I’m KP, I’ve built 10+ no-code projects and an audience, now running a no-code fellowship. AMA 🔥
KP
41 replies
I had a super unconventional journey into tech startups. I worked on the product teams at various Fortune 500s for years before I discovered my love for building products myself. I spent countless hours browsing through Product Hunt but only as a lurker and occasionally commenting on others' work. Eventually, frustrated by my lack of action and inability to write code, I stepped up in 2018 (thanks to the book Atomic Habits) and decided to build tiny teeny projects with no-code. Shipped my 1st project Do Things That Don't Scale in 5 days that became the #1 Product Of The Day which gave me the impetus to continue building a portfolio of over 10 projects — all built in public. Having felt it was time for me to switch from working at corporates to enter the startup arena, I've announced my availability for hire on Twitter and landed an ambitious job at On Deck in public in October 2020 (the back story is here. At my day job, I help hundreds of ambitious no-coders take wild shots and create solutions to solve their problems, and become prolific builders. (If interested, we're finalizing applications for the next cohort that starts on July 10th, apply here
My superpowers are creating give-first communities, building a passionate audience on the Internet around specific niches, creating tools with no-code to solve problems I care about and helping advise the next generation of entrepreneurs.
👋 I'll be here on 06/14 at 7 am pt to answer any and all questions about no-code, building in public, working at a high-growth startup, and more.
Replies
James Abayomi Ojo@jayyoms
I'm gonna enjoy this. I've cleared out my diary to make time for it.
Wot do u spend ur day to day doing. And what's the most enjoyable part?
Share
@jayyoms It changes a bit based but here's a rough split:
1) read a few pages in the morning (I'm reading "Think and Grow Rich" currently)
2) reply to a few top mentions on Twitter
3) DM or call a friend for 5-10 min to catch up (this energizes me!)
4) play time with my newborn son (and feeding, diapers etc)
5) Quick meditation or gratitude journal (depends on how #4 goes 😄)
6) Get on my big tasks from On Deck (varies each day)
7) Answer emails or asks
8) Meetings/fellow interviews for On Deck
9) Sync up with my team & get ready for the next day
The most enjoyable part is #4 without an ounce of doubt but I enjoy most everything else too :)
which no-code tools are you using? which ones are you recommending for a beginner? Where to start?
@tchunche my favorite beginner tools are: softr.io, super.so, rows.com, glideapps.com
here is a simple cheatsheet I created to help with your question on where to start: https://nocodecheatsheet.com/
Cant do it Monday because of my full time job, but would love to read about your conversations if possible.
Love to know about your no-code project KP, What Is it? This is gonna be interesting and fun.
@adityarpatro my latest one is called extensionly.com, another one I built recently is: https://iqdb.webflow.io/
The rest of my projects are here: https://thisiskp.com/projects
I am looking for your project discussion.
SUPER pumped for this!
Question: Which channel out of twitter, youtube, TikTok, etc. are good means to build in public considering that there is so much noise, which makes it hard:
1. For founders to grab the audience attention
2. For product geek followers (like myself) to not get deviated in all the other content
Looking forward to it:)
@arnavbathla I'd say the first question you have to ask yourself is: "Which type of content do I enjoy creating the most?"
If you are a visual person, try IG. If you are a quick thinker, try Twitter. If you love organizing your thoughts into essays, try Substack. If you are great with video editing and commentary, try Tiktok.
Regardless of your core channel, I recommend always being active on Twitter anyway. Because to me, it is the equivalent of a public Slack channel of the entire Internet. Twitter can open doors in a unique way that is quite impossible to recreate in another medium. This applies to tech Twitter and founders but also to folks in creator economy now.
Whats the next big thing in no-code?
@miguel_baquero probably AI
Here are some startups in that space that are exciting to me:
Intuitive no-code AI: https://peltarion.com/
Data Predictions in minutes, without writing code: https://www.obviously.ai/
Hey KP! Thanks for doing this AMA. Here's my question: You went from building no-code projects to running no-code fellowship at On Deck. What was the whole journey like? And what advice you want to give for people who are just getting started in no-code and aiming to join ambitious startups?
@5harath, the experience was wild. I didn't think for one second in Oct 2018 (when I started) that I'd end up where I am now but I always knew I would be successful if I approached my undertaking with 1) a curious mindset wanting to learn by doing 2) ship small stuff without judging them or dwelling 3) teach others and share playbooks. I had to be patient for very long until Sep 2020 (almost 2 yrs) before an inflection point and everything became much easier after that.
My advice for those who are getting started in no-code and want to join an ambitious startup is: 1) The best startups hire for a bias towards action so show that in your resume 2) build a portfolio and not just one project (more shots on the goal) 3) build in public so you can build relationships with the right people before you need a job!
Hey KP 👋
Thank you for sharing your time today!
We know there are lots of ways to build an audience these days.
What is your current framework or approach to prioritising the different mediums to use? How would you split your time when you are first starting out? (ie social media, newsletter, blog, podcast...)
And once one is chosen, how do you think about structuring your content so you make it a habit?
With Gratitude,
Ash 🙌
@modernafflatus Great question. I have tried everything in the beginning but couldn't sustain my efforts. I started multiple newsletters, wrote hundreds of blog posts and posted on Linkedin and Medium hoping something would take off... in fact I burned out "creatively" much quicker this way. So I paused everything and just focused on what "felt like play to me and might be work for others". Upon reflection, to me, this was short form content like tweets. I remember making a note of this in July 2020 (when I had less than 3k audience) and just simply tweeted out 25-30 times a day between my meetings and on long walks or on my commute. It felt like play but I was generating a lot of impressions/engagement. I stuck with it and gradually built an audience of 15k now.
Now, slowly, I'm diverging into newsletters intentionally again but want to try the same principle (create what feels like play and be patient).
@kp @utkarsh_bhimte Great question.
My model for validation is: (in the decreasing order of importance)
1) Are people paying for this?
2) Are people not paying yet but raving about this to friends/on Twitter?
3) Do people I trust and part of my mastermind group believe this is an interesting idea?
4) Do I have enough curiosity to pursue this?
@kp @utkarsh_bhimte I also believe it's healthy to move on from ideas that don't meet your bar (as opposed to being super attached to one idea!)
What's your favourite learning resource and why?
@dkaravias My favorite is trends.vc which teaches me about various trends and lateral thinking (built by my friend @dru_riley :))
What analytics tool do you use for your products?
Is there anyone metric that you check more frequently than others?
@utkarsh_bhimte I tried Google Analytics and hated how over-engineered it felt for my side-projects. So I use https://plausible.io/ and love it :)
I check for page visits more than anything.
Hey KP! From a community perspective how so you think no-code companies can best onboard and educate non-technical people in to using their products?
@korey_stegared_pace If I were running a no=code company today, I'd focus extensively on education and marketing. The technology applications are already mind-blowing but creating a desire among non-technical users to give these platforms a shot is the hard part. I'd run experiments to learn about what specific initiatives add to their curiosity to learn and build. Because we need more builders (not just developers who can code) to create software apps in the next 10-20 years!
How has been your experience with OnDeck till now?
Would love to know your insights on CBCs and How it can affect the future of Education In general?
Hey KP!!
Big fan here :) I love that you're never scared to take your shot. Getting GaryVee on your podcast was a crazy shot that went straight in!!
How can others too take big shots that too in public? Is there a process to it? What if it didn't work and even worse not get any engagement?
@choubeysahab Thank you! It was so incredible to see Gary's moment come to life.
As far as taking big public risks, there is definitely a downside (you might look foolish or embarrassing) but the upside is 100x bigger. And if you do it right.. which means by "showing what value you'd add" or "offering a chance to say NO"... you will succeed. And if you don't, you have learned something and you can move on. Embracing failure publicly is a skill we all need to practice and thats why I do what I do.
PS: I shot my shot with Kunal Shah and he didn't say YES. I can't control it or be mad about it.. I still love his work and his impact. I may just have to move on :)
Thanks for doing this KP!
How are you able to balance being a program director at a rocket-ship startup, being a Dad and still have time to be active on Twitter and continue shipping out side projects?
@ahughsam1 I have a body double .. just kidding! Working remotely has 10x my productivity bc I don't have to waste time on commute or mindless socializing at bars etc. I view my time as investment in things I care about (and those which will compound).. including spending time on Twitter. Most of our customers come from Twitter.. and it is important to me to be an active voice in the no-code community. I carve out chunks of my week for specific activities like shipping new ideas.. and it feels like play to me.
🐣 Scenario: You've finished building your product (well 90%), you've validated the market, you've got online space, sales/marketing cylinders ready to fire, users can achieve value from the solution as it stands today. But you need funding for the last 10% and further growth.
Do you:
a) Spend what you can and build the complete package before fishing for funding?
b) Go all-in on looking for an investor with the base product now?
c) Play with what you have. Promote through different channels, outline a roadmap and try to get early adoption; at the same time search for funding?
Cheers.
Triv
p.s. or none of the above!
0948591094
I think you're the best person to answer my question and help me. Good to see you KP!
I'm building mobile app with Python and React Native, it has taken too much time already. I'm building app where people upload their video's and then you swipe these video's like people on Tinder and rate them. How can I implement nocode MVP for that in your opinion? The website is www.skatesome.com. Thanks!