Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Peverelli.
Hi Christian, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
15 years ago when I was building my first startup company, I faced many pains because I didn’t know computer programming.
You see, these days every business is a software business. So regardless of whether I wanted to sell t-shirts or software, I needed to build an online platform (website, app or platform).
However, the options I had at the time were less than ideal:
1) Hiring developers /computer programmers was really expensive.
2) Hiring cheap developers usually ended up in very buggy/unusable software.
3) Finding a technical co-founder was an endless search for a unicorn.
4) Learning how to code takes 3 years and is very frustrating
None of those options worked for me. We hired programmers who were great but too expensive, we then went for cheap developers who build spaghetti code that was unusable and interviewed so many co-founders who were not good fit. The entire experience was frustrating and ended up costing me tens of thousands of dollars and over a year of my life.
But it was only when I became the director of a startup accelerator program 10 years later that I realized that this was the largest pain point for entrepreneurs in the digital era. And I got very frustrated of seeing non-technical founders spend tens of thousands of dollars of their saving and 1-3 years of their life with little progress to show for it.
In parallel, I discovered this exciting new movement called no-code/visual programming. A set of tools that allows non-techies to build software without coding or understanding coding language. Simply said it allows a user to drag and drop functionalities point click to build powerful apps and websites.
In fact, my co-founder had built a 6 figure business with these tools without any experience, technical skills or investors. It was clear to me in that moment that this was about to revolutionize entrepreneurship forever.
However… yes, the big however 🙂
Studies from CB show that the number 1 reason why startups fail is because there is no real need for the product/service they are selling. In fact, 90% of apps in the IOS store have not been used in 30 days.
In other words, an app or website is not a business.
And there are so many other things entrepreneurs have to learn to build a profitable business. Marketing, sales, business models, building a team, etc.
And after speaking to many other non-technical entrepreneurs (non-coders), I realized they needed a proper support system as they went through their journey. Some had no clue how to get started, others needed technical support as they were building.
That was the point at which I realized that this innovative new way of building online businesses needed to be democratized.
So my co-founder and I combined our 30 years of experience into an online program that would teach entrepreneurs how to build, launch and monetize their startup idea without writing a single line of code. It combines the step-by-step methodologies being used in silicon valley with teaching a curated list of no-code tools. We then provide weekly coaching, video support and $300K of discounts to upskill founders and empower them.
Our company is called WeAreNoCode and we teach entrepreneurs how to build their own platforms, launch their businesses and get their first paying customers. All without hiring computer programmers.
We have now trained over 450 founders from 23 countries and have students from UCLA, Princeton, USC and many other prestigious institutions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building a startup business is never easy. It requires perseverance, hard work, flexibility and passion. I have yet to meet an entrepreneur who calls their road smooth. That being said, with the right support and guidance the ride can be much less turbulent.
One of the challenges that we have to overcome every day is education. Many people don’t know about this new way of building. So before people are ready to jump in, we have to educate them. That adds some complexity to the marketing strategy. It’s easy to decide if you want to buy an apple or not because you know exactly what it is. We had to explain what it was to help them taste it before jumping in, explain the benefits of eating apples, etc.
Another challenge was the increasing cost of ads on Facebook. From one day to the other we had to stop spending money because it did not make sense anymore. At that point, we only had two marketing channels working so we saw a big drop in new students. It was stressful, but that’s when we started our Youtube Channel and that has been a great time investment for us.
As you know, we’re big fans of WeAreNoCode. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
WeAreNoCode is an online school for non-technical entrepreneurs.
Our no-code accelerator program teaches founders how to build and launch their startup ideas without going through the expensive process of trial and error.
Our approach is unique because it combines proven startup methodologies with a curated list of powerful no-code tools.
We have trained over 450 founders from 23 countries and have students from UCLA, Princeton, USC and many other prestigious institutions.
We take great pride in the success of our entrepreneurs. Heidi for example, the founder of Aware Health, went from idea to $30’000/month in recurring revenue within 12 months with no prior startup experience or technical skills. She has now gotten into TechStars LA and raised 700K from investors.
Building startups is never easy, but trying to figure it out on your own can be very expensive. We want aspiring founders to know that they do not need a fancy degree, a lot of money, or technical skills to build their startup.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about LA:
– Food (Tacos, Pho, Sushi, Fallafel, etc.) There are so many options and so many fusions between different gastronomies.
– Iconic Entertainment (Comedy store, Hollywood Bowl, Santa Monica Pier, etc.) It sometimes feels like you are on the set of a movie you watched in the 90s.
– People. There is such a diverse set of cultures living in LA. I grew up in South America and Europe and just love meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds.
What I like least about LA:
– Homelessness – It’s sad to see so many people struggling with different problems including mental health, poverty and drug abuse.
Contact Info:
- Website:Â WeAreNoCode.com
- Instagram:Â @wearenocode
- Facebook:Â @wearenocode
- Twitter:Â @wearenocode
- Youtube:Â https://www.youtube.com/@wearenocode
