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What can an AI agent do for my business? Ideas by business type

Not sure where to start? Here are ideas for four kinds of small business. Every idea links to a recipe or guide that we ran on a real LusoVPS agent, with the results we got. Pick one, follow it, then change it to fit your business.
Time needed 5 minutes to read
You need Nothing yet. To try an idea: a Hermes or n8n agent, as named next to it
Result A short list of tested tasks to try first with your agent

Each idea says which agent it uses. Hermes works from a chat: you ask in plain words. n8n works with workflows you build once in its editor. (Which agent should I choose?)

Before you start

Most recipes send their results to Telegram. Connect it first (Connect Telegram) and, for Hermes, set the home channel (Schedule a recurring task).

Shop, bakery or restaurant

  • Translate your menu or price list for tourists (Hermes). English and Spanish, prices unchanged, local items explained: "Pastel de nata (traditional Portuguese custard tart)". Translate a menu or price list
  • A week of Instagram posts in one message (Hermes). Text, hashtags and a photo idea for each day, in European Portuguese. A week of social media posts
  • Take cake orders or bookings with a web form (n8n). No website needed: the customer gets a confirmation written by Claude, and the order arrives on your Telegram. A simple order or booking form
  • See which products and days sell best (Hermes). Upload your till export and get the total, a ranking, the best day of the week and a chart. Analyse your sales spreadsheet
  • A sales summary on Telegram every Monday (Hermes). Five lines: total, best and worst product, best day and one suggestion. A weekly sales report on Telegram

Freelancer or consultant

  • Reminders on your phone (Hermes). "Remind me tomorrow at 9…" and the reminder arrives on Telegram at that time. Reminders on Telegram
  • A morning briefing every weekday (Hermes). Weather for your city, the main headlines and one short line, in under 10 lines. A morning briefing every weekday
  • Read a contract before you sign it (Hermes). A short summary, the key dates (such as the last day to cancel), the costs and the risks. It is not legal advice. Hermes reads a contract for you
  • Turn rough notes into polite customer emails (n8n). Type "mrs costa order 2 cakes for saturday. oven broke…" and get a finished email. An AI helper that turns rough notes into customer emails
  • Answer customers in your own style (Hermes). Explain your rules once (language, length, signature) and Hermes follows them every time. Teach Hermes a skill

Small office

  • Meeting notes into action items (Hermes). Who does what by when, the open points nobody owns, and a follow-up email to copy. Meeting notes into action items
  • Receipt photos into an expenses spreadsheet (Hermes). One line per receipt, the total, and a list of anything that looks wrong. Turn receipt photos into an expenses spreadsheet
  • A daily news digest (n8n). The latest stories from a news feed (RSS) summarised by Claude in 5 short lines, every morning on Telegram. A daily news digest
  • Talk to the agent from your Discord server (Hermes). Only the people whose user IDs you list can talk to it, and you can add more than one. Connect Hermes to Discord
  • Tell the agent about your business once (Hermes). It keeps short facts between conversations, so you do not repeat them. What Hermes remembers about you

Online shop

Good to know before you start

  • Every AI step costs a little. Each run of a scheduled task uses your AI provider, like a normal conversation. Simple checks such as the website alerts run without the AI. (How much will the AI cost me?)
  • Read before you send. The AI can fill gaps with made-up details: in our social media test, Hermes invented a product and some times, and said so. (Keep your agent safe)
  • Upload only data you may share with your AI provider. Files stay on your server, but the agent sends the parts it needs to the provider to answer. (Analyse your sales spreadsheet)

Next steps