AI Automation Society is Nate Herk’s Skool community teaching AI automation with n8n — and it might be the most credibly structured programme in the AI agency education space right now.
The free version has over 400,000 members. The paid tier (AIS+) costs $99 per month or $839 per year. Nate has a Goldman Sachs background, verified n8n Expert Partner status, a Microsoft Learn With feature, and a YouTube channel with 800,000+ subscribers. He won the Skool Games Tech category four consecutive times.
For a category full of questionable credentials and anonymous operators, this stands out. But credentials don’t automatically mean the programme is right for you, and the AI automation agency model has saturation problems that the marketing doesn’t address clearly enough.
First — This Is Important
I’m Mark and I’ve spent the last 16 years testing and reviewing online income programmes so you don’t have to. If I had to start from scratch today there is only 1 business model I’d actually do:
👉 See the Online Business Model I Actually Recommend
Key Takeaways
- AI Automation Society (free) has 400,000+ members — the largest free AI automation community on Skool globally
- AIS+ (paid) costs $99/month or $839/year, with 3,500+ paying members — smaller and more focused
- Nate Herk’s credentials are genuinely verifiable: Goldman Sachs BI analyst background, n8n Expert Partner, Microsoft Learn With feature, Forbes featured, 4x Skool Games winner
- The free tier is legitimately useful: 100+ importable n8n workflow templates, active community, real educational content
- AIS+ locks two of the most-wanted courses (One Person AI Agency and Get Clients from YouTube) behind the paid standard tier — some users find this opaque
- The AI automation agency model is increasingly competitive: 90,000+ AI companies globally, Zapier and major SaaS platforms competing for the same clients
- Verdict: Free tier is worth joining for anyone interested in n8n. AIS+ is worth $99/month if you’re committed to building with n8n specifically and have a revenue goal behind it
👉 See the Online Business Model I Actually Recommend
Who Is Nate Herk?
Nate Herkelman graduated from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business with a double major in Business Analytics and Marketing. He worked as a Business Intelligence Analyst at Goldman Sachs before leaving in November 2024 to build Uppit AI and the AI Automation Society.
His credentials are independently verifiable across multiple sources. n8n’s official LinkedIn account has shared his content, confirming his Expert Partner status. Microsoft’s Learn With creator programme features him — an institutional endorsement that carries more weight than the typical creator economy self-description. He participated in n8n’s first official Agentic Arena game show. He co-founded TrueHorizon AI in January 2025, which a Startup Series profile documents scaling to over $100,000 per month working with clients including Topgolf and BarkBox before he exited in December 2025.
He is 23 years old. His AI experience dates to self-teaching during university. His agency work is documented at relatively modest scale in the most specific public data available — four documented client sales totalling approximately $23,000. The broader revenue claims from TrueHorizon ($100K/month) are harder to verify independently at the same level of specificity.
What the Free Tier Actually Provides
The free AI Automation Society on Skool is genuinely substantive for a community that charges nothing:
100+ importable n8n workflow templates covering common automation use cases. An active community of 400,000+ members where questions get answered, workflows are shared, and new tool releases are discussed in real time. Regular content from Nate himself, who posts tutorials and updates frequently. Access to the foundational courses on automation thinking and workflow design.
For someone exploring whether AI automation with n8n is the right direction for their skills and goals, the free tier is the right starting point. There is no cost and the resources are more substantial than most paid communities in adjacent spaces.
What AIS+ Adds
The paid tier at $99/month or $839/year provides access to the full curriculum including the most-requested courses — One Person AI Agency and Get Clients from YouTube — alongside weekly live Q&A sessions, unlimited tech support with a 100% resolution guarantee, and a more focused community of 3,500 paying members.
The tech support model is a genuine differentiator. AI automation with n8n involves real technical complexity — workflows break, integrations fail, new model releases require updates. The 100% resolution guarantee and 24-hour response target address a pain point that most creator-education communities handle poorly.
One honest criticism: the standard $99/month plan locks the two courses most people join for. A first-time visitor would reasonably expect those to be included before discovering they’re behind a separate premium tier. The pricing structure is worth understanding fully before joining.
The Saturation Problem the Marketing Glosses Over
This is the honest part of any AI automation agency review that tends to get buried under credential highlights and community metrics.
There are 90,000+ AI companies globally. Zapier, Make.com, UiPath, and dozens of established SaaS platforms already serve the automation needs of most businesses at competitive prices. Getting a local business or SMB to pay you $1,000 to $3,000 per month for custom n8n automation — when they can access enterprise tools through monthly software subscriptions — requires genuine sales skill, a specific value proposition, and patience for a long sales cycle.
Nate’s own documented client work at TrueHorizon — four engagements totalling $23,000 — is honest evidence of what early agency work looks like. It’s a real business that takes time to build. The AI automation agency model can work. It is not, at this stage, a low-competition opportunity where building technical skill automatically translates to client income.
Who AIS+ Is Right For
The programme makes sense for someone who has specifically decided to build with n8n, wants structured curriculum rather than ad hoc YouTube tutorials, has a concrete revenue goal for their automation skills, and can commit 5+ hours per week to active learning and implementation.
It is a poor fit for casual learners, people who prefer Make or Zapier over n8n, anyone expecting passive income from automation skill, or people without a clear client acquisition strategy.
For building predictable recurring income without the AI automation agency complexity, the local lead generation model is a more direct path. The how to make money online guide covers both alongside what each realistically requires.
👉 See the Online Business Model I Actually Recommend
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AI Automation Society worth joining for free? Yes — 100+ n8n templates, a genuinely active community, and substantive educational content at zero cost. Join the free tier before spending anything.
Who is Nate Herk? A 23-year-old AI automation educator with a Goldman Sachs BI analyst background, verified n8n Expert Partner status, Microsoft Learn With feature, and 800,000+ YouTube subscribers. Credentials are independently verifiable across multiple sources.
What does AIS+ cost? $99/month or $839/year. The standard plan locks some key courses that many members expect to be included — read the plan structure carefully before subscribing.
Is the AI automation agency model saturated? Increasingly so. 90,000+ AI companies globally, established SaaS alternatives for most use cases, and growing competition for the same client base. The model works but requires genuine sales skill and patience, not just technical knowledge.
What’s the tech support guarantee? AIS+ includes unlimited tech support with a 100% resolution guarantee and 24-hour response targets — a genuine differentiator in a space where technical questions often go unanswered.
What’s the alternative if I want recurring income without the agency complexity? The local lead generation model builds digital assets that generate recurring income without ongoing client management or technical infrastructure maintenance.
Mark has spent 16 years testing online business programmes and tools. He focuses on honest, experience-based reviews that help people avoid scams and find real, sustainable online business models.