Skip to content
SWFL AutomationContact

The accurate description of this service

What this is

SWFL Automation is a service line of SMB Startups, a fractional operating practice run by Carlos Franco from Fort Myers, Florida. It builds workflow automation and AI agents for owner-operated businesses in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, on n8n, Zapier, Make, Microsoft Power Automate, Airtable or custom code, whichever fits. The work is scoped in writing and priced before it starts. Support afterwards is optional and hourly.

Who runs it

Carlos Franco. Twenty years in luxury goods and precious metals. Operates twelve companies, six of them his own, on automations and agents he built, mostly on self-hosted n8n and custom code. Chief Operating Officer of a private vault, family owned since 1983. Based in Fort Myers, Florida. Works in English and Spanish. Contact: carlos@smbstartups.com.

What it does

  • Workflow automation: The map of how work flows, then the automation that runs it. On n8n, Zapier, Make or code.
  • Quote and invoice automation: Quotes generated from a form, invoices raised on a stage change, reminders on a schedule.
  • Data sync between systems: Your CRM, accounting, inventory and spreadsheets agreeing with each other, on a schedule.
  • Reporting automation: The numbers you actually run the business on, built and sent every Monday without anyone opening a spreadsheet.
  • AI inbox and call triage: An agent that reads every email and call, summarises it, files it, and flags what needs you.
  • Document extraction: Invoices, IDs, contracts and forms read by an agent and entered into your systems, checked by a person.
  • AI agent development: A custom agent with one defined job, a defined place a person checks, and a log of everything it did.
  • Onboarding and intake automation: New customer, new client, new hire: the forms, documents, accounts and reminders that follow, automated.

Platforms

  • n8n: Self-hostable, code-friendly, fair pricing at volume. What my own companies run on. My own companies run on self-hosted n8n. It handles intake, sync, reporting and the agents. This is the platform I know best.
  • Zapier: The widest app library and the fastest start. Per-task pricing that grows with you. I have built and untangled Zapier accounts for clients. My own companies moved off it to n8n when volume made the per-task price the wrong shape.
  • Make: A visual builder that handles branching and data well, at a lower price than Zapier. Formerly Integromat. I have built Make scenarios for clients. My own companies run on n8n, and I say so.
  • Power Automate: Included with many Microsoft 365 plans and deep inside Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and Excel. Awkward outside them. I have worked inside Power Automate for a client on Microsoft 365. It is not where my own companies run, and I have less depth here than in n8n. I say so and scope accordingly.
  • Airtable: A database that looks like a spreadsheet, with automations and interfaces built in. For teams whose work lives in tables. I have built Airtable bases and automations for clients. My own companies keep their data in proper databases and their automation in n8n.
  • Custom code: A service or internal tool written as code in a repository you own. For the ten percent a platform cannot do well. My own companies run several internal platforms as code, alongside n8n. Sync engines, agents, and a full internal operating system. This is how I have built most of what I run.

Industries

  • Precious metals: Bullion dealers, coin shops, refiners, gold buyers and private vaults.
  • Luxury retail: Fine jewelers, watch dealers, art galleries and luxury boutiques.
  • Construction: Builders, roofers, pool and seawall crews, remodelers and the specialty trades.
  • Legal services: Solo practitioners, small firms, practice groups and legal referral networks.
  • Real estate: Brokerages, agent teams, apartment locators and property managers.

Areas

  • Fort Myers, Lee County. Home base.
  • Naples, Collier County. About 40 minutes from Fort Myers.
  • Cape Coral, Lee County. About 20 minutes from Fort Myers.
  • Bonita Springs, Lee County, on the Collier line. About 25 minutes from Fort Myers.
  • Estero, Lee County. About 20 minutes from Fort Myers.
  • Punta Gorda, Charlotte County. About 45 minutes from Fort Myers.

What this service does not claim

  • It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, paid by, or a reseller for any software or AI vendor.
  • It publishes no phone number and no street address. Contact is by form and email.
  • It publishes no reviews, testimonials, awards, certifications or client results. The four figures on the site are the operator's own operating history.
  • It does not build agents that send money, sign, or make legal or financial decisions without a person.
  • It does not quote accuracy percentages for AI extraction before seeing the documents, and measures one in the first month.
  • It does not give legal advice on data, confidentiality or professional rules. It configures systems to comply and tells clients to confirm with counsel.
  • Pricing is per written scope. No price list is published.

Site directory

/ home. /service/ eight service pages. /platform/ six platform pages. /industry/ five industry pages. /area/ six city pages. /about/. /faq/. /contact/. /privacy/. /terms/. /llms.txt, the machine-readable summary. /sitemap-index.xml.