The stack: what a client gets set up on

Make

For: Any client with more than one tool and fewer than one developer.

Why: Every blueprint on this site runs on it. A visual editor a consultant can explain to a client in one call, and per-operation pricing that starts free.

What does not work: A scenario stuck in a loop burns a month of quota in a day. Set an error limit before switching on.

Cost: Free up to 1,000 credits (operations) a month; Core listed at $12 a month for 10,000 credits (make.com/en/pricing, checked 2026-09-28).

Make cost calculator: how many credits your automations use, and which plan fits →

Sign up (one month of Core free) → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you sign up through it we earn a commission from Make; your price is the same, and the link gives you one month of Core free.

Automations that use it

• All 27 automations →
• Guide: Automatic, polite invoice reminders with Google Sheets and Make: the schedule, the wording and when to stop
• Guide: Make vs Zapier vs n8n for a small business: how each one charges, and when each one wins
• Guide: Make + Google Sheets as a free small-business database: the modules, the limits and the pitfalls
• Guide: Is Make's free plan enough for a small business? The limits, our 21 automations measured against them, and when Core is worth paying for
• Guide: Do you need a CRM, or is a Google Sheet enough? A decision checklist, what a sheet plus Make gives you, and when to move
• Guide: Make credits explained: what one operation costs in six real automations
• Guide: Google Sheets "Watch New Rows" not triggering in Make: 6 causes and fixes
• Guide: Fix Make's Gmail "restricted scopes" / unverified app error with a personal @gmail.com account
• Guide: Payment reminder email templates: the first reminder, the personal follow-up and the final notice, with subject lines
• Guide: When Stripe or PayPal says "paid": mark the invoice paid in Google Sheets and get a Telegram or email alert, with Make
• Guide: An invoice tracker in Google Sheets that shows who has paid: the columns, the overdue formula and an aging view
• Guide: Cal.com + Make: send every booking to Google Sheets, then remind the client the day before (free blueprints)
• Guide: Tally webhook to Make: map fields by name instead of position, and check that the request really came from your form
• Guide: Quote follow-up with no reply: when to send it, what to write, and how to automate both emails (free blueprints)
• Guide: Get an alert when a Make scenario fails: what Make already sends, the error route that tells you, and one error inbox for every scenario (free blueprint)
• Guide: Send emails from Google Sheets automatically: on a new row, on a date or on a status, without sending twice (free Make blueprints)
• Guide: Client onboarding automation with Make: what to automate after the client says yes, and what to keep personal (free blueprints)

Tally

For: Any client whose leads arrive through a form on a website.

Why: The form that starts most automations here. A built-in webhook, hidden fields for the lead source, and no limit on forms or responses on the free plan.

What does not work: Tally branding at the bottom of the form on the free plan; a custom domain and no branding need a paid plan.

Cost: Free; Pro $24 a month billed yearly, $29 billed monthly (tally.so/pricing, checked 2026-09-29).

Create a free form → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you ever upgrade to a paid plan through it we earn a commission from Tally; your price is the same, and the free plan covers every automation here.

Automations that use it

• Lead comes in → logged → alert. No hands.
• New client → welcome email → onboarding checklist → alert
• Returning lead → recognised → "second contact", not "new lead"
• Form arrives incomplete → an email asking for exactly what is missing
• Tally form → lead log → Telegram alert. The free version of the lead alert
• Booking form → meetings sheet → confirmation email. Feeds the no-show reminder
• Feedback score → the same thank-you and review link for everyone; a low score also alerts you
• Guide: Free lead capture: a form, a Google Sheet and a Telegram alert in seconds (Tally + Make, no plugins, no CRM)
• Guide: Connect the form your website already has to Make: webhook settings for Elementor, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Webflow and Contact Form 7
• Guide: The best free form builder with webhooks: Tally vs Google Forms vs Typeform vs Jotform
• Guide: Cal.com + Make: send every booking to Google Sheets, then remind the client the day before (free blueprints)
• Guide: Tally webhook to Make: map fields by name instead of position, and check that the request really came from your form

Cal.com

For: Any business whose clients book meetings, and that loses hours to no-shows.

Why: Real availability instead of a form that lets two clients book the same slot. Every booking fires a webhook to Make, so the confirmation, the sheet row and the reminder go out by themselves.

What does not work: Free plan: one calendar, with branding. A team with several calendars pays.

Cost: Free for one calendar; Teams $12 per user a month billed yearly (cal.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-29). 20% off for 12 months through the link.

Set up free scheduling → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you upgrade to a paid plan through it we earn 20% from Cal.com for a year, and you get 20% off for 12 months. The free plan covers one calendar.

Automations that use it

• A meeting tomorrow → a reminder 24 hours ahead, with a "can't make it" link
• Booking form → meetings sheet → confirmation email. Feeds the no-show reminder
• Booked on Cal.com → logged in the meetings sheet → you know in seconds
• Guide: Free lead capture: a form, a Google Sheet and a Telegram alert in seconds (Tally + Make, no plugins, no CRM)
• Guide: Cal.com vs Calendly free plans for automation: webhooks, reminders and the Make connection, compared line by line
• Guide: Cal.com + Make: send every booking to Google Sheets, then remind the client the day before (free blueprints)

Kinsta

For: A client whose website is the main lead channel and cannot go down.

Why: Managed hosting: updates, daily backups and one-click staging. The consultant does not become a server admin.

What does not work: Three to five times the price of shared hosting. For a brochure site that gets a lead a week it is a waste.

Cost: From $35 a month for one site (kinsta.com/plans, checked 2026-09-29).

Northwest Registered Agent

For: A non-US client selling to American customers who needs an entity, an address and a registered agent without a lawyer.

Why: Fixed price, a business address included, and human support that answers. Not "free plus add-ons".

What does not work: Formation is the easy part. Tax, annual filing and a bank account are separate work — and not this service's.

Cost: Basic formation $49 plus the state fee; registered agent renews at $125 a year (northwestregisteredagent.com, checked 2026-09-29).

Mercury

For: The LLC from the previous item, the day after formation.

Why: Opens online with no visit, no monthly fee, and virtual cards per tool.

What does not work: Does not accept every country or industry. A refusal arrives after one to two weeks with no explanation. Apply with a live website and a clear description.

Cost: No monthly fee.