The LowCode Podcast

Jesus Vargas

5.0 (1)
Entrepreneurship
Updated Biweekly

The LowCode Podcast is all about launching your MVP, getting clients, growing your side business and automating stuff. Listen to learn more about other founders and business owners like you, how are they coming up with ideas, how do they validate their products, and how to launch and grow a business.

5d ago

S5 Episode 30 Rebuild Vs. Keep Building

Your first version is supposed to get you traction, not carry the entire company forever. In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we dive into the moment when a successful V1 starts to show its limits, and how founders can tell whether their current platform is still helping them grow or quietly holding them back. We unpack the story of Maya, a K-12 EdTech founder whose AI grading platform had paying schools, real users, and clear demand, but was starting to outgrow the no-code tool it was originally built on. We explore how Maya moved from Glide to Bubble after her app began running into usage charges, database limits, and reporting constraints that made it harder to serve teachers and administrators. Instead of jumping straight into a rebuild, our team started with an audit: studying how the existing product worked, where it was breaking, and what real users were already teaching us. That insight shaped a more scalable version of the platform with better dashboards, student progress views, admin reporting, and a stronger foundation for future growth. Finally, we talk about why software evolution should be driven by observation, not just the original plan. Maya’s biggest product improvements came after launch, from watching how teachers and administrators actually used the platform in the real world. If you’ve already launched an MVP and you’re starting to design around your platform’s limitations instead of your users’ needs, this episode will help you decide whether it’s time to keep building or rebuild with the next stage of growth in mind.

30 min
Jul 3

S5 Episode 29 What a Development Partnership Looks Like Over Time

In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we explore how custom software helped a 40-client digital agency move beyond messy handoffs, manual project setup, and scattered communication. The agency owner didn’t want another CRM, and for good reason: his team needed a system built around how they actually worked. What started as a simple internal hub replaced repetitive admin tasks with automated onboarding, project setup, client access, and cleaner team communication. We also get into what happened after the first version went live. Once the team began using the hub every day, new opportunities became obvious, including automated ROAS snapshots, weekly performance reporting, and meeting transcript summaries tied directly to each client project. Instead of pulling numbers, hunting through drives, or rebuilding the same reports before every call, the team could focus on client strategy with the right information already in front of them. Finally, we look at how solving internal problems can lead to new revenue. The same automation logic built for the agency is now being packaged into templates the owner can resell to his own e-commerce clients. It’s a reminder that great software does more than fix today’s bottlenecks; it can reveal what your business is capable of next. For teams still copy-pasting, chasing information, or repeating the same setup tasks every day, this episode shows why those workflows are often the best place to start.

48 min
Jun 24

S5 Episode 28 Why Most Companies Adopt AI Backwards

AI adoption is everywhere, but real operational improvement is still rare, and this episode of The LowCode Podcast breaks down why. We unpack the four-phase strategy behind effective AI implementation: foundations, training, private workspaces, and AI-native operations. Drawing from our webinar with Rising Ground, one of New York’s largest human-services nonprofits with more than 1,800 employees, we explore why the order matters more than the tool itself. We also dig into the real reason automation matters: time. For teams working in human services, the goal isn’t simply cutting costs or replacing tasks; it’s giving people back the hours they need to serve families, clients, and communities more directly. When AI handles reports, invoices, and repetitive administrative work, staff can spend less time behind desks and more time doing the human-centered work only they can do. Finally, we look at why responsible AI adoption starts with governance, not software licenses. Rising Ground’s approach shows the value of clear policies, internal committees, usage approvals, and private AI workspaces that protect sensitive data while helping teams move faster. If your organization is trying to move beyond scattered AI experimentation and toward real operational change, this episode offers a practical framework for building the foundation first.

24 min
Jun 17

S5 Episode 27 How to Tell Your AI Rollout Is in Trouble

In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we break down why so many mid-market companies are spending heavily on AI without seeing measurable returns. The issue is not that AI does not work; it is that many companies are buying tools before defining what those tools are supposed to replace, improve, or eliminate. With billions wasted annually on disconnected AI spend, the real question is no longer “Which AI platform should we buy?” It is “What business outcome are we trying to create?” We walk through five warning signs that your AI adoption strategy may be burning budget instead of creating leverage. From tool lists disguised as strategy to custom AI builds launched before teams are properly trained, these patterns show up when companies chase software instead of operational impact. We also look at why AI budget should not live only in IT, and why operations leaders need a bigger role in deciding where automation can actually remove friction. Finally, we unpack what better AI adoption looks like: mapping workflows first, tying every tool to a clear outcome, training employees role by role, and building a roadmap that leadership can explain in plain English. Successful AI integration is not about collecting licenses or chasing the latest agent demo. It is about sequencing the work correctly, focusing on measurable outcomes, and making sure every AI investment has a job to do.

34 min
Jun 10

S5 Episode 26 Strategy Before the Stack: The Four Phases of AI Adoption

Too many organizations think AI adoption starts with buying software licenses. In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we unpack why that mindset leads to shallow adoption, wasted budget, and tools people barely use. Instead of treating AI like a plug-and-play upgrade, we walk through a practical four-phase framework for making AI work inside real organizations. We start with AI Foundations: the unglamorous but essential work of documenting how decisions get made, where data lives, and which processes still depend on tribal knowledge. From there, we explore why staff training has to be role-specific, not a generic prompting webinar. AI only becomes useful when it fits into the way people already work, solves real friction, and becomes a habit instead of another unused tool. Finally, we look at what comes next: private AI workspaces and AI-native operations. A secure, company-specific AI environment gives teams the context, permissions, and data protection they need before automation enters the picture. Then, and only then, can AI agents begin handling repetitive work like reporting, document processing, scheduling, and follow-ups. If your organization is being pushed to “just buy ChatGPT for everyone,” this episode will help you make the case for strategy before the stack.

47 min
Jun 3

S5 Episode 25 Inside LowCode’s New AI Side Hustle

We didn’t plan to start another company. But after four years of building AI products inside LowCode Agency, it became clear that the work was no longer just about adding AI features to apps. Clients weren’t simply asking, “Can you build this?” anymore. They were asking bigger questions: Where should we start with AI? What’s actually useful? What’s just hype? And who can we trust to help us figure it out? In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we share the story behind Phos AI Labs, the new AI consulting arm born from the work we’ve been doing at LowCode Agency since 2022. We talk about why AI implementation is different from traditional software development, why it requires constant iteration, training, and strategic guidance, and why many businesses need more than a one-time build or a polished roadmap. They need a partner who stays close, understands the business, and helps turn AI into something practical. We also explain what this means for our clients. LowCode Agency will continue doing what it does best: building fast, reliable software. Phos AI Labs will focus on helping $5M to $50M companies navigate AI with clarity, strategy, and hands-on execution. Because the real opportunity isn’t adopting AI for the sake of it. It’s knowing where it can actually save time, reduce waste, improve operations, and create meaningful value for the business.

40 min
May 27

S5 Episode 24: Drowning in Disconnected Tools?

In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we unpack what happens when a high-performing agency hits a hidden operational wall: none of their tools talk to each other. A three-partner marketing agency was losing 45 minutes before every client call just trying to gather context from Slack, Notion, call summaries, and GoHighLevel. The work was getting done, but the preparation around the work had become a drag on focus, speed, and client experience. We walk through how we built a custom AI-driven workflow that turns fragmented client communication into usable intelligence. The system now drafts pre-call agendas, processes transcripts, creates post-call summaries, flags to-dos, updates CRM records, and helps the team understand what actually matters before the next conversation. What started as a simple data-gathering workflow evolved into a smarter operational layer that can distinguish urgent commitments from background noise. More importantly, this episode makes the case that real automation is not a one-time launch. V1 is only the starting point. The biggest gains came through iteration: adding priority weighting, catching naming convention issues before automations broke, and building a Slack-to-database pipeline that gets smarter as it gathers more historical context. If your team is constantly switching tabs, chasing context, or rebuilding the same meeting prep from scratch, this episode shows what becomes possible when your tools finally work together.

45 min
May 20

S5 Episode 23 Why Most MVPs Ship the Wrong Things

Founders love a big feature list, but a great V1 is not about building everything. In this episode of The LowCode Podcast, we unpack the story of Nikos, a founder building a smart diet planning app, and how his original vision was narrowed into a focused MVP that launched in just eight weeks. Instead of trying to ship smart pantry tracking, mood-based meals, native apps, multilingual support, and a dietitian marketplace all at once, our team focused on the core experience: onboarding, personalized AI meal plans, and shopping lists. We also explore why the first version of a product should be treated as an information-gathering tool, not the final destination. The lesson is simple, but most early-stage teams ignore it: you cannot build the right product by planning harder in a vacuum. You build it by shipping the smallest useful version, watching where users struggle, and letting real behavior shape the roadmap. This episode is a practical reminder that successful software is not built by guessing harder. It is built by launching sooner, learning faster, and staying close enough to users to know what should come next.

41 min

The LowCode Podcast is all about launching your MVP, getting clients, growing your side business and automating stuff. Listen to learn more about other founders and business owners like you, how are they coming up with ideas, how do they validate their products, and how to launch and grow a business.

Creator

Jesus Vargas
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

103
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Jesus Vargas
Show Website

The LowCode Podcast