No Code MVP

Bram's journey to No Code MVP started years earlier with StartupStash, a curated directory of 400 tools and resources for startups. Launched on Product Hunt in 2012, it became the platform's most upvoted product of all time with over 20,000 upvotes. The success taught Bram a crucial lesson: if you deliver real value—through curation, not flashy design—people will adopt it. "I really think that if you deliver value with your product that people don't really care what it looks like or what it was built with," he reflected.

While working as an investor in Amsterdam, Bram was naturally drawn to exploring new tools and trends. When he discovered Carrd (a no-code website builder) four years before launching No Code MVP, something clicked. He realized that combining Carrd, Zapier, Google Sheets, and AirTable created a powerful stack capable of solving 70-80% of early-stage startup needs. More importantly, he had spent years consulting with dozens of startups on validation, positioning, and MVP strategy. The insight: combine proven methodology with practical tools.

Bram didn't build a course first—he validated with a landing page. He put up a simple page on BetaList describing the three pillars: mindset, methodology, and tools. His goal was 500 email subscribers; he got 2,800. That became his signal to proceed.

But the real acceleration came unexpectedly. A contact from the innovation department of a major Dutch bank called and asked if he offered corporate workshops. Bram didn't have one ready, but he said yes and quoted €5,000 for a two-day workshop. He was immediately paid to validate his core content. "I got paid to actually develop it," he recalled. "If they hate the workshop, I'll just refund the money."

He created a 400-slide Keynote presentation covering everything: mindset, process, tools, and live demos. He ran the workshop, then another, then another. By offering corporate workshops, he was simultaneously validating his curriculum and funding its development. He generated nearly €20,000 from workshops while iterating the content.

The first paying customer came through a direct relationship—the bank that requested the workshop. But Bram's broader customer acquisition came through multiple channels: BetaList (2,800 early subscribers), Twitter, Reddit, and word-of-mouth from people in his network. He never did paid ads; instead, he leaned on his reputation as an early adopter and trusted voice in startup circles.

Bram's core insight was understanding that most founders build the wrong thing because they skip validation. "If you want to go somewhere, there's always a problem," he said. His course teaches people to break their big idea into small, testable chunks. The methodology follows 12 steps: start with your big vision, segment down to a specific customer type, validate whether that segment has the problem you think, and only then build.

What worked: validating with a landing page before building, getting paid to develop the product through workshops, and teaching the process alongside the tools. What could have gone wrong: building a course without proof of demand. Instead, he proved demand first through email subscribers and paying customers.

As of the interview, No Code MVP was generating $4-5k monthly revenue (though Bram noted it was likely higher when accounting for PayPal and direct bank transfers). The course structure is 15-20% mindset, ~50% methodology, and the remaining portion teaches the practical no-code stack. It includes six step-by-step building guides for different product types.

Bram remains philosophy-first: "Nobody cares about your idea. Nobody cares about your product. It should really work and deliver the value." His goal is to turn it into a sustainable income stream, and he's thoughtful about staying objective—testing, learning, and moving to the next idea if evidence doesn't support pursuit. The approach that built StartupStash and validated No Code MVP remains the same: deliver real value, find your audience, and let the results speak.