Should you build your SaaS with no-code tools, or is AI coding the better path forward?

In this episode, Rob is joined by fan favorite Derrick Reimer to tackle listener questions on no-code vs. AI vibe coding, when to take small funding early vs. pure bootstrapping, whether SaaS margins will compress as AI makes building cheaper, and how to get truly useful feedback from your customers.

Want to get your question answered? Submit it here for a future episode.

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Topics we cover:

(2:18) – No-code vs. AI vibe coding for SaaS
(7:55) – What Rob would do as a non-developer today
(11:10) – Will you have to rewrite AI or no-code apps later?
(17:08) – Taking small funding early vs. bootstrapping
(21:29) – De-risking before taking funding
(27:42) – Will AI compress SaaS margins?
(31:32) – Why brand and positioning still win
(37:38) – Expanding your value chain with AI
(39:47) – Getting actionable feedback from customers

Links from the show:

MicroConf Europe 2026 – Join us in Reykjavík, Iceland (Sept 21–23)
Discretion Capital - M&A Advisory for B2B SaaS with $2-25m ARR
SavvyCal
SavvyCal Appointments
TinySeed
Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

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Episode 822 | No-code vs. A.I. Coding, SaaS Margins in the A.I. Age, and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer)

Startups For the Rest of Us

Episode 822 | No-code vs. A.I. Coding, SaaS Margins in the A.I. Age, and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer)