Karthik Sridharan Profile picture
Jun 7, 2021 16 tweets 10 min read Read on X
"Our startup's $2 million revenue runs on a $80/month NoCode stack."

When I shared this, I got many questions around the tools used.

So, today I share 7 types of NoCode tools along with:
1. Specific use case each solves
2. Real examples
3. Alternatives

Thread 🧵
1/ Marketing websites

A) Tools: @unicornplatform, @umsohq

B) Use cases
- You can simply drag & drop elements onto a page

- Build a marketing website in less than 60 mins

- Easily edit your marketing copy & communication to customers
1/ Marketing website (contd.)

C) Example

- We built our entire website of Flexiple.com containing over 50+ pages on Unicorn platform

D) Alternatives
- @carrd
- @webflow (covered later)
2/ Database storage and information websites

A) Tool: @airtable

B) Use cases
- Advanced and more UI-friendly excel
- Easily collect data using an intuitive form
- Neatly present the data on your website in intuitive layouts
2/ DB & Information websites (contd.)

C) Example
- To help individuals laid off due to COVID, we built a page listing those who could be hired: flexiple.com/covid-layoff-h…

D) Alternatives
- Tools like Sheet2site, Table2site work well with Airtable to make quick websites
3/ Beautiful info & e-commerce websites

A) Tool: @webflow

B) Use cases
- Build beautiful custom layouts without Code
- Leverage its "CMS" to make numerous automated pages
- Use particularly if you are a designer and want to implement custom design to pixel perfection
3/ Beautiful info websites (contd.)

C) Examples
- We built both Scale (2.flexiple.com/scale/all-illu…) and Founder origin stories (2.flexiple.com/founder-origin…) on Webflow

D) Alternatives
- Bubble (bubble.io): However, if focus is pixel perfect design, Webflow is much better.
4/ Automate workflows

A) Tools: @zapier, @integromat

B) Use cases
- Automate recurring manual effort
- Store data in CRM, send automated mails, integrate tools, etc.
- @zapier is more intuitive but costly, @integromat has a steeper learning curve but handles complex cases
4/ Automate workflows (contd.)

C) Example
- Almost all our dynamic flows are handled by Zapier or Integromat. User signup -> storing their data in our db -> sending them a mail

D) Alternatives:
- Parabola (@parabolahq)
- Automate (@automate)
5/ Login & membership systems

A) Tools: @MemberstackApp, @memberspace

B) Use cases
- To convert your static website to have signups/logins and to also manage SAAS memberships
- Restrict content or pages to only paid users
5/ Login and membership systems (contd.)

C) Example
- We built a dashboard for new projects viewing, sharing invoices, etc. using the above set of tools:

D) Alternative
- Bubble offers an in-built authentication system but doesn't manage subscriptions
6/ Any complex web-based product

A) Tool: @bubble

B) Use cases
- Job-boards, marketplaces, internal tools => build varied applications using its "workflows" & database
- Quite self-sufficient and removes the need to depend on other tools
- Responsive design is a not the best
6/ Complex web-based product (contd.)

C) Example
- Our internal tool is entirely built on top of Bubble and saves ~160 human hours per month (has sensitive data, so can't share video)

D) Alternatives:
- Adalo, Glide: More suited for mobile apps (discussed next)
7/ Mobile apps

A) Tools: @glideapps, @AdaloHQ

B) Use cases
- Build complex mobile apps with a simple drag & drop functionality
- Automate user actions with in-built workflows
- Use their own DB or even GoogleSheets to store data
7/ Mobile apps (contd.)

C) Example
- Not used these products myself, but a really cool example is of the apps made to help organise & share COVID resources with people: covidresource.glideapp.io

D) Alternatives
- No credible alternatives that I know of
That's it for this thread - start building great products!

Also, I regularly write on startups, so, if you would like more such threads, consider retweeting the first tweet & following me :)

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More from @KarthikS2206

Apr 6, 2023
I've made 1000 mistakes in my startup's journey to a million dollars.

Let me tell you the 7 important lessons I wish someone else had told me when I was starting:
1/ Business before tech

Everyone wants to make a million dollars before making 1 dollar. So, we start by building complex tech.

BIG mistake!

You started a company to make money. Tech is meant to help you with that - not the other way round.

So, business-first. Tech-later.
1/ (contd.)

Here’s how we screwed up:
Read 17 tweets
Apr 5, 2023
Most founders think of raising VC money as the 1st step. This duo built their startup to $50 million in revenue before going for funding.

Who are they?

Read, learn & get inspired 👇 Image
1/ How it started

Ritesh Arora & Nakul Aggarwal were roommates at IIT-Bombay.

Both pursuing Computer Science and had their hearts set on entrepreneurship.

Having the safety of “IIT Bombay CS” tag, they had no fear in taking the plunge and began working on their first startup.
2/ Failure #1

Interested in Sentimental Analysis, they built a product around it.

The tool used ML+NLP….well, in 2005! MUCH before these terms became commonplace the reception wasn't good.

They were rejected by 50 VCs.

Eventually, they took up day jobs to support themselves.
Read 13 tweets
Mar 28, 2023
While founders aimed for unicorn status, Paras’s goal was to earn Rs. 50,000/ month from Wingify.

Today, Wingify:
1. Revenue = Rs 155 Cr
2. Profits = Rs 51.5 Cr
All with ZERO VC funding!

Here’s a masterclass in startup lessons by Paras👇
1/ Catching the entrepreneurial bug

When Paras was a kid, his dad bought him a computer. And, instead of games, Paras went straight to coding.

In 8th grade, he built and published projects on the web and set up a donation button.
Soon, he was earning 5-6k/mo 😮
2/ Learning by doing

Come college time, Paras chose Biotechnology - not Computer Science as one might expect.

Yet, he continued to buildd startups:
1. He'd come up with an idea
2. Spend sleepless nights building it
3. Publish it online
4. Then, he'd wait to go viral.
Read 12 tweets
Feb 15, 2023
Finding a great co-founder for your startup is a game-changer!

The MOST important & toughest decision you will make.

A 3-step framework to help you find the important partner for your startup 👇🏼
Firstly, let's all accept that no "perfect" person exists :)

Your goal here is to find a great co-founder by being specific with your priorities.

The idea here is to not make a compromise but to find one that works perfectly with you.
Finding the perfect co-founder - Steps broken down:

1. Defining expectations.
2. Finding the perfect co-founder.
3. Approaching potential co-founders.

Let's dive in:
Read 13 tweets
Feb 11, 2023
Building a successful startup is hard.

But building an audience around your startup?

That's a superpower.

Here are 6 ways to create an engaged audience for your startup:
1. Get personal.

Share the story behind your startup.

Including your:

• Inspirations
• Challenges
• Failures

And what sets you apart from the competition.

Let your audience get to know the people behind the brand and connect with your mission. Image
2. Highlight your wins.

Share your victories, big or small.

Showcasing your successes helps build:

• Trust
• Authority
• Credibility

With your audience.

Celebrate milestones and share how you got there to inspire others and give a behind-the-scenes look. Image
Read 9 tweets
Nov 23, 2022
We wasted thousands of dollars buiding a marketing website.

Then our startup made millions of dollars using just a $10/month NoCode builder.

Here are 11 tough lessons I learnt about building a quality marketing website (so YOU don't make the same mistakes ) 🧵
1. Good not Custom

A marketing website is important. However, for an early-stage startup CUSTOM design & development is not!

So:
- Don't waste time & money building the perfect website (doesn't exist)
- Instead, spend it on building the business
2. Common mistake

Even if you know to code, don't think that *NoCode tools* are "beneath" you - that's just ridiculous.

You need to do what your startup needs - that's definitely not a custom coded website that looks like Stripe or Slack.

Much better to invest in Distribution!
Read 13 tweets

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