Building a product used to be expensive, slow, and complicated. You needed funding, a team of developers, and months of building before your first user could even touch the product. But the landscape has completely shifted. In our recent webinar, “How to Launch a Product Business Without a Big Budget or Dev Team,” we explored how modern entrepreneurs can launch real, testable products using no-code and low-code tools—and scale from idea to traction without writing complex code or raising big money upfront.
The session was led by Serhii Mariiekha, a Principal Software Engineer who’s worked with both early-stage startups and large enterprises. Serhii broke down the current tools and strategies that make it possible to bring a product to life faster, leaner, and smarter than ever before.
Whether you’re a solo founder, a marketer with an idea, or just curious about launching your own product, here’s a deep dive into the key insights from the webinar:
1. How to Validate Demand and Competition
Serhii started by emphasizing a crucial (but often skipped) step: validating the idea before building anything. Too many founders fall in love with their solution without making sure people actually want it. Instead of rushing to build, Serhii recommended taking a step back and asking: Is there real demand for this? Who are your competitors? Can you differentiate?
He outlined several ways to validate demand efficiently:
- Create a simple landing page with a clear value proposition, visuals (or mockups), and a call-to-action (like an email signup or “Join the waitlist” button). This is one of the quickest ways to gauge interest and measure click-through and conversion rates.
- Run surveys or interviews with your target audience. This is about getting qualitative data—learning how potential users talk about their problems, what tools they’re currently using, and whether your idea solves something they truly care about. Serhii pointed out that these conversations can also spark ideas you might have missed entirely.
- Scope out your competition. Use tools like Google Trends, Reddit threads, App Store listings, and product platforms like Product Hunt to understand what’s already out there. You want to identify whether there’s saturation, whitespace, or a niche you can target with a better approach, pricing model, or UX.
In Serhii’s words: “Validating your idea doesn’t have to take months or thousands of dollars. A simple test landing page and a few honest conversations can save you from wasting time building something no one wants.”
2. Using No-Code & Low-Code Tools to Build Your MVP
Once you’ve validated that there’s real interest in your idea, the next step is building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—but this doesn’t mean hiring a development team. Instead, Serhii showed how today’s no-code and low-code tools allow founders to build functional, interactive products with little to no engineering effort.
He walked through a stack of tools that can cover everything from UI to backend:
- Frontend/Website builders: Tools like Webflow, Carrd, and Framer let you build beautiful, responsive web pages without touching HTML or CSS. You can use them for landing pages, marketing sites, or even interactive product mockups.
- Databases & data storage: Tools like Airtable, Google Sheets, or Notion databases can act as lightweight backends. They’re easy to use, flexible, and integrate well with other tools.
- Automation and logic: With platforms like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), you can connect tools, automate workflows, and simulate backend logic. For example, you can automatically send emails, update databases, or trigger custom notifications—all without writing backend code.
- App builders: For more interactive MVPs, tools like Bubble, Glide, or Softr can help you create dashboards, web apps, and user portals. These platforms offer drag-and-drop interfaces, database support, and logic workflows to simulate a real product experience.
The beauty of no-code is how fast you can go from idea to prototype. Serhii shared several examples of founders who launched MVPs in a weekend and validated demand with paying users before investing further in development.
3. How to Connect Tools to Simulate Real Functionality
One of the most eye-opening parts of the webinar was how Serhii demonstrated simulating “real” product functionality without fully building it.
For early-stage products, you often don’t need all the backend infrastructure working from day one. What you really need is to test how users interact with your idea—and for that, you can fake or simulate functionality using connected tools.
Serhii walked through an example where:
- A user fills out a form (via Typeform or Tally) to request a service.
- That data is sent to Airtable, acting as the internal database.
- A Zapier automation reads that data and sends a Slack message or email to a team member.
- The team member responds manually, but to the user, it feels like they’re using a fully-automated product.
This technique—sometimes called a “Wizard of Oz MVP”—allows you to validate workflows and user value without fully automating or building the backend. Once the process is proven, you can slowly replace manual steps with code or deeper integrations.
Serhii also pointed out that simulating functionality is often smarter than building it outright because it gives you space to iterate based on user feedback before committing technical resources.
4. How to Attract Users, Investors & Scale Up
Validation and MVPs are just the beginning. The next question is: How do you get people to use your product—and how do you scale it?
Serhii outlined several smart, low-cost strategies for early growth:
- Leverage communities. Don’t underestimate the power of sharing your journey. Platforms like Twitter (especially #buildinpublic), Indie Hackers, Reddit, or niche Slack groups are full of early adopters who love discovering new tools and giving feedback.
- Cold outreach. A well-researched, personalized message to your ideal user can open the door to feedback, signups, or even partnerships. Serhii recommended identifying 20-30 target users and reaching out directly with a short, clear ask.
- Launch on discovery platforms. Sites like Product Hunt, Betalist, and Hacker News are designed to help new products get visibility. A successful launch can bring hundreds (or thousands) of eyeballs—and critical feedback—to your MVP.
- Show traction to attract investment. If your product gets early traction—signups, revenue, or even active user engagement—you may already have what you need to start raising money. Investors are looking for validation and momentum, not just big ideas. A lean MVP that solves a real problem is often more impressive than a slick pitch deck.
He wrapped the session with a reminder: “Don’t wait until everything is perfect to launch. The fastest way to learn is by putting something out there.”
Final Thoughts
Launching a product today doesn’t require a big team or a massive budget. With the right mindset, smart tools, and lean validation strategies, you can turn your idea into a live product faster than ever.
Serhii Mariiekha’s webinar offered a clear, tactical roadmap for anyone looking to get started—whether you’re a solo founder, an indie hacker, or a product manager exploring side projects.
The most important takeaway? Start small, validate quickly, and build only what you need to learn. The tools are out there—you just have to use them.