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Make the tools you already pay for talk.

Somebody in your business is a human API. They read an approved job in one system and type it into QuickBooks. They copy web leads into the CRM. Every Friday they export something, tidy it, and email it to someone who'll look at it on Monday.

It's slow, and it's where the mistakes creep in.

What it costs

  • One workflow or a two-system sync

    usually 1–2 weeks
    Price: from$1,800

  • Multi-system automation

    usually 3–5 weeks
    Price: from$4,500

If you want someone watching it after launch, a care plan covers that.

Prices updated October 2026
Starting prices. The final price is set in a written proposal.

What you get

  • A diagram of the workflow, so you can see what happens and in what order
  • The automation itself, tested on real-looking records
  • Error alerts: when it fails, a named person hears about it by email or chat
  • A run log you can check
  • Written documentation
  • All the credentials living in your accounts, not mine

What I'll need from you

Admin access to each tool, or a person who has it. A handful of example records, including the awkward ones. And the rules people follow in their heads: "if it's a commercial client we use the other tax code", that kind of thing. Those are where automations break.

What I'd connect, and how

Native APIs wherever they exist: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Shopify, Stripe, Airtable and most tools with documented APIs. The glue is a small PHP or Node service running on a schedule or listening for webhooks, or Zapier or Make when they're enough. Fewest moving parts wins.

Third-party names are trademarks of their owners; no affiliation or endorsement.

Zapier, Make, or custom?

I'll recommend whichever fits. Here's how I think about it.

Option · When it fits · What you pay each month · Who fixes it when it breaks

Zapier or Make
When it fitsSimple triggers, low volume, standard apps
What you pay each monthA subscription to the vendor, which rises with volume
Who fixes it when it breaksWhoever built it, often you
Custom (a small service on your hosting)
When it fitsYour own rules, higher volume, apps with odd APIs, anything needing a real log
What you pay each monthHosting you already pay for, plus any API fees
Who fixes it when it breaksMe under a care plan, or any PHP developer from the docs
Both
When it fitsA custom core with Zapier handling a couple of easy edges
What you pay each monthA bit of each
Who fixes it when it breaksSplit, and written down

When Zapier's enough, I'll tell you, and I'll set it up for a couple of hours at $110/hour instead of selling you a build.

Automation questions

What happens when an API changes?
Vendors usually announce changes in advance, and the error alerts flag it quickly when something stops matching. Fixing it is covered by a care plan's hours, or billed hourly. I can't promise a vendor won't change things; the alerts are set up so you'd normally hear about it the same day.
Do I pay for Zapier myself?
Yes. Any subscription is in your name and on your card. Same for API fees.
Can you fix an automation someone else built?
Usually. I'll look at it first, for an hour or two at $110/hour, and tell you whether to repair it or replace it.
Do you store my data?
No more than I have to. The automation runs on your hosting and your accounts. I keep test data only while building and delete it afterwards.

Related sample

Invoice to QuickBooks

A concept automation for a fictional landscaping company: approved job in, QuickBooks invoice out, alerts when something doesn't match.

See the sample

What are you typing twice?

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