3 No-Code Startups Making Over $1,000,000 In Revenue

Summary

This video showcases three no-code startup success stories, proving that technical skills aren't a prerequisite for building a profitable business. Charles Thomas Frenchman's Comet, a marketplace for remote tech talent, leveraged Bubble.io for its no-code platform, raising millions in funding. David Fano's Teal, a job search navigation tool, raised $5 million using Bubble, Zapier, and other no-code tools for a collaborative product development. Lastly, Danny Bell's Scribbly.io, a content marketing platform, scaled to $30,000 in MRR using Webflow, Airtable, and Zapier, demonstrating the power of no-code in democratizing business creation.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Non-technical founders can build successful startups without writing code, as demonstrated by the examples provided.
• 🌟 Charles Thomas, founder of Comet, built a marketplace for remote tech and data talent hiring using no-code tool Bubble.io in 2017.
• 🔍 Comet differentiated itself by vetting freelancers, offering a competitive edge and eventually raising $2 million in Europe and an additional $12.8 million from global venture capital firms.
• 💼 David Fano's startup, Teal, focused on job searching difficulties and pivoted to find product-market fit, raising $5 million from Flybridge Capital.
• 🛠️ No-code tools like Bubble, Zapier, Typeform, Hubspot, and Airtable were leveraged to build and manage the startups mentioned in the script.
• 💡 The importance of validating demand through action rather than just mockups was highlighted as a benefit of no-code development.
• 👥 No-code enabled a more collaborative product development experience by empowering non-technical team members to contribute.
• 📈 Dany Bell, a British copywriter, built Scribbly.io, a content marketing platform, using Webflow, Airtable, and Zapier, scaling it to $30,000 in MRR within a year.
• 🎯 No-code does not mean no work; it is a tool to be used within the context of a bigger entrepreneurial goal.
• 📚 The script encourages learning how to apply no-code tools to build a business, acquire users, and convert them into paying customers.
• 💰 Success in no-code startups is measured by the ability to provide a valuable solution that customers are willing to pay for, rather than the tools used.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The video discusses how non-technical founders can build successful startups without writing a single line of code, focusing on three examples of no-code startups that have made over a million dollars in revenue.

Who is the co-founder of VR No Code mentioned in the video?

Christian Peverelli is the co-founder of VR No Code.

What was the first startup discussed in the video?

The first startup discussed is Comet, a marketplace for data and tech talent to be hired remotely.

What platform did Charles Thomas use to build Comet without coding?

Charles Thomas used Bubble.io, a no-code tool, to build the first version of Comet.

What was one of the strategies Charles Thomas used to differentiate Comet from other platforms?

Charles Thomas highly vetted every freelancer that was allowed to list on the platform, which gave Comet a competitive edge.

How much funding did Comet raise in its early stages?

Comet raised two million dollars from investors in Europe, including Otium Ventures and Keema.

What is the second no-code startup featured in the video?

The second no-code startup is Teal, a platform that helps navigate, organize job searches, and provides a content library for career development.

What was the initial challenge David Fano faced when building Teal?

David Fano faced the challenge of understanding what customers wanted and finding product-market fit through several iterations and micro-pivots.

How did Teal raise funding for its platform?

Teal raised 5 million dollars from investors, specifically Flybridge Capital.

What is the third no-code startup case study mentioned in the video?

The third case study is Scribbly.io, a content marketing platform built by Danny Bell, a British copywriter.

What tools did Danny Bell use to build Scribbly.io?

Danny Bell used Webflow for website and client management system, Airtable as a database, and Zapier for automation and connecting systems.

How much did it cost Danny Bell to launch Scribbly.io initially?

It cost Danny Bell only two hundred dollars to launch Scribbly.io initially.

What was the key takeaway from the video about no-code startups?

The key takeaway is that non-technical founders can leverage no-code tools to build and scale successful startups, focusing on solving real problems and providing value to customers.

Outlines

00:00

💼 No-Code Success Stories for Non-Technical Founders

This paragraph introduces the concept of non-technical founders building successful startups without coding. Christian Peverelli, co-founder of Vurno and a startup studio, discusses three no-code startup examples that have generated over a million dollars in revenue. The first example is Comet, a marketplace founded by Charles Thomas (Charltoma), which connects businesses with remote tech and data freelancers. Despite not having technical skills, Charles utilized the no-code platform Bubble.io to build his platform. He differentiated his marketplace by vetting freelancers, which attracted companies and led to raising two million dollars in investments from European investors. The success of Comet highlights the potential of no-code tools for non-technical individuals to build and scale businesses.

05:00

🌐 Leveraging No-Code Tools for Business Growth

The second paragraph delves into the story of Teal, a no-code startup founded by David Fano. Initially, Teal aimed to simplify the job search process, which was fraught with difficulties. Through a series of iterations and micro-pivots, Teal found product-market fit and recently secured a $5 million investment from Flybridge Capital. David Fano utilized various no-code tools, including Bubble, Zapier, Typeform, Hubspot, and Airtable, to build a platform that helps users navigate and organize their job search. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of no-code in enabling small teams to participate in product development, fostering a collaborative environment and better outcomes. It also mentions Webflow as a beautiful website builder and encourages viewers to explore no-code opportunities through the provided resources.

🚀 No-Code Entrepreneurship: From Freelancer to SaaS Founder

The final paragraph features Danny Bell, a British copywriter who transitioned from freelancing to building Scribbly.io, a content marketing platform. Scribbly was created to productize her services and automate her work, relieving her from the time-consuming aspects of freelancing. Using Webflow for website and client management system development, Airtable for database management, and Zapier for automation, Danny was able to launch her platform in just eight weeks with an initial investment of only $200. Within a year, she scaled her platform to a $30,000 monthly recurring revenue. The paragraph highlights the democratization of entrepreneurship through no-code tools and the importance of using these tools within the context of a larger business goal. It concludes by emphasizing the need for entrepreneurs to focus on providing value to customers, with tools and techniques being secondary.

Keywords

💡No-code startups

No-code startups refer to businesses that are built without the need for traditional coding skills, utilizing no-code platforms to create applications, websites, and more. The video's theme revolves around the success of such startups, demonstrating that technical skills are not a prerequisite for entrepreneurship. Examples from the script include Comet, Teal, and Scribbly.io, all of which were built using no-code tools and achieved significant financial success.

💡Revenue

Revenue is the income generated from the sale of goods or services. In the context of the video, it highlights the financial success of no-code startups, showing that these businesses can generate substantial income. The script mentions millions of dollars in revenue for the featured no-code startups, emphasizing the profitability of no-code business models.

💡Bubble.io

Bubble.io is a no-code platform that allows users to build web applications without writing code. It is mentioned in the script as the tool Charles Thomas used to create his marketplace for tech and data freelancers. The platform's significance lies in enabling non-technical founders to develop their tech stack and bring their business ideas to life.

💡Freelancers

Freelancers are self-employed individuals who offer their services on a project-by-project basis. In the video, the platform Comet is highlighted as a marketplace for tech and data freelancers, providing them with opportunities to get hired remotely. This concept is integral to the video's message that no-code platforms can facilitate new business models that benefit various stakeholders.

💡Marketplace

A marketplace is a platform where buyers and sellers can come together to exchange goods or services. The script discusses Comet as a marketplace specifically designed for hiring tech and data talent remotely. This concept is key to understanding how no-code platforms can be used to create new types of online marketplaces that serve specific niches.

💡Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool that connects different web applications, allowing for the transfer of information between them. In the script, it is mentioned as a tool used by the no-code startup Teal to manage and automate workflows, demonstrating how no-code tools can be integrated to create more complex business solutions.

💡Product-market fit

Product-market fit is a term used to describe a situation where a product satisfies a market need, gaining traction among its target audience. The script describes how the no-code startup Teal achieved product-market fit through a process of micro-pivoting, adjusting their product to better meet customer needs, which is a critical aspect of startup success.

💡Webflow

Webflow is a web design and development tool that allows users to create responsive websites visually, without writing code. The script mentions Webflow as the tool used by Dany Bell to build the website and client management system for her no-code startup Scribbly.io, illustrating how no-code tools can be used to create professional-looking websites.

💡Airtable

Airtable is a cloud-based database management platform that combines the functionality of spreadsheets with the flexibility of databases. In the script, Airtable is used by Scribbly.io as a central database to manage job details, showcasing how no-code tools can be employed for efficient data management in startups.

💡SaaS (Software as a Service)

SaaS refers to a software licensing and delivery model in which software is provided over the internet, on a subscription basis. The script describes how Dany Bell created a SaaS platform with Scribbly.io, allowing her to productize her copywriting services and automate her business processes, which is a prime example of how no-code platforms can facilitate the creation of scalable service-based businesses.

💡Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing the risks and rewards of the venture. The video's narrative focuses on the role of entrepreneurs in building no-code startups, emphasizing the importance of vision, adaptability, and the ability to leverage no-code tools to create and grow successful businesses.

Highlights

Non-technical founders can build successful startups without writing code, as demonstrated by examples earning over a million dollars in revenue.

Charles Thomas built a marketplace for remote hiring of data and tech talent using the no-code platform Bubble.io.

Comet's early success allowed for raising two million dollars in investments from European firms Otium Ventures and Keema.

Charles leveraged Bubble.io to scale Comet to over eight hundred thousand dollars in monthly recurring revenue.

Teal, a job search platform, was built by David Fano and raised five million dollars from Flybridge Capital.

Teal's development involved extensive use of no-code tools like Bubble, Zapier, Typeform, Hubspot, and Airtable.

Danny Bell, a British copywriter, built Scribbly.io, a content marketing platform, to productize her freelance services.

Scribbly.io was built in eight weeks with a cost of two hundred dollars, showcasing the efficiency of no-code tools.

Bell scaled Scribbly to thirty thousand dollars in monthly recurring revenue within a year.

No-code tools democratize access to building scalable businesses without prior coding knowledge.

No-code does not equate to no work; it requires strategic application within the context of a larger business goal.

The success of no-code startups hinges on solving a market problem and delivering value to customers.

No-code tools enable collaboration across teams, empowering non-technical members to contribute to product development.

Christian Peverelli's startup studio, Vurno Code, offers a program to teach no-code business building and customer acquisition.

Experimentation and market testing are encouraged for startups to validate their ideas and iterate based on feedback.

The importance of pivoting based on market realities and customer needs is highlighted for startup success.

The transcript emphasizes the potential of no-code platforms to enable rapid scaling and funding for startups.

Transcripts

one of the most common things i hear

when founders are trying to build

startups but they're non-technical is

that they absolutely have technical

skills to be able to build that app

build that website and build a business

however in this video i'm going to show

you how you can be making millions of

dollars in revenue building a startup

without writing a single line of code

i'm gonna be talking about three

examples of no code startups that have

made more than a million dollars in

revenue let's go what's up everyone

christian peverelli here co-founder of

vrno code in my startup studio and if

you're new to this channel my dog molly

absolutely wants you to subscribe to

this channel is this an awesome channel

hello

okay well i guess we're not gonna get

much from her but subscribe like and

share this with any friend who's

building a startup i'm going to put you

down a little baby

so the first startup i want to talk

about is comet it was started by charles

thomas frenchman you can also call him

charltoma if you would like to say it

correctly now charles built a

marketplace for data and tech talent to

be able to get hired remotely for their

work so basically an awesome place that

we could find tech or data freelancers

you could hire them to do a job within

your company and the benefits for the

freelancers is that they would get

business through this platform now

charles didn't really have technical

skills when he kicked this off and so

back in the day in 2017 he discovered a

platform that at the time was a no code

tool that today is very developed but at

the time really wasn't that developed

called bubble.io

and it allowed you to essentially

program without having to write coding

language and so thomas leveraged this

platform to be able to build his tech

stack to be able to build a first

version of his marketplace now one of

the cool tricks that charles did early

on was that he highly vetted every

single freelancer that he allowed to

list on the platform and so he ended up

being very differentiated from other

platforms mainstream platforms like

upwork or freelancers.com and that gave

him kind of a competitive edge early on

and his company also was able to

structure a team for you if you were

looking for a larger team that required

several members so in 2017 he was able

to build this without coding at all as a

non-technical founder and he launched it

and did over 300 projects for more than

150 different companies and because he'd

seen so much awesome success early on he

was able to raise two million dollars

from investors in europe one of these

was called otium ventures and the other

one was called keema now thomas was not

only able to build the platform but he

was also able to scale his platform to

more than eight hundred thousand 000 in

monthly recurring revenue built fully on

bubble and after seeing so much traction

behind his startup idea in 2018 he was

approached and raised an additional

round of funding for 12.8

million dollars from other venture

capital firms from all over the world

now back when charles started this off

the no code space was nowhere near to

where it is today and so today there's

way more flexibility it's much easier to

go out there and scale a startup from

zero to hundreds of thousands of dollars

and so charles was one of the people who

paved the way congrats on that one great

win for the no code community now the

second no code startup i want to feature

here is called teal now david fano the

founder and ceo at the time was trying

to find a great way for people to be

able to find jobs and after several

iterations he found out that the process

of going about finding a job was what

was really difficult over even just

finding a specific position online and

so he built teal

a platform that helps to navigate

organize your search track different

jobs and also provides a content library

with tips and tricks on how to improve

your resume to be able to fit a specific

position now he's very open about the

fact that the early days was a lot of

pivoting trying to figure out what the

customer wanted they walked into this

with some assumptions about what

customers wanted but over time realized

that the product they had first

delivered didn't necessarily fill the

problem or wasn't really a solution to

the problem and through kind of micro

pivoting and figuring out really exactly

what it was that they needed to build

for this customer they were able to come

to product market fit now recently teal

actually raised 5 million dollars from

investors more specifically flybridge

capital and they've really focused

around this idea of career direction now

we all know that a lot of people are

trying to change jobs these days or

they're leaving jobs they're not

necessarily happy in so there's

obviously a growing market in this area

now his platform was built in bubble he

also used a good amount of zapier to be

able to communicate information or

transfer information from one place to

another he used software like type form

to be able to make very nice and pretty

forms he built a crm system with hubspot

and was able to connect through the api

connector the bubble has he used this

tool zapier that i'm talking about to be

able to manage and automate workflows he

also used airtable for additional

database management and they built their

amazing website leveraging webflow which

is one of the most beautiful website

builders and when he was asked about no

code and the importance that it played

within his company in the development of

it he basically said that mockups are

great but unfortunately they're very

limited right you really need to make

sure that someone is willing to take an

action that's going to prove that

there's really demand behind your

startup and so

being able to actually build these

things out without any technical skills

that's incredibly powerful thing the

other awesome benefit that he talks

about leveraging no code was that he was

able to get his small team of only 12

people he got everyone to participate in

building out the product and building

out the right thing because suddenly he

could give the power of technical skills

through no code technologies to his

entire team allowing a more

collaborative experience and of course

through that a way better outcome and by

the way if you're looking to build a no

code startup you can check out our

website orwearnoco.com you can sign up

to this channel for free and we can help

to build out your product launch it in

the market and get first paying

customers it's about that time in the

video where i ask you to like subscribe

and this is another dog to keep you

entertained for the next couple minutes

okay now third on the list and one of

the most exciting case studies that i

love from the no code ecosystem is danny

bell

she was a british copywriter and she

quit her job with no plan b now like

most people trying to build startups

dany had a big roadblock which was that

she didn't know how to code at this

point she was trying to freelance and

after a couple months of freelancing as

a copywriter she realized that a lot of

her time was being consumed and she

wasn't really able to take on the

increasing demand that she was getting

for her product and that's the point at

which she decided to build scribbly dot

io now scribbly is a content marketing

platform but essentially it was a way

for her to be able to productize her

services so instead of selling her time

for money as a freelancer she was trying

to find ways to automate that and so she

created a sas platform or software as a

service platform that would be able to

take a weight off of her shoulders and

be able to deliver amazing results to

her clients so the first thing she did

was jump into webflow and she was able

to build a website as well as a client

management system for customers to be

able to order directly from her she was

able to leverage airtable as a database

to be able to centralize the details of

every single job and then she used some

zapier to be able to connect some of

these different things to be able to

send information from one place to the

other and also to automate certain

systems now in total she says that it

took her eight weeks to build and that

it cost two hundred dollars only to get

this thing off the ground and she quite

rapidly was able to convert seven of her

paying customers freelance customers

into the model that she had built out

with scribbly dot io so that was very

from the beginning quite obvious that

she was gonna see success to some degree

but over the next 12 months she was able

to scale this platform up to 30 000 in

monthly recurring revenue and when she

was interviewed about no code to talk

about the power of no code here's a

direct quote i can't overstate how

excited i am that all of these things

used to be closed off and now they are

becoming democratized and she is super

excited about how quickly and

inexpensively you can build leveraging

these tools now an important thing to

know is that no code does not mean no

work and you can really only leverage

the power of no code if you're using

these tools within the context of a

bigger goal so if your goal is to build

a company for example there are all

these other things that you're going to

have to learn to be able to become a

successful entrepreneur and that's one

of the big things that we teach within

our program a curated list of no code

tools but how to apply them to build a

business and how to be able to acquire

users and turn them into paying

customers and as you've seen from some

of these examples you can make a

considerable amount of money you can

raise a considerable amount of capital

and you can do it way more cost

effectively that allows you to pivot as

your company realizes what the market

realities are and that's really what

we're encouraging when we're building

startups it's going to be to go out

there to experiment to build things to

test them in the market if they work

we're going to find ways to be able to

do those better but in the end of the

day your ability to be able to put the

solution to a problem that someone's

having in their hands and for those

people to get an outcome that's

desirable and they're willing to pay for

is the number one thing you should focus

on the tools and the techniques those

are secondary to you really being able

to

give the value to the end customer hope

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