I’ve been progressing well with building the Maktaba Books using no-code tools. It’s at a stage where it is 90% done. I’m only left with connecting the database, processes, and website all together.
But now, we face some dilemmas.
Since this was built using Integromat and SpreadSimple’s free plan, it had limitations, and we cannot operate within those limitations. We are aware of that and we have come to terms that we may need to pay for those no-code tools to operate.
But the problem now is – which tier of Integromat should we subscribe to? Is it the cheapest plan with a 5 min automation window (USD 9/month) or the next higher priced plan with a 1 min automation window (USD 29/month)?
The option that I was leaning towards was the higher priced plan (USD 29/month). It was faster and it will make the process satisfyingly smooth. I didn’t mind forking it out myself and get it crowdfunded later on.
However, I was reminded that I’m jumping too far ahead thinking that saving 4 min would add a lot of value to the experience. It was just a gut feeling and not based on actual data. So, if we look at how things are running right now, we respond to book borrowing request within 24h. So waiting 5 min would already be a huge improvement.
Apart from that, we only had 20+ books borrowed so far. Investing USD 29/month out of personal funds may be a bit too much and it doesn’t seem justifiable yet.
So for now, we’re investing USD 9/month for Integromat and USD 8/month for Spread Simple for our tech setup. We’re then going to test it and run it for a couple of months to see if it makes sense to have a shorter automation window or if we should focus on something else.
Things are looking good for Maktaba Books. We have a good team and we are progressing well. Alhamdulillah 😊