What problems were you trying to solve, your motivation, what is your why for this?
WA: No problem. I simply thought, wow it is really nice to receive a random free pizza after a networking event or at a coworking space. This insight seems obvious and might not seem like an insight at all, but after thinking more this was my assumption: I obviously would not pay for a pizza I received for free after a networking event. The experience of getting that free pie was a happy surprise that I could then share with others. So the assumption really is “Someone would pay for the experience of this “happy surprise” upfront so that it could happen more often” (monthly).
This assumption could very well be wrong but I wanted to test it out. I came up with the idea on a Thursday, quickly spun up a fake landing page in 30 minutes, and then as customer discovery I sent a screenshot to my friend who is a big pizza guy. I gave him no context and didn’t share with him that it was my idea (also didn’t lead the witness “Look how cool this is”). Our conversation is below. I then discussed with some close friends on Friday (KP & @edmundamoye). They encouraged me so I built for 5 hours on Sunday then launched on Twitter Monday morning.
I spent 1,000+ hours talking with 150+ No-code Founders, who have generated millions of dollars with their businesses without actually writing code.
How are they doing it?
I spent years researching and building on what they do. I wrote The Lean Side Project so you can build and launch your product.
See the Maker Persona #2 in this write up I did about why I think that projects like this are gamechangers: https://sideprojectstack.com/is-no-code-a-game-changer/
Distribution matters: It’s the spark that gets your product noticed over the noisy world we live in. Creating something contrarian will rise above the noise.
Not all of us have family members to float you thousands of dollars to develop an app that doesn’t have precedence to be successful. Now with the power of no-code, you can make it your self. And the only risk is your time making it.
My interview with Whit:
TL;DR – Whit shows why no code is a gamechanger . How it will create an avalanche of Makers willing to try novel ideas that seemed contrarian. Snapchat was contrarian. Not saying Random Pizza is Snapchat. But its opposite of what you think might be a good idea to spend your time. But with nocode thats the magical part. There is no risk when you can build an app in an afternoon.
WA: Randompizza.io The cheesy subscription that randomly delivers you pizza 🍕
WA: No problem. I simply thought, wow it is really nice to receive a random free pizza after a networking event or at a coworking space. This insight seems obvious and might not seem like an insight at all, but after thinking more this was my assumption: I obviously would not pay for a pizza I received for free after a networking event. The experience of getting that free pie was a happy surprise that I could then share with others. So the assumption really is “Someone would pay for the experience of this “happy surprise” upfront so that it could happen more often” (monthly).
This assumption could very well be wrong but I wanted to test it out. I came up with the idea on a Thursday, quickly spun up a fake landing page in 30 minutes, and then as customer discovery I sent a screenshot to my friend who is a big pizza guy. I gave him no context and didn’t share with him that it was my idea (also didn’t lead the witness “Look how cool this is”). Our conversation is below. I then discussed with some close friends on Friday (KP & @edmundamoye). They encouraged me so I built for 5 hours on Sunday then launched on Twitter Monday morning.
WA:
Webflow – Website
Gumroad – Subscription / Payments
Typeform – Data on Preferences / Form
Google Sheet – Database
Zapier – Pushing & Pulling Data / Automations
WA: Webflow is my bread and butter. It is cumbersome at first but provides so much value as a base website. I have tried others but none allow me integrations, clonability, and customization of Webflow (At least for me).
Typeform is what I typically use for submission. I was hoping it would also act as my subscription payment tool but sadly they only do one-time payments. I ended up using them for “Sending a friend a One-off Pizza”
I turned to Gumroad for the subscription payments. I have a deep love for their brand via twitter and Sahil. They care about makers. Also, their product is dope. Lots of customizations for discount codes, pricing tiers, etc.
Google Sheets – Default that typeform sends to. I like it. Free.
Zapier was my automation hack. When people signed up on Gumroad a “Zap” occurred that would send an introductory email (from: Papawhits@gmail.com) saying them and linking them to the final step, set your preferences.
WA: This project is my most interesting stack. In the past, I typically build using Webflow and do forms via Typeform.
WA: Do differently: Not sure I’ve had that insight yet. It’s early.
Learning: It is still early days on this project but people need to actually buy/engage in your product for you to realize it has value. Having some buzz when it’s new then it fades off doesn’t mean people want it. That’s fine. Adjust the value prop (not slightly but drastically) then see what the response is. Eventually you might have something or move on to something else.
WA: Randompizza.io
Please reach out on Twitter if you ever need advice, support, or even just want to chat about what you’re working on. I’m early days on all this Maker stuff so we’re all in the same boat.
WA: Trying to get some early subscribers to see if receiving a pizza randomly offers enough value. Set your preferences and receive random pizza 🍕.
Use Side Project Stack’s exclusive discount code “PapaMichaels” for 10% off. Join the Pizza Party today!
(Not sure if you want to do that or not but thought it could be fun).
Once a week, valuable and actionable insights, no bs -- promised.