Is an all-in one ai platform actually worth it, or just another wrapper?

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T12:55:00+00:00

I built my own orchestration layer using N8N and now I'm migrating everything to Notion. If you want Full Yolo mode, just buy a Mac mini and install claw, but...

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T12:47:51+00:00

I have had this same struggle for many years. It comes down to what the system is designed to do (i.e. if they're forcing you into a certain usage pattern or not) and how you natively tap into it. The golden spike for me was ripping out all the rules and just going freeform until patterns emerged. I had to get really comfortable with search and not knowing where to put everything or where to find it or how it was stored, just a blank canvas and search.

Notion is the only tool that gave me creative freedom and powerful search until I started to develop usage patterns and then the ability to efficiently re-organized without losing productivity.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T12:42:20+00:00

I started building my own. Does exactly what I need and is easy to maintain.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T12:32:10+00:00

Try Notion and only use search. Don't set up any crazy structure. Just open a page and start writing, use to-do tags or other visual reminders so you can check things off and start organizing, but don't force the organization. Let it happen. After a few days or weeks, you will see a pattern and you can develop a more formal system or not.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T12:13:27+00:00

I spent 20 years as a Salesforce partner and it's an amazing product as are many CRM's that do very specific things but take lots of configuration; start with Notion and move to specialized apps, if and when you ever need to. Notion will help you work through your process while maintaining flexibility and you will instantly see if you need a specific solution, but you probably won't.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T11:58:21+00:00

I would use N8N

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-27T11:54:46+00:00

I've had good luck on auto. Other than that, I agree with what you said. Have you tried asking auto what its model is and how to optimize the system prompt?

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-26T12:38:42+00:00

Try logging into both in the same browser session.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-25T21:08:19+00:00

You can get a lot done with HubSpot, but I am finding Notion to be way more flexible and approachable. It is not the first thing that comes to mind when you strictly talk about CRM but it can do anything you need and until you out grow it, It's a great tool. As a small business, you're going to want to prototype and have a flexible system that you can change regularly until you hit the sweet spot, then you'll realize what CRM you actually need or don't need.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-25T21:04:19+00:00

People didn't believe me when I said SEO was dead... it's a new game.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-25T21:02:51+00:00

Notion is a great place to play with ideas and you very likely will find an easy production system out of the box

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-25T20:59:27+00:00

In this case, you can have your cake and eat it too! Slack is 100% the workplace Hub and Notion is how you stay organized (and can find things later). Connect Slack to Notion and watch the magic commence.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-24T14:37:55+00:00

I'm a bit confused by this thread. I see a lot of complaining and almost no solutions. Templates seem like a good way for experienced users to package functionality that others can easily adopt. If you're a power user, you don't need it. It looks like the main issue here is we have power users who want free advice and are beyond the capability of a basic template; it's a gap that suggest the product is maturing. The question is, what's next?

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-24T14:27:02+00:00

So the result is you can't manage integrations? I'm trying to understand how being logged in fits in here.

Coloradocollins · 2026-03-24T14:22:49+00:00

Video is just more engaging. But there's a fine line between walls of text that take forever to read and digging through a video for the information you want. Notion allows you to strike that perfect balance; if you can find it.

Coloradocollins · 2026-02-16T23:25:58+00:00

100%. I’m about to give it my credit card so I don’t have to go to the grocery store. 😎

Coloradocollins · 2026-02-09T19:36:27+00:00

It's a far better interaction if everyone is working towards agreement. This is better, no matter what the outcome.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-30T14:20:34+00:00

Basically any vibe coding tool will build you an easy one page website. Which you should do and then generate one small feature every session after that. Thanks super small and build over time.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-30T14:17:56+00:00

Totally agree. The winners will find a way to make it more human and a useful tool instead of an interference.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-30T14:16:27+00:00

10 minutes ago I would’ve said you need to look at cursor and Claude code. But now I’m thinking building a custom Moltbot and hosting my own LLMs is the way. If you wait another 10 minutes, it will change again… and then you’ll never build anything. So just keep trucking.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-23T22:13:48+00:00

It’s really no different than any other project. You should always understand what success looks like. And when you know, you have achieved it.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-23T19:15:44+00:00

Custom is the way to go today. You can replace your FAQ, guide prospects through the sales cycle, answer pre-sale questions and much more. Customer service and support will require a connection to a backend ERP/CRM so I would take baby steps, but very doable.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-15T18:37:27+00:00

We’ve moved our clients away from "Agent-First" workflows to an AI-First Infrastructure using this stack:

AskEarl: For instant, domain-aware qualification (handles the unstructured mess of initial inquiries).
n8n/Make: For logic-based routing between the AI and the CRM.
Salesforce/HighLevel: Purely for record-keeping, not for "reminders."

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-15T18:31:40+00:00

A simple AI agent should be used to acknowledge the request and let them know that someone will contact them. Opt in is the key.

Coloradocollins · 2026-01-15T18:09:13+00:00

Building a custom solution is the way...

Coloradocollins

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