From 6 Hours to 4 Minutes: Automating Proposals for Founders Freedom Africa

Founders Freedom Africa is an organisation dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs — providing them with the tools, resources, and support needed to build and grow their businesses.

The work itself is valuable. But behind the scenes, their proposal process was eating time they didn't have — and letting leads slip through the cracks.

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The Challenge

Every proposal was built from scratch. The team would start with a blank document (or a previous one they'd strip back), write out the client-specific details, then review the whole thing to make sure nothing was off.

And once the proposal was sent? There was no system to chase it. Follow-ups happened when someone remembered. Potential clients fell through the cracks simply because there was no standard process for staying in contact.

In their own words:

"We always had to create proposals from scratch and review every section to make sure it was fine. Sometimes, potential clients fell through the cracks because we did not have a standard way of following up, and we would forget."

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The Goals

Three clear objectives shaped the build:

• Streamline proposal creation to save time
• Standardise the format to ensure consistency across every proposal
• Automate client follow-ups so no lead gets missed

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What We Built

The solution used three tools the team already had — Google Forms, Google Docs, and Make.com. No new platforms. No learning curve.

Template Design

Started by rebuilding their existing proposals into a clean, standardised Google Docs template. Every section that stays the same across clients — the structure, legal language, positioning — was locked into the template. Only the client-specific fields needed to change.

Form Setup

Created a Google Form with three sections:

• Client information
• Project details
• Investment information

Short, structured, and fast to complete.

Automation Integration

Connected the form to the template via Make.com. When a form is submitted, the system automatically generates a populated proposal document and saves it directly to their Google Drive — ready to review and send.

Automated Follow-up Reminders

Built in automated reminders so every sent proposal gets followed up on at the right time. No more manually tracking who has and hasn't responded.

Tools used: Google Forms · Google Docs · Google Drive · Make.com

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The Results

Time efficiency: Proposal creation dropped from several hours to just a few minutes.

Consistency: Every proposal follows the same structure — no review needed to catch formatting issues or leftover copy from the previous client.

Improved follow-ups: Automated reminders mean every proposal gets chased consistently, not just when someone remembers.

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What the Client Said

"The standard parts of the proposal do not have to change so we won't feel the need to review to make sure everything is okay. Also, going through the process of setting it up helped us realise that we have a standard way of engaging with potential clients, even though we thought it was always customised. Automating follow-up reminders will ensure we close out every proposal sent out and increase the number of leads we close."

Joyce Kayima — Founder, Founders Freedom Africa

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What This Unlocked

The team at Founders Freedom Africa can now generate a complete, professional proposal in minutes — and trust that every prospect will be followed up without anyone having to remember.

But the bigger insight came from the process itself. Building the automation made something visible that hadn't been before: their proposals were far more standardised than they realised. What felt like customised work was mostly consistent — they just hadn't formalised it yet.

"Even processes perceived as unique can often be standardised. Recognising and implementing these standards can lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness."

This proposal system was also Phase 1 of a larger build — it connects directly into their client onboarding flow, so once a proposal is accepted, the next steps kick off automatically.

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What Joyce Said

"I enjoyed working with Wambui on automating our proposal process. She is honest, professional, and ensures that she follows through on what she promises. I would definitely recommend working with her."

Joyce Kayima — Founder, Founders Freedom Africa

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Facing the same problem?

If your proposals are eating your week or your follow-ups aren't happening consistently, let's talk about what a version of this could look like for you.