David Brusser, a non-coder with a full-time job and a growing family, has recently made waves in the tech industry by building a no-code AI app that is now valued at over a million dollars. In a recent YouTube video, Brusser shares his remarkable journey and the strategies he employed to turn his idea into a successful business.
Brusser’s app is Formulabot.com, it helps people work smarter and faster with data. The app offers three main products: AI in spreadsheets (similar to ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets), formula generators that translate text into formulas using AI, and a data analyzer that allows users to upload data and get answers, analysis, charts, and modeling through natural language prompts.
One of the most impressive aspects of Brusser’s story is that he built the app using no-code tools, primarily relying on Bubble.io and YouTube tutorials. As he explains in the video, “If you were to code it, it would take much longer. And so that’s really where I was exposed to the no-code industry.” This approach allowed him to create an MVP within just a couple of weeks, despite having no coding experience.
Brusser’s launch strategy was equally impressive. He initially shared the app with colleagues at his full-time job, who were amazed by its capabilities. He then posted about the app on Reddit’s Excel subreddit, where it quickly became the top post of the day and, eventually, the week. As Brusser recounts, “I posted it there, it got some 10,000 upvotes, thousands of comments. I got thousands and thousands of people visiting the site, using the app.”
However, the app’s viral success came with a steep price tag. Brusser “blew through like $5,000 in Open AI API costs in days” and had to make a decision: “It’s either shut it down or keep going.” He chose the latter, implementing a donation link and running ads to recoup some of the costs. This experience, along with user feedback and impromptu phone calls with customers, helped shape the app’s evolution from a simple Excel formula generator to an all-in-one platform for data analytics.
As competition grew and Microsoft announced plans to integrate AI into their Office suite, Brusser realized he needed to differentiate his product. He focused on convenience, customization, and building features that couldn’t be easily replicated by ChatGPT or Microsoft. “Right now, my vision moving forward is to build something that cannot be replicated both in ChatGPT as well as Microsoft”.
David Brusser’s story serves as an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs, demonstrating that with determination, resourcefulness, and a willingness to learn, it’s possible to build a successful tech business without coding skills or significant upfront investment. As the no-code movement continues to gain momentum, we can expect to see more stories like Brusser’s, showcasing the democratization of tech entrepreneurship.