🔗 Combined Capstone Projects

Project 1: Client Content Engine

Intermediate

Client Type: Small business owner, coach, or consultant who needs consistent social media presence but doesn't have time to post daily.

The Problem

Your client wants to post daily on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter but spends 2+ hours per day doing it manually. They also want branded graphics that look professional.

The Solution (Combining All Tools)

Part 1: Design the Templates (Canva)

1. Create a Brand Kit for the client in Canva
2. Design 3 template types:
   - Quote card (1080x1080) for Instagram
   - Educational graphic (1200x627) for LinkedIn
   - Text-only graphic (1600x900) for Twitter
3. Create 20+ variations using Bulk Create
4. Set up Brand Templates the client can reuse

Part 2: Automate the Pipeline (Zapier)

1. Create an Airtable base with content calendar
   Fields: Date, Platform, Caption, Image URL, Status
2. Build a 3-path Zap:
   Path A (Instagram): Post via Buffer/Later → log result
   Path B (LinkedIn): Post to company page → log result
   Path C (Twitter): Post via Buffer → log result
3. Add a weekly digest Zap:
   Trigger: Schedule (every Monday 9am)
   Action: Pull last week's posts from Airtable
   Action: Email client a performance summary

Part 3: Enterprise Monitoring (Workato)

1. Build a recipe that monitors post engagement:
   Trigger: Scheduled (hourly)
   Action: Pull metrics from social APIs
   Action: IF engagement > threshold → Slack alert
   Action: Log all metrics to Google Sheets dashboard
2. Add error handling:
   IF any post fails → notify DVA + retry queue

Deliverable

• Canva: Brand kit + 20 social media templates + content calendar design
• Zapier: Automated posting pipeline with weekly reporting
• Workato: Engagement monitoring recipe with Slack alerts
• Client Price: $750–$1,500 setup + $300–$500/mo maintenance

Project 2: Lead-to-Invoice System

Advanced

Client Type: B2B service provider (agency, consultancy, freelancer) who needs to streamline their sales pipeline from lead capture to getting paid.

The Problem

The client uses 5 different tools that don't talk to each other. Leads fall through cracks, follow-ups are inconsistent, and invoicing is manual. They're losing ~15% of revenue to missed follow-ups.

The Solution

Part 1: Lead Capture & Routing (Zapier)

1. Lead capture form (Typeform/JotForm)
2. Multi-path Zap for lead routing:
   → Step 1: New form submission received
   → Step 2: Create contact in HubSpot CRM
   → Step 3: Enrich with Clearbit (company size, industry)
   → Step 4: Filter by lead source & budget
   → Path A (High Value): Slack DM to sales + calendar link
   → Path B (Standard): Welcome email + nurture sequence
   → Path C (Low Priority): Add to monthly newsletter only
3. Follow-up sequence:
   → Day 0: Auto-reply confirmation
   → Day 2: Value-add email (case study PDF designed in Canva)
   → Day 5: Calendar booking link
   → Day 7: Breakup email if no response

Part 2: Proposal & Invoice Design (Canva)

1. Design a professional proposal template
   - Cover page with client branding
   - Scope of work section
   - Pricing table (with Canva charts)
   - Terms & signature block
2. Design matching invoice template
   - Auto-calculating line items
   - Payment terms and methods
   - Branded header/footer
3. Design case study PDF template for nurture emails
4. Create an onboarding welcome packet (5-page PDF)

Part 3: Enterprise Order Processing (Workato)

Build an Order-to-Cash recipe:
1. Trigger: HubSpot Deal marked "Closed Won"
2. Generate proposal PDF from Canva template
3. Create invoice in QuickBooks/Xero
4. Send invoice email with payment link
5. Create tasks in project management tool
6. Schedule 30-day check-in reminder
7. Error handling: Log failures, retry queue
8. Weekly reporting recipe:
   - Pull all deals, invoices, and payments
   - Build dashboard in Google Sheets
   - Email summary to business owner

Deliverable

• Canva: Proposal template + invoice template + case study PDF + onboarding packet
• Zapier: Lead capture → routing → nurture → booking automation
• Workato: Order-to-Cash recipe + weekly reporting dashboard
• Client Price: $2,000–$4,000 setup + $500–$800/mo maintenance

Project 3: Full-Service DVA Package

Advanced

Client Type: Growing e-commerce brand doing $500K–$2M/year. They need operational automation, marketing design, and system integration — but can't afford a full-time ops hire.

The Problem

The e-commerce brand is growing fast but drowning in manual work: orders need processing, customers need follow-ups, social media needs content, and nothing is connected. They're hitting a growth ceiling because operations can't scale.

The Solution

Part 1: E-Commerce Ops Automation (Zapier + Workato)

Zapier handles the front-end automations:
1. New Shopify order → Klaviyo post-purchase flow
2. Order shipped → tracking email + review request
3. Abandoned cart → 3-email recovery sequence
4. New customer review → Slack celebration + social feature
5. Inventory low alert → Slack ops channel + reorder email

Workato handles the back-end integrations:
1. Shopify → QuickBooks: Sales reconciliation (daily batch)
2. Shopify → ShipStation: Bulk order processing
3. Returns (Loop/Returnly) → Refund in Shopify + QuickBooks
4. Inventory sync: Shopify ↔ Warehouse ↔ Supplier
5. Monthly P&L recipe: Pull all financials → report PDF

Part 2: Marketing Design (Canva)

1. Product photography templates (consistent look)
2. Amazon A+ Content designs (enhanced brand content)
3. Email marketing templates (Klaviyo-compatible)
4. Social proof graphics (review quotes → image)
5. Seasonal promotion kit (Black Friday, holiday)
6. Influencer media kit PDF
7. Weekly newsletter template
8. Product launch announcement suite

Part 3: Customer Experience (Combined)

1. Post-purchase journey (Canva-designed emails + Zapier flow):
   Day 0: Order confirmation with branded design
   Day 3: "How to get the most from [Product]" guide (Canva PDF)
   Day 14: Check-in + review request
   Day 30: Cross-sell recommendation based on purchase
   Day 60: Reorder reminder if consumable

2. VIP Customer Program (Workato recipe):
   Identify top 10% customers by spend
   → Auto-tag in Klaviyo
   → Generate personalized thank-you card (Canva)
   → Alert founder to send personal note
   → Offer early access to new products

3. Support automation (Zapier):
   Gorgias/Zendesk ticket → auto-categorize → route
   → High priority: Slack alert + SLA timer
   → Common Qs: Auto-reply with FAQ (Canva-designed)
   → Escalation: Create Asana task for ops team

Deliverable

• Canva: Full marketing design suite (8+ template types, 30+ variations)
• Zapier: 6+ Zaps covering orders, marketing, support, and ops
• Workato: 4 enterprise recipes for financials, inventory, CX, and reporting
• Client Price: $3,000–$6,000 setup + $800–$1,500/mo retainer

Project Completion Checklist

Complete all three projects to build a rock-solid DVA portfolio.

• Project 1: Content Engine — deliver all three parts (Canva, Zapier, Workato)
• Project 1: Create a portfolio case study with screenshots and results
• Project 2: Lead-to-Invoice — build the full pipeline end-to-end
• Project 2: Document the time/cost savings for a hypothetical client
• Project 3: Full-Service Package — build all three parts
• Project 3: Create a 1-page service offering sheet (in Canva) based on this project
• Publish all 3 case studies to your portfolio
• Create a LinkedIn post about each project to attract clients