Oh, hey 👋
Sam Thompson built a $1M+ SaaS business with zero coding skills.
How? By stitching together off-the-shelf tools like Zapier, Airtable, and Webflow to automate his work, launch in days, and deliver instant results for customers.
In the next 7 minutes, you’ll learn:
A weekend playbook to create a working SaaS without code
Why starting with services is still the fastest way to find paying customers
How to pick the right automation tools (Zapier vs. Make vs. n8n) and get inspired by real workflows
Let’s dive in.
Cheat code
Sam created CreativeOS, a library of high-performing ad templates for DTC brands, on a no-code build. The only exception was nine lines of custom code (courtesy of his dev friend) to help customers copy templates straight into Figma. The rest was Zapier, Airtable, Webflow, and a few glue apps.
This stack powered the product, and it also ran the business.
For example, instead of hiring a sales rep, Sam built four automations to move leads, trigger follow-ups, and update his pipeline. Normally, this kind of work would take a full-time role, but Sam handled it for pennies an email.
His 7-step weekend playbook looks like this:
Pick a repeat problem with clear buyers. Look for pain points that show up across many companies. Example: DTC teams need fresh ad creatives every week, or accountants spend hours re-entering data.
Map the journey from Point A to Point B. Write the before state and the desired outcome in one line. “Marketing manager with stale ads” → “new, proven creative ready to launch today.” Now you’re ready to make the solution tangible.
Build the front end fast. Tools like Webflow or Glide let you mock up a working version in days—no coding necessary, of course.
Store data in a tool like Airtable. Sam loves this tool. Think of it as a spreadsheet that can run your business. It holds everything (your content, customers, and payments) and can act as a lightweight backend for your app.
Connect everything using Zapier or Make. Use them to instantly sync data between forms, databases, email, billing, and messaging. Start with 2–4 simple automations, like taking a new signup from your form, adding them to your database, and instantly sending them a welcome email.
Ship one visible win. That’s the first “oh wow” moment a user gets within minutes, and it proves value without a tour or sales call. For Sam, the visible win was one-click ad templates that dropped straight into Canva or Figma, instantly editable and ready to use. For you, it could be an instant dashboard with sample data or a form that auto-generates a client report.
Price simply. Whether it’s a flat fee, a package, or a lifetime deal, the buyer should understand in seconds what they get and what it costs.
Productize yourself
Though it’s now a million-dollar software product, CreativeOS actually started as an agency.
The key is to start with your service, then productize.
Sam created ad templates from his client projects → those templates became one-time packs (e.g., “get 50 templates for $150”) → the packs turned into a recurring subscription using no-code tools → then custom code entered the picture.
This path worked because:
Providing a service gave Sam cash flow and insights. Client work paid the bills while putting him directly in front of real problems. (Our friend Tim Stoddart has the same approach toward client services.)
Productizing the service streamlined delivery. Turning custom designs into repeatable packs let him serve more people with less effort.
Software became the obvious next step. Once the same win showed up across clients, a tool to automate it basically built itself.
One of Sam’s favorite examples of a productized service is his project 72HourSites. The name itself is the offer: get a conversion-ready website in 72 hours. Clear, fast, priced to ROI.
This approach works outside design, too. You can “niche into a tool” by building services around QuickBooks, Salesforce, Databox, or Zapier themselves. If you’re an accountant, set up and troubleshoot QuickBooks. If you’re a marketer, build Databox reports on demand. Once you see the repeatable pain point you can solve, you can decide when (and if) it deserves software.
👉 Watch the full interview to see Sam’s favorite no-code tools and how he spots his next opportunities.
Tool showdown
When it gets down to it, no-code automation tools basically do the same thing: connect your apps. But they shine in different ways.
Zapier: Best for beginners and small teams. It has the biggest app library (5,000+ integrations), an easy drag-and-drop UI, and tons of prebuilt “Zaps.” The tradeoff: costs ramp up fast if you’re running lots of tasks. Great for MVPs and lightweight automations.
Make (formerly Integromat): Designed for power users. Its visual canvas lets you map out complex, multi-step workflows (branching, loops, conditional logic). Cheaper than Zapier at scale, but the interface takes more time to learn. Think of it as Zapier’s more technical sibling.
n8n: Open-source and self-hostable. You can run it on your own server for free or use their cloud plan. Hugely flexible with advanced customization (like calling APIs directly), but setup requires some technical comfort. Best if you want control + low cost long term.
Source: Zapier
TL;DR: Use Zapier when you want speed and simplicity. Graduate to Make for advanced workflows. Pick n8n if you want ultimate flexibility and don’t mind a little setup.
Honorable mentions: IFTTT for personal tasks, Pipedream for dev-friendly flexibility, and Parabola if you’re wrangling lots of data.
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Automation can feel intimidating, but the best way to get inspired is by seeing what others are building.
We loved this Reddit thread where people shared their favorite automations: one person gets daily newsletter summaries, another has it build meal plans with a grocery list, and one even auto-applies for jobs.
To get started, automate what you hate. Your best first automation is the thing you’re sick of doing. You know, the thing that makes you roll your eyes every time you have to do it.
Don’t stack on conditions and branches until you have a simple workflow that works. Reliability beats complexity early on.
And remember: Be mindful of task counts. Tools like Zapier charge per task. Combining multiple actions in one workflow can cut costs fast.
Btw, here are some helpful resources to save:
📖 Automate All The Things (by Aron Korenblit): Blog + video library ft. real-world Airtable, Zapier, and Make workflows.
📺 Nick Saraev’s YouTube: Certified in Make & n8n, Nick breaks down automation and AI for entrepreneurs.
📺 Corbin Brown’s YouTube: Hands-on tutorials for AI and automation. Learn everything from using Zapier with MCP servers to building AI agents that post content.
📺 Gareth Pronovost’s YouTube: Airtable + automation tutorials, very beginner-friendly.
📺 Doc Williams’ YouTube: Shows how to turn no-code tools into businesses.
What’s your favorite automation you’ve built? Reply to this email and let us know!
❤️ & 🌮,
The AppSumo Team
P.S. Know an entrepreneur who could use these tips? Send them over to Mind Your Business.