I have seen prototypes/MVPs done with lowcode/nocode tools + manual processes (google forms are highly underrated for this type of stuff) but never a full business.
Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
11–20 of 104 posts
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#12Don't do this. I know that sounds like bad advice, but if you aren't comfortable working with lower-level design paradigms, who's going to fix things when something goes wrong? You'll eternally be in debt to engineers who are happy to take your rudimentary API contracts and make free money. Trying to be an entrepreneur in an area that you don't have experience in is a money pit.
Couldn't agree with this sentiment more. It's always going to be a money and time pit when you need to outsource to fix any problems. If you don't know code, hire someone on your team who does. :)
> when you need to outsource to fix any problems.
Yeah, but that would be a pretty crappy low-code platform if when things went wrong, they did not handle it, and instead told their customers to go hire coders.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Couldn't agree with this sentiment more. It's always going to be a money and time pit when you need to outsource to fix any problems. If you don't know code, hire someone on your team who does. :)
> when you need to outsource to fix any problems. Yeah, but that would be a pretty crappy low-code platform if when things went wrong, they did not handle it, and instead told their customers to go hire coders.
Someone's getting paid to fix your program, whether it's a "computer science consultant" or their premium service package (probably $3,995/ticket, if it's anything like how Microsoft/Canonical runs their business).
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#14I've had 2 friends start revenue generating MVPs on Bubble.io One is a Cameo-like platform for LatAm, the other is a TikTok like short-form audio app . I've been incredibly impressed by the platform and extensibility. If you have basic coding skills I think it's much more powerful than Webflow or other platforms. https://bubble.io/showcase
Thank You. I am a programmer, I did try bubble - it is quite powerful, but the UI is a bit...weird.
Are you allowed to share links to their businesses?
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#15yes - built https://blook.io without code (webflow / zapier / memberstack) and scaled to 100k+ year one
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Couldn't agree with this sentiment more. It's always going to be a money and time pit when you need to outsource to fix any problems. If you don't know code, hire someone on your team who does. :)
> when you need to outsource to fix any problems. Yeah, but that would be a pretty crappy low-code platform if when things went wrong, they did not handle it, and instead told their customers to go hire coders.
It's easy to say that, but what do you expect the platform to provide? If the platform makes operating your business so trivial that they provide all functionality baked into the product, I would suggest that your business may lack novelty, and therefore it may also lack competitiveness.
"No code" doesn't mean you don't have to implement things yourself. You are simply limited to the platform's baked in abstractions in exchange for "not having to write code".
Your services may eventually not map well to the capabilities of the platform, and it may cause problems. In such cases, the easiest and likely best solution is to offload functionality to a private server running custom code that interacts with the interfaces to the existing platform.
The whole "no code" thing is spun as "empowering entrepreneurs", but there is a philosophy underlying it that implementation details don't matter, and programmers aren't needed. It may be true for some businesses who are in non-technical sectors, but if you are selling digital services themselves "no code" will only take you so far.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Couldn't agree with this sentiment more. It's always going to be a money and time pit when you need to outsource to fix any problems. If you don't know code, hire someone on your team who does. :)
> when you need to outsource to fix any problems. Yeah, but that would be a pretty crappy low-code platform if when things went wrong, they did not handle it, and instead told their customers to go hire coders.
In my experience this is the case for every low-code platform once you try anything more advanced then their most basic tutorials and use-cases.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#18I guess any tech content business would count. For example this guy below has both online classes where he teaches others how to ace a FANG interview and he also earns from his YT channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xKdmAXFh4ACyhpiQ_3qBw
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Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#19Kind of. I've seen a startup go pretty far (series A, at least, with thousands of customers) with Google Sheets + low code integrations with those sheets.
Re: Ask HN: Anyone built a business with no-code tools?
#20Has anyone published apps on appstores with no code tools. If you have I would love to hear your experience