Building competitive advantage with custom apps

Pete Syme talks with Drew Falkman about vibe coding, a way for tour operators to build custom software tools using plain English prompts instead of traditional programming. Drew explains how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have been trained on code repositories, allowing them to generate working applications from simple descriptions. The conversation covers why this matters for small operators, what you can build, the learning curve, costs, security considerations, and how this technology could shift the relationship between tour operators and the software they depend on. Pete emphasizes that operators already have the same AI access as hundred million dollar companies and encourages spending at least an hour daily experimenting with these tools.

Top 10 Takeaways

1. You can build tools without coding knowledge. AI tools trained on code repositories can generate working applications from plain English descriptions, making app building accessible to anyone.
2. Most SaaS tools don't fit your exact workflow. You end up paying for applications where 80% of features you're not using because they're designed for other industries, but the things you do use aren't quite refined enough.
3. Start with internal workflows, not customer-facing apps. Build tools for internal processes first. Don't go public with what you build until you have experience, as you can get 80 to 90% correct quickly, but that last bit is more challenging.
4. Map your processes before building. Write down all your processes on paper, rank what's most important, and list what you really don't like doing. This helps identify where custom tools can have the biggest impact.
5. The learning curve has three main steps. First, learn to plan what you want to build (20 to 30 hours). Second, design the workflow and user interface (a few hours). Third, understand data and databases (a couple days). Total time to get comfortable is roughly a few weeks of focused learning.
6. Tools like Lovable cost around $20 per month. There are small monthly fees for vibe coding platforms, plus hosting costs if your tool is public-facing. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Magic Patterns, and N8n each serve different purposes.
7. Keep data storage minimal for security. Don't store sensitive information like credit card numbers or social security numbers. Use third-party authentication (Google, Microsoft, Apple) and payment processors like Stripe to handle sensitive data.
8. You can build custom booking flows and optimize conversions. Create your own booking engine where you control every step, then use analytics tools to see where people drop off and experiment with improvements to increase completion rates.
9. This threatens the traditional SaaS industry. Large companies spending millions monthly on SaaS are already exploring vibe coding to reduce costs. What happens at that level will cascade down through the industry to the tools small operators use today.
10. Just try it to understand the possibilities. Go to lovable.dev, run a prompt, and build something. You won't fully understand what you can do until you experiment. You have nothing to lose with free versions, and no one else will see your experiments.

Want to learn vibe coding yourself? Drew teaches courses on building apps without code. Visit drewfalkman.com to explore free resources and paid courses that walk you through the process step by step.