Earlywork #10: No Code, No Worries
Featuring roles from ProFlow, RecycleSmart, Like Family & more + interviews with Brent Liang (Co-Founder @ Logieq) & Marina Wu (Associate Product Manager @ Finder)
Hey gang!
It’s ya boi Dan and we’re hitting double digits with Episode 10 of Earlywork, a (usually) weekly newsletter that gives you:
A shortlist of the best roles for students & recent graduates across tech & startups in Sydney (+ remote roles).
Free career resources for young people looking to break into tech & startups.
Interviews with young startup founders & employees.
If you’re not already part of the crew, subscribe now to keep a pulse on our latest stories and conversations:
Thank you to all those who have already completed the Earlywork user research survey, and a cheeky reminder to fill it in for those who haven’t 😉.
Excited to share the next steps with you as we look towards some initial solutions to the problems you described in the survey.
But first off, a topic that I think is super important to make for visible for non-technical (and even technical people) looking to test out their own business ideas or side projects…
💡 Weekly Cheeky Tip:
No Code, No Worries feat. Brent Liang (Co-Founder @ Logieq)
Having studied both Computer Science & Commerce in university, I was exposed to a pretty wide variety of students in terms of the degree of technical skills & knowledge.
One flavour of comment that’s come up again and again from peers on the less technical end of the spectrum…
”Oh, I’ve got this cool app/website idea but I don’t know how to code."
And the next part is usually one of the following:
”Would you be keen to help me build it?”
“Do you know someone who would be able to code it?”
“What programming languages should I learn so I can build it?"
Pause.
Coding is certainly a valuable skill to pick up and understand, but I don’t think you necessarily need to learn how to code in order to build a tech product.
Chris Wanstrath, CEO at GitHub, says “The future of coding is no coding at all.”
Wait, but why?
No-code tools: platforms that help you build full web and mobile apps without writing a single line of code (or low-code options).
Think drag-and-drop approaches where you can place content blocks and buttons to design pages as you please.
Now, you might think, ah yeah but no serious startup actually uses that stuff…
…but in terms of venture capital funding, Dividend raised $365M, Petal raised $300M, Lattice raised $49M, Comet raised $13M.
And all of them did so with either a product or website built on a no-code platform.
Some of the most popular tools I’ve seen in this space are:
Bubble: No-code tool that lets you build SaaS platforms, marketplaces and CRMs without code
Webflow: Build professional, custom websites in a completely visual canvas.
Notion: Customisable workspace tool combining team wikis, tasks, project management, notes & docs.
Zapier: Automated workflow tool that allows you to connect apps to share info between them.
Carrd: Simple, free, fully responsive one-page sites for pretty much anything.
Heck, even the Earlywork website I just whipped up one evening on Google Sites for free without any code.
Cenario has a dope article which covers 21 different no-code tools you can use for just about anything (except maybe finding the inherent meaning of life), but if you’ve seen any other cool no-code tools, chuck us a cheeky comment below:
A caveat: no-code platforms ultimately rely on a finite set of templates & building blocks and do not offer the same degree of customisability as building something from scratch.
Depending upon the technical complexity / desired customisability of your product, you may find that down the line, it makes more sense to code something instead.
Still, no-code tools are a fantastic way to get started and test out your ideas in the market (and they’re continuing to get better and better).
Now, knowing what no-code tools are out there is one thing, but using them comes with its own learning curve.
That’s why I spoke to Brent Liang (Co-Founder @ Logieq, an early-stage Aussie startup building tasks & challenges to help fast-growing startups hire better), who was recently featured by Bubble, sharing his experiences on two different startups he’s built entirely using their no-code platform.
Here are Brent’s top 6 tips when it comes to building out a no-code product:
✅ 3 Dos for Building Your Own Thing With No Code:
Do it every day. Consistency matters more than anything, even if 1-2 hours
Do real projects. Try to build a proper app and follow it through to launch, don't see it as an assignment
Do share around progress. Be visible and active in forums, ask questions and help out; building in public is part of what got me noticed by Bubble.
❌ 3 Donts for Building Your Own Thing With No Code:
Don’t drop when things get hard. The learning curve has a flat section for Bubble and it’s easy to get deflated. You just need to keep going; no other way to do it (especially when learning responsiveness).
Don't obsess at a loss of productivity. Healthy obsession is good, but too much obsession = coding anxiety + racing thoughts 24/7. Take a break when this happens and come back later. This is good practice for things later in life too.
Don’t compromise. You can build 100% of Uber on Bubble. It’s possible. Even when you ship a scrappy MVP, never doubt what you can build on the platform. All you need is more hours (but much less than actual coding) and consistency working on it every day.
⛅ Intern & Part-Time Roles
🛠️ Technical
Software Engineering Intern, HelloFresh
Subscription meal-kit delivery service.Network Engineer Intern, Cisco
Global tech company that builds software and hardware for networking and telecommunications.
🎨 Creative
Digital Marketing Intern, SkyBuys
Duty-free shopping app for international travellers.
💪 Business
Fintech Commercial Intern, BOULEVARD
A software platform to register shares.Data Analyst & Marketing Intern, RecycleSmart
Email eugenie.alonzo@recyclesmart.com with your resume and a few quick sentences on what inspires you about RecycleSmart.Legal Intern, CrowdStrike
Cybersecurity endpoint and threat intelligence platform.
🌞 Graduate & Full-Time Roles
🛠️ Technical
Software Engineer x 2, ProFlow 🌏
New Zealand-based early-stage B2B SaaS startup helping people become great managers. I was lucky enough to work for the founder, Harry Uffindell, when I was a first-year university student, and this had a huge impact on how I thought about business & careers.Data Analyst, Prezzee (via Hatch)
eCommerce service for digital gift cards & vouchers.Data Engineer, Finder
Australia's most visited comparison site.TechU Graduate Program, Amazon
Leading global eCommerce marketplace created by some dude called Jeff Bezos.Cloud Triage Support Associate, MongoDB
Cross-platform distributed database for modern apps.
🎨 Creative
Marketing Coordinator, Rosemary Health
Telehealth platform with online doctors & medication delivery.Digital Marketing Graduate. + Writer - New Niches (Contract), Finder
Australia's most visited comparison site.Web Designer (Product), Zip
Buy-now, pay-later platform for retail.Social Media Marketing Coordinator, Dimple
Subscription service for contact lenses.Marketing Analyst, Forget Me Not
Microlearning app that makes daily learning a priority.
💪 Business
Customer Success Specialist, Like Family
NDIS-approved companionship marketplace.Strategic Operations Associate, Homage
Home care solution that combines the curation and training of care professionals with smart technology to provide on-demand home caregiving to seniors.Customer Success Associate, Poshmark
Social commerce marketplace for new & used fashion.Platform Services Associate, Amobee 🌏
Marketing technology platform that consolidates different advertising channels.Junior Lending Associate, Celsius
Democratized interest income and lending app.Junior Sales Representative, EatClub 🌏
Customer engagement platform that gives restaurants the control to manage demand for their tables and improve their profit margins through the use of dynamic pricing.Sales Development Representative, Deputy
Rostering and time clock software.Account Development Representative, Employment Hero
All-in-one HR software, Payroll and benefits platform for employers & employees.Business Development Representative, Insider
Platform to help marketers drive growth across the funnel.Sales Development Representative, Dialpad
Cloud-based business phone system.Customer Support Analyst, FareHarbor
Online activity & tour operator booking software.Sales Development Representative, Templafy
Platform to improve and automate the document creation workflow.Sales Consultant, Zoomo
Subscription platform for utility e-bikes and aftermarket servicing.Customer Support Representative (Graduate), ipSCAPE
Cloud communication technology for sales, service and support.Inside Sales Consultant, hipages
IOnline platform that connects Australian households with tradies.
🌏 = remote role
1️⃣ 🕐 💪 One Minute Hustle
We are back once again with One Minute Hustle, a bite-sized interview with an emerging Australian young startup founder or operator. Today, let’s get inside the noggin of a fellow product enthusiast and newsletter writer…
Marina Wu, Associate Product Manager @ Finder
What are you working on?
In my day job, I'm an associate product manager at Finder (you may have heard our jingle on TV!), focusing on creating features in the Finder app that take the hassle out of comparing and switching financial products. My latest side-hustle is my own Substack called Batch Day where I write about my experiences as a PM, lessons I've learned from my previous internships and tips I've picked up along the way.
How'd you get started?
My journey began at an early-stage startup, getFoodi which really opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurship. I couldn't believe that 3 barely-graduated guys built an entire marketplace business from scratch. After getFoodi, I wanted to see what else was out there and on this journey, I worked at large corporates, VCs, and another pre-Series A startup, before landing at Finder. Things came full circle and now I get to work on work on building value-adding products for our users, and even write about it too! 😆
Why do you do what you do?
I'm always thinking about how we can tackle the big, audacious problems in the world, and solve these with simple, beautiful products that are valuable to users. What drives me is the impact of what I do — how a product, feature or experience can help solve a user's problems.
The finish line has been crossed!
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Ciao for now,
Dan
Daniel Brockwell
Creator @ Earlywork
Email| LinkedIn
