03. No Code Intro

03. No Code Intro

Estimated Time

  • Reading: ~6 minutes
  • Video: ~38 minutes
  • To Do: ~TK minutes

To Do

  1. 🔲 Sign up for Bubble [https://www.bubble.com/twist]
  2. 🔲 Complete the Bubble tutorials [https://bubble.io/lessons] ~51 minutes
  3. 🔲 Create a Wireframe or mockup of your application

No-Code during Founder.University

  • The main goal of Founder.University is to help founders launch a Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
  • We will spend the majority of the 12 weeks building and iterating on your MVP
  • One of the most efficient ways to launch quickly is to leverage No-Code solutions
  • There are several no-code platforms that you can leverage to build your MVP
    • We have partnered with Bubble, one of the top no-code solutions, for Founder.University
      • The examples we provide will be on their platform
  • A lot of founders are asking how to get started with no-code
    • "Curious to start learning how to build using no-code. Where can I go to learn and what are the best resources to leverage?"
    • There are a lot of great responses to this question on this Twitter thread from @lolitataub
  • Bottom line - use whatever solution works for you
    • If you are familiar with coding and want to go that route - great!
      • The concepts in the coming sections will still apply to you
  • At the end of Founder.University we want you to have a working MVP
    • We will provide suggestions and offer insights
    • But with so many unique founders and ideas we simply can not say what will work best for everyone (nor do we want to micromanage)
    • Select the tools that work best for you!
  • So what is no-code?
    • Jason's interviews with a couple founders will set the stage

Episode Date: November 23, 2020

[video] E1143 indie hackers

Jason Calacanis | TWiST | Twitter | LinkedIn

Top Insights

  • You don't need permission to build your idea
  • Anyone can learn skills online (free or inexpensively)
    • Add skills to your toolbox
  • Build something with value for another person
    • They can choose to use your product
    • Then they will give you money
  • Indie Hackers started with a blog as the MVP
    • They added a community forum, mailing list, and podcast after
    • The community forum is the focus today
  • It started small with an MVP and a couple of users
  • Cortland and Indie Hackers identify a few key points to being successful as a founder:

1. Commit to Goal

  • The most important is having a goal - why?
  • Achievement inspires people - it is motivating
  • It is hard to start a company and easy to quit
    • Having goals helps to know when to call it quits or when to keep going when things are tough

2. Find a partner

  • Having a partner helps with accountability
  • When you no longer have a "boss" - many people struggle to stay focussed
  • Having another person also is a great way to fill skill gaps

3. Brainstorming an Idea

  • You have to know what you are going to build
  • Who are you solving a problem for?
  • How you are going to build it?

4. Build in public

  • This helps with accountability too!
  • Transparency is also inspiring
  • It can build trust with your users
  • Being transparent with what you do can magnify your success

5. Create an MVP

Episode Date: December 4, 2020

[video] E1148 apps without code

Jason Calacanis|TWiST|Twitter|LinkedIn

Advantage of No-Code

  • You don't need to be a developer to build a startup anyone
  • Use no-code tools and APIs to create quickly

MVP with No-Code

  • Understanding logic is the biggest requirement in no-code
    • "If this happens, then that will happen" within the app
  • No-code opens doors to people who have industry expertise in non-traditional "builder" industries
  • What skillset is needed with no code?
    • For the most part, anyone can use no code to create an MVP
    • If you are relatively comfortable with technology will help
  • Proximity to logic in your experience makes no-code easier
    • Job with a logical oriented role helps think in this way
      • Like project managers, health care (doctors), lawyers, etc.
    • Even though you are not coding, you still have to think like an engineer
      • Mainly using "if this, then that" workflows
  • You can build an MVP in 4 to 5 weeks with appswithoutcode
  • Find Tara's full interview here - E1148 on This Week in Startups
  • More information on Tara Reed's appswithoutcode program

Bubble Resources

  • In the coming sections, you will take the first steps to build your MVP
  • Before building the MVP you need to become familiar with the no-code platform you are going to use
  • 🔲 Get started by creating a Bubble account and completing the Basics of Bubble:
  • Deeper dive to learning Bubble (bookmark for reference later!)
    • There is a thread from @jakesing_ on Twitter that introduces some key features of Bubble.
      • "Learn Bubble in 10 tweets, even if you're a complete beginner. Bubble is the most complete no-code builder for dynamic and interactive websites. With Bubble, you can build practically anything! In honor of their massive fundraise today, here's how to get started"
    • If you learn better by example
    • And the Bubble Youtube channel has a ton of great tutorials.

Before Building an MVP

  • The Bubble Basic Lessons will lay the foundation for your MVP on Bubble
    • You may need to continue to learn through their Academy for more advanced features
  • Building an MVP is more than learning new tools
  • You need to turn your idea into a reality - into an application that others will pay to use
  • There is a lot of logic that goes into building a no-code MVP
  • Before you jump right into building it is a good idea to have your idea mapped out
    • What you are planning to build?
    • How it will work?
    • If a user clicks on each button where will it take them?
  • We previously looked at tools to help build this
    • But even a simple piece of notebook paper and pen can get the job done
  • 🔲 Create a wireframe of the core features of your product

Learning and Building in Public

  • Learning and building in public are becoming bigger trends among entrepreneurs
  • If you are unfamiliar with the learning in public or building in public it is essentially documenting your journey
    • Either on Twitter, via blog, with YouTube videos, or similar mediums
  • Building in public does a few things for you as outlined in this How-to-Guide
    • It invites feedback on your idea
    • Builds trust with your audience
    • Documents your progress
  • It is up to you how public or private you want to be with your learning and building journey
  • You eventually will want users to be able to find you online and buy your solution
    • An online presence where users can learn about your journey and understand your expertise can help
    • Having a landing page also builds credibility - it is the first place users will go
      • It can be a basic page that explains the problem you solve
  • If you do decide to build in public keep in mind that you are representing your new startup
    • Your reputation extends beyond yourself to the product you are building
    • You do want to represent your company in a positive way
    • You also do not want to overshare your secret sauce before it is built

Companies launched with no-code

image

Additional Resources

To Do

  1. 🔲 Sign up for Bubble [https://www.bubble.com/twist]
  2. 🔲 Complete the Bubble tutorials [https://bubble.io/lessons] ~51 minutes
  3. 🔲 Create a Wireframe or mockup of your application

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