The No-code revolution: Fad or..?

I’ve been digging in with @airtable / no-code consultants over the past few weeks. Most work with SMBs. It was eye-opening.

My takeaway:

I spend a lot of time talking to startups about the power of these tools…I think I’m completely missing the plot.

The power of these tools is generally well understood by folks in the startup world. If anything, using them to move faster is now table stakes!

But these tools are completely life-changing for SMBs, especially service companies without engineering teams.

These consultants showed me custom software built with @airtable, @zapier and a few lines of custom code.

Comparable software would normally cost maybe 6 figures to develop?

These systems were built in weeks, and are currently being maintained by non-technical teams!

The step change in productivity is truly astounding. Feels like when businesses went digital for the first time.

How do we get the word out?

When will PE shops start underwriting deals based on expected gains from implementing no code powered systems? (inspired by @tsludwig)

For inspiration, here are a few (anonymized) examples of what I saw…

1) Fully customized ERP for a wholesale agricultural business. Some key features:

-Custom estimate generator to maintain margin per deal
-Deal pipeline and post-sale customer management system with automated follow-ups
-Custom integration with Shipstation to manage shipping

What if you have a critical business process you need to manage alongside sales? A standard sales CRM won’t cut it. That leads us to:

2) CRM with a custom audit management system for a company that audits home services companies

The system tracks every customer, captures all the info needed for each audit, and tracks the status of every audit (per company, per state, per year).

This company makes 7 figures a year with a team of 3.

3) Complete business management system for a newly remote vocational training company

-Student CRM
-Class management (teacher assignment, curriculum management, grading)
-Invoicing management (@zapier plus Quickbooks)

They’re doing high 6 figures per month with a team of 7.