New in the JournalUsing n8n for office automation

Custom software for small UK firms

I build the tools, AI automations and servers a small business runs on, in fixed-price phases from £1,500. You deal with the person writing the code.

Send an enquiry See services and prices

Example workflow · Supplier invoicesGmail → Xero

Search the inbox

Pipe supplier09:14Invoice INV-20931, October

Timber merchant08:52Statement for account 4410

Van leaseMonBill approved and scheduled

Invoice INV-20931 attached for October deliveries.

Reading the PDF, matching purchase order PO-1182

Matches PO-1182: 40 m of 22 mm copper pipe, £1,284.60 including VAT. Draft bill made in Xero.Draft · waits for your approval

ApproveEdit

What LanceTek builds. Software, automation and the servers under them.

Custom software for your business

A quoting app, a booking system or an internal dashboard, written in TypeScript or Python. You get the source code.

Quotes / This week

KRKitchen refit£8,420 · 3 roomsDraft2h
BRBoiler swap£2,960 · combiSent1d
LXLoft extension£31,200 · plansNeeds you2d
BTBathroom tiling£1,740 · 12 m²Sent3d
GRGarden room£14,900 · 3 x 4 mDraft4d

AI automation for routine office work

Agents that read invoices, sort enquiries or draft replies. A person approves anything that leaves the business.

Enquiries agent · example

Can you service a combi boiler in Harrogate next week?

Yes, a combi service is £95. Tuesday at 9:00 is free. Draft held for your approval. Price listEngineer calendar

Edit the draft

Self-hosted servers in the UK

Self-hosted apps, backups and monitoring on hardware you own or in a UK data centre, with every step written down.

office/bookings/main #212 Running

Checkoutgit pull3s
Testpytest41s
Builddocker build32s
Back uppg_dumpQueued
Deploycompose upQueued

Monthly care for your software

Updates, tested backups, small changes and one person to email when something looks wrong. Monthly, and you can stop.

Restore test passed06:10Last night's backup opened on a spare server
Security updates appliedTueIn the agreed window, 19:00 to 20:00
Monthly report sent1 NovUptime, changes made, what is next

How LanceTek works

Most small businesses do not need a platform. They need one slow job taken off the week, by software that is tested, written down and looked after by the person who built it.

Working together, in three steps. You see the price before any work starts.

A 30-minute call and a written scope

A free call, then a written scope with a fixed price for the first phase.

Scope: invoice automation

2 of 5

Map how invoices arrive
List systems: Gmail, Xero
Agree what needs approval
Fix the price for phase one
Book the start date

Software built in 2-week phases

Work lands on a test copy you can try. Nothing goes live until you have.

invoices/agentbash

~/agent$pytest

3 of 3 files

test_read_pdf.py22 tests1.4s

test_match_po.py17 tests608ms

test_xero_draft.py9 tests390ms

48 passedin 2.41s

Handover of the software and runbook

You get the code, the passwords and a runbook. Ongoing care is optional.

Handover

3 of 4 on

Code in your GitHubFull history, your account
Admin logins moved to youIn your password manager
Runbook writtenRestart, restore, renew
Monthly careYour choice, cancel any month

From the Journal

Tool reviews written for clients. These first entries are sample summaries.

Read the Journal

Journal · n8n · 7 min read

Using n8n for office automation

n8n is a workflow tool you can run on your own server. It connects Gmail, Xero and Google Sheets without a monthly fee per task.

It suits jobs with clear steps: an invoice arrives, it is read, a draft is made. Where the rules get tangled, I still write Python.

2. Running costs

The software is free to run yourself. The server it sits on is the cost: an office mini PC or a small virtual machine in a UK data centre.