What is n8n? 7 workflows a small business can automate first

n8n is a workflow automation tool: you connect apps in a visual editor, and it runs the steps for you whenever a trigger fires, such as a new form entry or a new order. It can run on n8n’s cloud or on your own server.

Each step in a workflow is a node. n8n lists more than 2,000 integrations for apps, services and APIs, and an HTTP Request node can reach almost any other app that has an API. When a workflow needs logic no node offers, a code step runs JavaScript or Python. n8n also has nodes for building AI agents, which can read, sort or draft text as one step of a larger workflow.

Every n8n workflow starts with a trigger and then runs a chain of steps, passing data from one to the next. A trigger can be an event in another app, a webhook, a form, a schedule or a button you press.

A simple example: someone fills in the contact form on your website. The trigger receives their name, number and question. The next node adds a row to a Google Sheet, the one after sends them a WhatsApp reply, and the last one messages your team. Each run, from the trigger to the last step, is one execution.

n8n Cloud plans are priced by monthly workflow executions, regardless of how many steps they have, and every plan includes all integrations with unlimited users and workflows. The alternative is to host n8n yourself.

n8n is released under the Sustainable Use License, which allows you to use and modify it “for your own internal business purposes”. Self-hosting the Community Edition therefore costs you a server and someone to keep it updated, not a licence fee. Some advanced features, such as single sign-on, need a paid licence key when self-hosted. n8n calls this model fair-code rather than open source, because the licence limits reselling n8n itself.

These seven workflows suit most small businesses because they happen every day, follow the same steps each time and cost real customers when they are missed.

1. 1. Every website enquiry saved and answered

   New form entry → save to Google Sheets or your CRM → instant WhatsApp or email reply → alert to your team.

   No enquiry waits in an inbox nobody checks, and the customer knows straight away that you have it.

2. 2. Leads routed to the right person

   New lead → check the service or area it asks about → assign an owner → message that person with the details.

   Nobody has to forward enquiries by hand, and every lead has a named owner from the first minute.

3. 3. Follow-ups for leads that go quiet

   Every morning → find leads with no reply for a set number of days → send a polite follow-up → stop when they reply.

   A lead that hears nothing back is easy to lose, and a schedule remembers when people forget.

4. 4. Order confirmations and delivery updates

   New order in Shopify or WooCommerce → WhatsApp or email confirmation → update when the order ships.

   Customers stop asking “where is my order?”, and your team stops answering it.

5. 5. Appointment reminders

   Booking in your calendar → reminder the day before → a link to reschedule if the time no longer works.

   Fewer no-shows, and changes arrive before the slot instead of after it.

6. 6. Review requests after a job

   Order delivered or job marked done → wait a few days → send a link to your Google review page.

   Asking at the right moment makes it easy for a satisfied customer to leave a review.

7. 7. A daily summary in your inbox

   Every morning → count yesterday’s enquiries, orders and payments → send one short report by email or WhatsApp.

   You see the day’s numbers without opening five apps.

On review requests, ask every customer rather than only the happy ones, and never offer a reward for a review: Google’s review policies do not allow either. Workflow 3 is covered in depth in our guide to automating lead follow-up on WhatsApp and email.

Choose a first workflow that happens often, follows the same steps every time and causes a real problem when someone forgets it. Saving and answering new enquiries is the usual winner.

• Count it. How many times a week does it happen, and how many minutes does each one take?
• Check the rules are clear. If two people would handle it differently, agree the steps before automating them.
• Start with one. Get one workflow running reliably before adding the next, so each one is easy to trust and to fix.

Wondering whether n8n is the right tool at all? Our comparison of n8n vs Zapier vs Make explains where each one fits.

Use n8n Cloud if you want n8n to handle the hosting, updates and monitoring; host it yourself if you want the data on servers you control and no execution allowance to watch.

• n8n Cloud. Quickest to start, nothing to maintain, priced by executions.
• Self-hosted. More control and no execution allowance, but you own the updates, security and backups.

Either way, someone has to watch the workflows and fix them when an app they depend on changes. That is the work of our business automation service: we build the workflows, run them on n8n Cloud or your own server, and look after them once they are live.