Day 1-2: Building a survey platform for n8n/AI automation people
I build n8n automations for small businesses. Last week I tried a
mainstream survey site out of boredom — 2 hours, $3.42, questions
about shampoo brands. Felt like a waste of expertise for pocket change.
So I'm building SurveyNexus: surveys matched to people who actually
build automation/AI workflows — n8n, Make, Zapier, LangChain, custom
pipelines — with pay that reflects the value of specialized insight,
not generic consumer opinions.
Where things are, honestly:
- Landing page live: https://aldar000405-a11y.github.io/surveynexus/
- Supabase project set up, first DB table created today
- Stack: Supabase + Next.js
- System design in progress — using Claude for architecture/DB schema
planning, the same way I'd lean on n8n to move faster on automation
Where I'm NOT:
- No app code written yet
- No survey providers signed
- No users yet
Building this entirely in public from zero, posting daily updates as
I go. Discord for anyone who wants to follow along or has opinions on
the idea: https://discord.gg/U8a2mbSqh
Two things I'd genuinely love from this community:
- If you've ever tried to build a two-sided marketplace from scratch
— what's the first mistake you made that you'd warn a first-timer
about? - Would a "surveys matched to your actual tech stack" idea be
something you or people you know would use?
Following along = watching a landing page slowly turn into a real,
working product. Happy to answer anything about the build.
What stood out is that the hardest part probably isn't building the marketplace—it's deciding which side you're actually optimizing for first.
If researchers consistently find specialized respondents, contributors will come. If contributors arrive before there's meaningful demand, it's much harder to sustain. The sequencing matters as much as the idea itself.
This is the right question, and I'll be honest - right now I'm
building supply-side first (the automation specialists), on the
assumption that if I can prove there's a real, engaged pool of
specific expertise, demand from companies who want that insight
follows. But you're right that this is an assumption, not something
I've validated yet.
The risk you're naming is real: if I get contributors before there's
paying demand, the platform either stalls (nothing to survey them
about) or I have to pay out of pocket to keep early trust, which
isn't sustainable.
Current thinking on sequencing: build enough of a specialist community
that I can go to companies with "here are 50-100 real n8n/Make/Zapier
builders, willing to answer specific questions" as a concrete pitch,
rather than trying to sell an empty marketplace to companies first.
But I'm genuinely open to being wrong about that order - if you've
seen this go better solved the other way (demand first), I'd want to
hear it.
That's exactly the assumption I was interested in.
I do have a perspective on the supply-first vs demand-first tradeoff, but I don't think it generalizes well because the right answer depends on the marketplace dynamics you're creating.
I'd rather explain it in the context of your product than turn it into a generic startup discussion.
If you're interested, what's the best email to reach you on?