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I designed, deployed and maintain two self-hosted AI-agent automations on my own VPS (n8n + PM2 + nginx + SSL), both built on the same reusable pattern: source targeted contacts, personalize outreach with AI, send it, and never contact the same person twice.
Automation 1 — Cold outreach for a SaaS product:
Pulls fresh leads from the Apollo.io API (filtered by role, company size, industry), with pagination so it never re-fetches the same pool
Reveals verified emails via Apollo's bulk enrichment API, batched to respect rate limits
Generates a personalized email per lead with the OpenAI API, referencing each company's actual context
Sends from a dedicated subdomain (SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured) to protect the main domain's reputation
Automation 2 — Targeted outreach with a document attachment:
Same sourcing/personalization pattern, extended to attach a file per recipient (resume/proposal) and send via Gmail/SMTP
Runs on a fixed weekly schedule without manual intervention
Shared infrastructure across both:
Persistent, file-based deduplication so no contact is ever emailed twice, even across scheduled runs
Rate-limited, chunked API calls to stay within provider limits
Full VPS deployment and DNS/SPF/DKIM setup, done myself
Debugged real production issues along the way: rate limits, JSON-templating edge cases in n8n, and an index-alignment bug between async AI output and source data — the kind of reliability problems that actually show up once an "AI agent" runs unattended.
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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I am currently on Contra Challenge to create something touching, captivating and much more powerful but I don't get how to use te free AI to power my draft cinematic scenes which are only written down but not generated not to talk of bringing to life or reality.
I am still working towards it!! Check it out!!
cantinachallengeworldwidetrending3D AnimationAI AutomationYouTube CreationAI NovelistChatGPTImagineArt
AI agents shouldn’t exist just because AI is trending.
They should exist because a business owner has a real problem that needs solving.
A customer calls after business hours.
Nobody answers.
The customer moves on to a competitor.
A lead comes in through a website.
Nobody follows up quickly.
The lead goes cold.
A team spends hours every week copying information between tools.
That time could have been spent growing the business.
This is where I’m focusing my work:
Building AI agents that solve real operational problems for businesses.
For example, an AI receptionist can:
→ Answer calls 24/7
→ Handle common customer questions
→ Qualify leads
→ Book appointments directly into a calendar
→ Transfer important calls to a human
→ Send follow-ups and call summaries automatically
The goal isn’t to replace people.
It’s to remove repetitive work and make sure valuable customers don’t get lost because nobody was available at the right moment.
I’m currently building and testing AI agent systems for businesses, with a focus on practical automation, measurable outcomes, and real-world workflows.
If you’re a business owner dealing with missed calls, repetitive tasks, or slow lead follow-ups, I’d be interested in hearing about the problem you’re dealing with.
Tell me the problem. I’ll figure out whether an AI agent can actually solve it.
AI-powered note-taking app designed to capture ideas, summarise meetings, and turn thoughts into action.
A clean, Apple-inspired mobile experience focused on productivity and AI assistance. ✨
