This week's special is for both programmers and not-yet-programmers. For the former, you may discover tools you did not know yet or find an underserved niche. For the latter, I hope you discover that coding is not that hard and there's a plethora of components you can pick from to build your product.
I used to be a software engineer, so you might think it's easy for me to say that coding is not hard. (It isn't.) Sure, it's one of those "a day to learn, a lifetime to master" skills. Yes, most likely you won't pass a code review by a senior software engineer. And you know what? That doesn't matter. Even bad scripts can make you $500,000. None of your customers are interested in any tech you used to build your solution (I'm looking at you, AI and blockchain startups), they are interested in what gain they get from your product. What matters for you as a maker is that you get your product in front of customers as fast as possible.
Where Low Code helps here is that the ecosystem provides tools to develop applications with as less hand-coding as possible. The line to "No Code" approaches (which is a topic for a future issue) is blurry. Basically, No Code requires, well, no code at all, whereas Low Code requires you to get your hands dirty to a certain degree. Another aspect is that with No Code tools you may face platform or lock-in risk, whereas Low Code gives you more independence.
There are plenty of "the best low code tools every programmer must know" guides out there. Most of them are the usual SEO clickbait covering enterprise-grade software. I won't link to any of them. Instead, I'll give you this great overview of Low Code tools specifically selected for indie makers: The Most Revolutionary No-Code and Low-Code Tools.
I just realized that this special turned out different than I thought. So be it. Let it be a call to everyone to pick up a bit of coding skills, even if you consider yourself a "non-technical" person. It's worth your effort and will pay out in the long term. Don't let fear hold you back. Don't give up on your great ideas because you think you need a programmer. Everyone can code. I'm looking forward to your awesome products.
This post originally appeared in Basic Problem issue #17.
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