I recently interviewed the co-founder of Bubble, Emmanuel Straschnov. For the unfamiliar, Bubble is a popular no-code tool you can use to build SaaS products, social media sites, marketplaces, CRMs, and so much more, which a number of startups and social good initiatives have used to launch and achieve success.
If you have no idea what no-code is, no-code basically describes tools you can use to create apps and software with little to no code. Bubble's one of the biggest platforms in that space.
We touched on several themes, including growth and success tips for creators and so much more, which you can read about in full here.
Some of the most memorable parts of my chat with Emmanuel for me personally though were his thoughts about diversity – tech as an innovative tool essentially helping bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots of the world. I found it very inspiring. Here are a few quotes from the interview that stood out for me in particular:
No-coders need to start building, Emmanuel says, because "software engineers are fixing rich people problems."
"The accessibility of no-code and Bubble means problems uniquely suited to those from other communities can be solved," continues Emmanuel. "Users know these problems from their communities intimately that software engineers, [who tend to be paid a lot and belong in different circles], are not familiar with. COVID made this even more visible — we need to have technology where people can build solutions everywhere, and it’s [not only the privileged who can]. Keep building."
Being the psychology nerd that I am, I also couldn't help but wonder and ask what inspires a creator as successful as him. I loved that his answer was simple: reading and his community.
What does a successful no-code tool creator like Emmanuel do daily that inspires his ideas?
Reading, Emmanuel told me — and listening.
“I’ve been reading business books much more,” he says. “It’s something I wasn’t doing before and it’s provided inspiration.”
Asked what business book he’d recommend, Emmanuel responded, “Principles: Life and Work” by the founder of Bridgewater Associates, where Bubble co-founder Josh Haas used to work as a manager.
In terms of what helps him come up with ideas for Bubble, Emmanuel again pointed to past conversations with users when he spent five years doing customer success.
Talking directly to users so frequently helped him develop a deep understanding of what they wanted and what they were like, which has made it very easy to come up with feature ideas that do well.
Read the interview in full here.