Who Says You Need to Be a Techie?
I made an app in 10 minutes with no code — and you can too
Well, I will never look at the App Store in quite the same way ever again.
A couple of weeks ago I was experimenting with no-code apps and I literally built one — an ADHD timer focus app — in 10 minutes. And the best bit? It didn’t cost me a penny.
Why a timer?
When I worked in newspapers and magazines as a journalist, constant deadlines kept me on track, but it wasn’t until a late ADHD diagnosis that I realised how a simple ticking clock can spur me into action.
And even this timer was built under deadline: I was testing a platform called Bolt for my Build Your Own AI App in a Day mini course with less than an hour before I had to be on a call.
Now that course is ready, and so is the app.
What made it so quick? ChatGPT.
Most small business owners are using AI to write Instagram captions, generate content ideas, or create pretty pictures. But if that’s all you’re doing, you’re missing a brave new world of opportunity.
I first heard about no-code apps while listening to Stephen Bartlett’s podcast. He’d built one in two evenings. I thought: Why not me?
The first thing I built solved a real problem I had — getting enough protein to build strength and protect muscle while training for my Yorkshire Three Peaks film.
ChatGPT was brilliant at giving me recipe ideas, so I turned that into my first nutrition app, ProteinPal, which was built and put out to beta in 24 hours.
Then I started work on an onboarding app for coaches and trainers.
Next up, an accessible yoga training app for people with vision loss.
In the short history of digital, it’s clear the people who adopt new technology early reap the benefits.
So if you want to get started, check out my new evergreen mini-course:
How to Build Your First AI App in a Day
For just £39 you’ll learn:
How to choose an idea that works for you or your business
The no-code tech stack you need (Replit, Streamlit, OpenAI API, ChatGPT or Claude or others)
How to put the pieces together logically, like a puzzle
How to keep it ethical and future-proof (and why I rebuilt ProteinPal after OpenAI signed a military contract)
PLUS you’ll get a free download of my ADHD timer focus app to try for yourself.
You don’t need to be a tech brain. You don’t need to write code. You do need curiosity, questions, and the drive to bring your idea to life.
This is one of those rare opportunities that only comes around once in a blue moon in the digital age.