It's been 6 months since I launched Kollecto, and we still haven't written any code (see part 1 of this post). Instead, we've built our MVP by stringing together off-the-shelf technology.
As a non-technical founder, building without code has given me full flexibility to iterate on the Kollecto UX without spending pre-mature time or money on tech. It allows us to spend under $500/mo. on all our product, marketing, & operations. Since launch, we've also done $12k in revenue.
Here's an update on how we're building:
1. Sign up flow: Using Typeform Typeform "logic jumps" let us can ask different questions based on the user's previous answer.
.2. Backend automation: Using Zapier, Pipedrive & Campaign Monitor We use Zapier to automatically read the Typeform questionnaires & organize clients into lists in Campaign Monitor.
Zapier also reads the Typeform questionnaires & automatically organizes clients into our CRM software (Pipedrive)
- Augmented Reality: Using ArtBeamer
ArtBeamer is an augmented reality app that lets clients see what art actually looks like on their walls. We pay $40/mo for a customized app for our clients.
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- An Email UX: Using Campaign Monitor
Our entire UX is via email! And it works well—there are no logins, no passwords, easy analytics, and the experience feels natural (If you hired a personal assistant, you'd expect them to communicate with you via email. This isn't much different).
Clients get weekly personalized emails from their Advisor. They can request more info on any piece, give feedback, or review art from previous emails using buttons within the email. http://show.placeit.net/?id=4854 Try scrolling through the email..
- Startup explainer video: Using Videolean, Fiverr, & iMovie
A few months ago, I discovered Videolean.com: a site for DIY explainer videos. Videolean had some great templates, but more than anything, I liked the startup explainer video they used for their own business. So I contacted them & asked for it. :)
They sold it to me & customized my scenes for $200.I rearranged scenes using iMovie, wrote a script, & paid $5 for a professional voiceover on Fiverr. The video cost $205 total. It's not perfect, but I think it's a good first video: //player.vimeo.com/video/113121913?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
When I started Kollecto, I envisioned a tech-heavy platform for matching first-time collectors with an art advisor. I'm so glad I didn't start writing code for that, because we've pivoted this service dozens of times. Spending 0% of time on coding and 100% of time learning what my customers want has been really rewarding & successful.
Here's my original post: Building without an Ounce of Code- Part 1
Learn more about how we're democratizing art advisory at artkollecto.com
