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I built a $2k/month automation system for Japanese invoice processing
r/aiagents
7/2/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Not provided | Automation Platform | Used for building hybrid automation workflows with visual interface and custom code nodes |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Not provided | AI Model | Used for precise extraction of complex negative line items; better with numbers and less hallucinations |
| Google Sheets | Not provided | Spreadsheet | Used as output destination for processed invoice data |
| Board API | Not provided | Internal System API | Target system for updating with processed invoice data |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Manual invoice processing is slow and error-prone
- Critical negative line items are often missed in manual processing
- Processing long invoices (over 10 pages) is challenging
- AI hallucinations and high costs when using pure AI solutions
- Input files being skipped in automation workflows
Problems to Solve:
- Automate processing of complex Japanese Google Ads invoices
- Extract both positive and negative line items accurately
- Match extracted project names against existing records
- Integrate data into Google Sheets and internal Board API
- Reduce processing time from hours to minutes
- Minimize errors in invoice data extraction
Potential Solutions:
- Hybrid system combining code and AI (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
- Splitting long documents into smaller chunks for processing
- Using classifier to filter relevant information
- Structured output parsers to enforce data format
- Fuzzy matching for project name reconciliation
- Visual workflow tools like n8n with custom code nodes
- Choosing AI models specialized for numerical data (Anthropic API)
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Solving specific, painful problems in niche markets
- Combining technologies to build robust systems (hybrid AI + code approach)
- Focusing on real-world proof-of-concept to demonstrate value
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Sharing success stories and case studies on relevant platforms (Reddit)
- Engaging with community questions to build credibility
Monetization & Product:
- Value-based pricing ($2000/month for substantial time/money savings)
- Developing specialized solutions for specific pain points (Japanese invoice processing)
- Ensuring product-market fit by solving critical bottlenecks
- Using cost-effective AI models (Anthropic instead of OpenAI) to maintain profitability
User Engagement:
- Participating in community discussions (Reddit threads)
- Sharing technical details and lessons learned to help others
- Encouraging discussion about similar automation challenges