I met with Atlanta business radio to talk about Lunch Pail Labs and some of the work we do. In this episode, I talk about the origins of Lunch Pail Labs, no-code, and some benefits and cons of building without code.Below is a transcript of the podcast episode and if you’re interested in giving it a listen you can check it out below.

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Episode Transcript

Broadcast:  
broadcasting live from the business radio x studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It's time for Atlanta business radio. Brought to you by onpay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free@unpaid.com. Now, here's your host.

Lee Kantor:  
Lee Kantor here with another episode of Atlanta business radio and this is going to be a fun one. But before we get started, it's important to recognize our sponsor on pay. Please support them so we can continue to share these stories. Today in Atlanta business radio. We have, we have Lola Ojabowale, and she is with Lunch Pail Labs. Welcome, Lola.

Lola Ojabowale:  
Hello. Hi, Lee. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor:  
Well, before we get too far into things tell us about Lunch Pail Labs. How are you serving folks?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Lunch pail Labs is based out of Atlanta. It is a digital product studio and consultancy. Some of what we do is we build mobile web apps, interactive websites, we incubate things internally. And for our clients, we help them build their products and move fast oftentimes with no code tools.

Lee Kantor:   
So now, how did you get into this line of work?

Lola Ojabowale:   
My journey with Lunch Pail Labs actually began with I'm starting a business myself, especially as a more non technical founder. And so my very first software venture was a meal planning app. And I had was going through sort of like a trying to learn how to code with iOS and swept which I do a little bit of, but was sort of struggling to get to to market and get to a working prototype quickly. And as a very, very small startup didn't have the funds to sort of work with a very big agency to get things up and running. So that was kind of how I first got started with no code and then found that there are a couple of other people sort of like me and Lunch Pail Labs was born.

Lee Kantor:   
Well, can you educate our listeners to what no code means? And then how does it work for somebody who isn't that tech savvy?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yeah, absolutely. The way I like to think about no code is it is a set of tools that enable you to create software without having to actually inter interact with like the programming language. So software and code are still being created. You're just visually developing and being abstracted from the actual coding to build that software.

Lee Kantor:   
So it's like back in the day, people used to type on a typewriter and the words would appear on a page. And now I can do it on my laptop. And I don't have to know how the computer puts the letters on the page, or it sends it to the printer, right? Like I'm just doing. What I'm doing is that how no code works, like I just do what I wanted to do? And then behind the scenes, all the technical stuffs happening.

Lola Ojabowale:   
Absolutely, that's exactly how it works. You'll have a front end interface where you can connect things. It's also very similar to like, on your laptop, you know, you can decide to go into your terminal and navigate your computer through terminal commands. But nowadays, like you have that graphical user interface where you can just drag and point and click, no code is very similar in that way that you are sort of abstracted from having to write the nitty gritty and code.

Lee Kantor:   
So now and are you teaching people how to do no code? Or you're developing things on my behalf? Using no code?

Lola Ojabowale:   
We mostly developed things on the behalf of our clients without code.  We do integrate custom custom code when projects require it. But the vast majority of our work and starting place with projects are with no code tools.

Lee Kantor:   
Now, what's the benefit for me? If I want an app paid, or maybe part of my website, kind of upgraded to using no code vs. code?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yeah, that's a really, really great question. And there's absolutely some benefits and cons with no-code. The big things are, you're going to be able to develop things a lot more quickly without code. An app or interactive website can take,  weeks instead of months of development time. And because you get to start so much farther with these tools, there's a lot of really great templates and  widgets that enable you to assemble something working really quickly. It's oftentimes at a fraction of the cost of traditional software development.

Lola Ojabowale:   
And another piece too, after an engagement is done, it's also much easier to maintain for a nontechnical team. It's very simple to get up to speed with these tools. And so, unlike some more traditional approaches, you don't have to have someone always on call if you want to make very simple updates.

Lee Kantor:   
So now um Is this something that any business Just like let's say I have a website, which I have website, and I can talk to you and say, you know, I'd really like it to do this. And you're you can tell me Well, that is something we could do, we can solve that problem using no code, and it will cost x. But if you or you can say, you know, that that's going to require more, you know, sophisticated kind of coating solution. And that's going to cost you know, five times x, like, do you like, could you help in that regard?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yes! A lot of what we do, especially when we're talking to folks in the beginning stages, is scoping out what they're trying to build. Take them through, what is  available and possible with no code and, what might require some some custom integration. A lot of the solutions that we end up building on are  mostly no code, with small tweaks that provide the customization that our clients need. Also, with a lot of the tools that exists now, think your bubble and your web flow and things like that, you can actually very easily integrate and include custom code. So a lot of times the functionality can, you know, be extended beyond the what the platform might provide  out of the box.

Lee Kantor:   
So what's an example of something that like, you can do no code that's like kind of a basic thing that somebody is like, oh, if you want to do this, we have a solution that's pretty accessible.

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yeah, lots of examples, directory websites, marketplaces, there are tons of templates for that. So if you have  a basic idea that is,  connecting sort of suppliers with customers. It's pretty simple to bring those things to market. Also simple social network ideas. So if you wanted to clone something that was a very specific type of LinkedIn, with the functionality to like, follow people and have a feed, those are really accessible  features to create without code. And then  in addition to outside consumer facing apps, we also help people with a lot of internal productivity hacks, especially with tools  like : , you can automate quite a few things within a small business that might later enable you to scale your time.

Lee Kantor:  
So now, if we were working together, what is like how would you kind of onboard me as a client? Like what is that kind of thing? Getting a relationship with lunch pail labs look like?

Lola Ojabowale:  
It would start with a discovery call, we would learn more about what you're trying to build, what are some of your goals? What work Have you done so far? And then from there, create different options that can give you an idea of what sort of solutions, could help you achieve all or parts of that,  vision.

Lee Kantor:   
So you can kind of, I can have like a dream list like, oh, one day I'd like it to do this, but today, you know, I can do this and you'd kind of give me a roadmap and say, okay, for this, it'll be x and then down the road. This might need you know, a better answer down the road, but we can get at least a minimum viable product going.

Lola Ojabowale:  
Yep, you  might come to me and say, hey, like, I want a very special Super cool video app. And then I would say, Oh yes, if you want that sort of core video functionality with your, like custom branding, it's very easy sort of no code solution. If you wanted some, machine learning algorithm tacked in there, or,  very special, design interactions and customizations, that could get more intensive. But we help our clients take their ideas, at least in the beginning stages, scope them to the core features, core functionality. So that they can begin testing those core assumptions to see that  these features actually resonating with their intended customers.

Lee Kantor:   
Now, if I had an idea for an app that I've always had on the back burner, and I can come to you with the app idea. And then you can help me  either vet it in terms of Yeah, that's going to be hard to do. Or this is something we might be able to do like, like, what would be kind of a price range of getting a fairly simple app. kind of done. So it's, it's now real.

Lola Ojabowale:   
They range depending on how much functionality or whether it's like cross platform, things like that. web apps are in the thousands of dollars range. native mobile apps are in the like, 10K range. And then for some of our clients who are looking to do more extensive cross platform like web connected to some mobile apps, those can, you know, be around the 20 and 25k range. But for something very, very simple like you want to take your ecommerce store and turn it into a mobile app, there are easy solutions that can make that happen pretty quickly and would cost  a couple of thousand dollars.

Lee Kantor:   
And and then so you work with a lot of startups. That's one of your constituencies you serve?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yep, so we usually work with non technical, early startup teams and we do work with a few small businesses that are not really trying to create a startup, but they do have ideas to bring their offering online or into an app. An example is somebody who might have a thriving planner business and wants to make that a digital offering.

Lee Kantor:   
So now what's the most rewarding part for you? Is it because you use your kind of methodology to build things for yourself as well? Right?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yeah, I love to build, I love the the problem solving, I love taking those ideas and seeing how, to make it possible and very cost effective ways. And so absolutely, absolutely the creation piece, and also I really resonate, with clients who have been, trying on an idea for quite some time and  trying to find a way to make it a reality. And so,  those pieces, have been very rewarding.

Lee Kantor:   
So now Are there some no and low code tools that people can try on  their own? Or is this something that it's better in the hands of experts?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yes, I think it's absolutely something that you can,  try on your own. If you need help,  scoping what exactly the product is, or figuring out how you might take your grand vision and  plug it into these tools then it's great to work with an expert. It's really great to work with an expert on that.

Lola Ojabowale:   
The tools that I use often and recommend, are bubble bubble.io really, really helpful for building sort of any type of custom web application or mobile app. And they have great integrations even with design tools, which can be helpful. So if you'd like to design, if you're familiar with like tools like figma, you can design things in figma. And then actually make it live and real and interactive in bubble through simple imports. And I love webflow. It's very similar in some ways to what you might use WordPress for. But they have a lot of very easy to use,   built in interactions. And it's very, very simple to build interactive websites with that tool.

Lola Ojabowale:   
Then on the mobile app side, there's just like really, really great tools that are coming out draft bit is another great one. It's currently in beta, but they you can build mobile apps visually, and they actually let you export the source code. And so if you want to do something simple to start and then once you have some more traction, kind of move toward working with  more traditional software development frameworks, you have that sort of starting point to jump off of.

Lee Kantor:   
So now if there was someone out there that wanted to have a conversation with you or somebody on your team, what is the best way to get ahold of you? what's your website?

Lola Ojabowale:   
Yeah, yeah. So very, very simple. It's www.lunchpaillabs.com. Feel free to send us a message and we can set up set up a call. And you can also email us at work at lunch pail labs com.

Lee Kantor:   
Well, Lola, thank you so much for sharing your story today, and congratulations on all the success.

Lola Ojabowale:   
Oh, well, thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor:  
All right. This is Lee canter. We'll see y'all next time on Atlanta business radio. I remember this work would not be possible. Without the support of our sponsor on pay. Please support them so we can continue to share these important stories.

Broadcast:   
Today's episode of Atlanta business Radio is brought to you by onpay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free@onpay.com

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