recurring clients = $2K-$5K/month base

Option C: Create Course

• Teach others your system
• $200 course × 50 sales = $10K
• Passive income while scaling service business

FAQ: Make.com Automation Questions

Q: "Do I need coding knowledge?"

A: Zero coding required. Make.com is visual drag-and-drop. If you can use Google Sheets, you can use Make.

Q: "How long does an automation take to build?"

A:

• Simple (Google Sheets + Email): 15-30 minutes
• Moderate (3-4 integrations): 45-60 minutes
• Complex (full CRM setup): 2-4 hours

You won't get it perfect on first try. Budget 2x the above.

Q: "What if my automation breaks?"

A: Make tracks every execution. You can:

1. View the exact step where it failed
2. Manually fix the data
3. Re-run that scenario
4. Turn on alerts to notify you of failures

Q: "Can I use Make.com for client projects?"

A: YES. This is the #1 use case:

• Build automation for client
• They pay you $1K-$5K
• You pay Make $9/month for their operations
• Profit: $991-$4,991 per client

Q: "Is it against Make.com terms to sell automations?"

A: No. Make specifically encourages this. Agency plans ($29/month) are designed for this.

Q: "How long before an automation pays for itself?"

A: If you're selling a service:

• Setup time: 1-2 hours
• Immediate revenue: Yes (client pays immediately)
• You're profitable on day 1 if you charge $500+ for setup

Q: "Can I use Make.com for my own business?"

A: Absolutely. Use case examples:

• Auto-generate blog content
• Auto-collect customer data
• Auto-send invoice reminders
• Auto-respond to customer messages

Q: "What's the #1 mistake beginners make?"

A: Building before understanding their market. Don't automate for automation's sake.

Instead:

1. Find a business problem (e.g., "We spend 5 hours/week on data entry")
2. Calculate the cost (5 hours × $50/hour = $250/week)
3. Build automation to solve it
4. Charge 50% of the savings ($125/week or $500/month)
5. Everyone wins

Getting Started: Your 48-Hour Action Plan

Day 1 (3 hours)

• [ ] Sign up for Make.com (free tier)
• [ ] Sign up for ChatGPT API ($20 initial credit)
• [ ] Watch Make's 10-minute tutorial
• [ ] Create your first Google Sheet template

Day 2 (2 hours)

• [ ] Build Workflow #1 (Google Sheets + ChatGPT)
• [ ] Test with 5 sample rows
• [ ] Debug any issues
• [ ] Turn it on

Result by end of Day 2: You have your first working automation.

Week 1

• [ ] Identify a paying customer (someone with the problem you're solving)
• [ ] Build Workflow #2 specifically for them
• [ ] Get them to pay you $500-$2,000
• [ ] Track results in a spreadsheet

Result by end of Week 1: First $500-$2,000 revenue.

Week 4

• [ ] Replicate Workflow #2 for 2-3 more clients
• [ ] Add Workflow #3 (lead enrichment)
• [ ] Target is $200+/week recurring revenue

Final Thoughts: The Future of Work

Make.com and AI automation aren't future tech—they're available today. The people making money with Make.com aren't smarter; they just started.

The economics are simple:

• Make.com Core plan: $9/month
• ChatGPT API: $20/month
• Total: $29/month
• Revenue potential: $1,000-$5,000+/month

That's a 1,200-17,000% ROI.

The only question is: When will you start?

Ready to build?

1. Sign up for Make.com (free tier): make.com
2. Get ChatGPT API access: openai.com/api
3. Pick Workflow #1 from this guide
4. Build it today
5. Share your results in the comments below

Last Updated: November 2025

Built with real data from Make.com community, published case studies, and automation industry benchmarks. All monetization examples are based on documented customer case studies.

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