AI for Non-Coders: Creating Scalable Tools with Ease with Reed Floren

Reed Floren dives deep into the transformative power of AI tools like MindPal and Bolt, demonstrating how to create custom applications without coding expertise. From automating workflows to building profitable software solutions, this conversation unveils practical insights for leveraging AI to scale businesses and save time. Discover real-world examples of AI innovation in action and learn how you can stay ahead of the curve by integrating these tools into your workflow.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – The Evolution of AI: Introduction to Bolt and MindPal
• 00:00:25 – Welcome to the Reside Platform Podcast with Suneet Agarwal
• 00:01:06 – Reed Floren’s Journey: From Marketing to AI and Automation
• 00:04:21 – Custom GPTs Explained: Unlocking Advanced AI Capabilities
• 00:08:57 – MindPal in Action: Transforming Workflows with AI
• 00:18:23 – Simplified Software Creation: The Power of Bolt
• 00:25:32 – Customizing User Experiences with Bolt
• 00:26:01 – Combining MindPal and Bolt for Enhanced Automation
• 00:27:01 – Deploying and Testing AI-Driven Applications
• 00:28:55 – Turning AI Concepts into Profitable Tools and Applications
• 00:31:29 – Upgrading Legacy Code with Modern AI Solutions
• 00:32:07 – Innovative Applications: Real-World Examples of AI in Use
• 00:40:42 – Maximizing Efficiency: Automation with Cheat Layer
• 00:42:10 – Community Highlights: Exciting Projects and Experiments
• 00:44:31 – Closing Thoughts: Staying Ahead with AI Innovation

Links and Resources:

• Reside Platform
• Reside Platform Website
• Reed Floren on LinkedIn

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Episode breakdown: building AI tools without writing code

Reed Floren has been in online marketing since the 1990s, when he started as a teenager promoting products as an affiliate. Today he speaks on AI and automation for online businesses. On his second appearance with Suneet Agarwal, he lays out a three-step path for people who don’t code: start with a custom GPT, chain prompts into automated workflows in MindPal, and turn the ones that work into real web applications with Bolt.

Start with a custom GPT

A custom GPT is a small application inside ChatGPT that you train on your own material and reuse. You can keep it for yourself, share the link with your team or customers, or publish it in the GPT store. Building one requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which Reed puts at about $20 a month, and anyone with a free account can use what you build.

Reed uses custom GPTs less than he used to, but he still starts there. It’s where he tests an idea and gets it working before moving it to a tool that can do more.

Chain prompts into a workflow that runs in the background

MindPal lets you tie several prompts together into a multi-step workflow that does the work for you. Reed’s example is a blog post going in and separate posts for Facebook, LinkedIn and X coming out, each written for that audience. Connect it to an automation tool through an API or webhook and the posts can publish themselves.

Suneet described the workflow he’s building for this podcast. It takes an episode transcript and pulls quotes and big ideas. From those it writes social posts, an email to his audience, and a thank-you email to the guest. It also produces video scripts in several creator styles. MindPal also has a bulk run feature. You can upload a spreadsheet, such as a list of keywords, and get output for every row.

Not everything needs a custom build. When Suneet asked about automating “in escrow” posts for agents, Reed pointed to Canva’s bulk template feature. Upload a spreadsheet with the agent name, address and photo, and Canva fills in a graphic for each row.

I think there’s a benefit to buying something off the shelf and just using it and not figuring out how to make it better.

Reed Floren

Turn a working idea into an app by describing it

Bolt, at bolt.new, builds web software from plain-English prompts. It writes the code, shows a live preview beside the chat, and deploys the app to the web when you click a button. If you don’t like the colors, you ask it to change them. If you want a login, you ask for a login. You can download the source code and hand it to a programmer if you ever need something it can’t do.

During the episode, Suneet asked for a real estate CRM. The first attempt stalled because it needed a database that hadn’t been set up, though a later run produced a basic CRM layout. Suneet then asked for a mortgage refinance calculator, which he called the number one lead magnet a mortgage professional can put on a website. Bolt produced a working version on screen in a few minutes, with fields for the current loan, the new loan, term length and closing costs. Reed noted that you could add contact fields to capture the lead.

This is the worst it’s gonna be. Like, this is brand new technology. This is only gonna get better.

Reed Floren

Ask AI what to build, then move up one level at a time

If you don’t know what to build, Suneet’s suggestion is to ask ChatGPT. Tell it you run a real estate team and ask what applications you could build. He goes further, asking what departments a team should have, what can be automated in each, and what workflow of custom GPTs would do it.

Reed sees the tools as a ladder. A custom GPT is the rough draft you use yourself. MindPal makes it a multi-step workflow that runs without you. Once something works, Bolt turns it into software you can use as a lead magnet or charge for. Reed has built a teleprompter that follows your voice and a split-test analyzer this way, each in minutes. He has also watched a member of his community build a free email analyzer that scores messages and brings in leads for his agency.

You don’t need to be an engineer.

Reed Floren

Key takeaways for team leaders

• Prototype any repeated task as a custom GPT first, and share it with your team once it works.
• Move proven prompts into a multi-step workflow so content and admin work runs in the background.
• Check for an off-the-shelf feature, like Canva’s bulk templates for listing graphics, before building anything.
• Use a prompt-built tool, such as a refinance calculator, as a lead magnet on your website.
• You don’t need to be an expert. Learn what’s possible, then ask AI what your team should build first.