Phil Lakin - How an enterprise no-code startup went from zero to one to Zapier acquisition!

👉🏼 About the Guest:

Philip Lakin is the co-founder and CEO of NoCodeOps, a community and automation management platform (Operator) dedicated to supporting operations professionals that are reimagining the future of internal innovation with no-code. He was previously the Solutions Architect for National Operations at Compass where he built the onboarding program for over 15,000 real estate agents across the United States. He has more than 8 years of experience in operations, internal system implementation, field marketing, and onboarding.

👉🏼 About the Host:

Sharath is a founder, creator, and community builder. He is also a serial maker who built and shipped 15+ projects using no-code tools. His SaaS product Shoutout generated $30k ARR, which was sold to a UK-based product studio. Prev, Sharath worked for world-changing startups like Product Hunt and On Deck, where he helped build and nurture communities. He also grew his audience on Twitter from 200 to 22,000 using give-first principles and creating high-value content. Currently, he is building a SaaS product called GuestLab, and runs another podcast series called YC Founder Stories alongside hosting this one, as well as running Founder Gigs, a resource to discover flexible gigs while building your dream business.

👉🏼 Sponsor Corner:

Shoutout to Acquire.com for sponsoring The Undefeated Underdogs podcast! They’re the best online marketplace to buy/sell startups and I know many founders who have sold their businesses there. If you're looking to wind down your business and cash in some of your founder chips, check them out - https://try.acquire.com/sharath/

This episode is brought to you by Sunset. They handle all the legal, tax, and operational burdens when shutting down — making sure founders and investors avoid penalties, reduce liabilities, and immediately move on to what's next. If you're interested in learning more, visit sunsethq.com to meet with a representative for their team. And make sure to mention the Undefeated Underdogs Podcast to get $2K off of your dissolution.

👉🏼 Description:

Listen in as Sharath and Phil discuss how to the best nocode tools, how to sell your company, and more!

👉🏼 Timestamps:

• 00:00: Episode Highlight
• 01:25: Shoutout to Acquire.com and Sunset
• 04:43: Introduction to Phil Lakin - co-founder and CEO of NoCodeOps
• 10:22: How acting led Phil to the world of no-code
• 15:30: What Phil would tell his beginner no-code self
• 19:30: Phil's 0 to 1 journey to building NoCodeOps and raising $5M+
• 26:00: Why Phil loves no-code
• 31:10: How no-code fits into today's tech stack
• 37:10: Predictions for the future of no-code and the best no-code tools
• 45:25: The downsides of AI and no-code
• 52:55: The journey: going from founding NoCodeOps to being acquired by Zapier
• 56:16: What's next for Zapier with Phil as Head of Enterprise Innovation?
• 59:49: Advice for younger founders
• 1:04:31: How to balance being a parent and a founder
• 1:08:59: Outro and closing thoughts

👉🏼 Resources:

• Link to Acquire.com: https://try.acquire.com/sharath/
• Link to Sunset: https://www.sunsethq.com
• Butternut AI: https://butternut.ai/
• Butternut AI Podcast Episode: https://undefeatedunderdogs.com/60

👉🏼 Where to find Phil:

• NoCodeOps: https://www.nocodeops.com/about-us
• Twitter: https://x.com/philiplakin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-lakin

👉🏼 Where to find Sharath:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/5harath
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@5harath
• Website: https://5harath.com/
• Newsletter: https://5harath.substack.com/
• Founder Gigs: https://foundergigs.com/