🦥 #19 No-Code Success: The Story Behind Build More Agency

Today

• ✋ Antwerpreneur: Olivier Coolen - Co-Founder of Build More

• 🧃 Giggle Juice: From Ellis Rosen

✋ Antwerpreneur: Olivier Coolen

In 2020, Olivier was 22, his brother, Philip, was 18.

Both were dreaming of entrepreneurship, and they had one idea: a dog subscription service where every month, a box of themed chew toys, snacks, and treats would arrive at customers’ doors.

Then reality hit.

They got a quote for a website and the tech behind it: €16,000 with months of development.

“We thought there has to be a better way,” Olivier says. “We got platforms like Shopify and others, so there has to be something specific for building software.”

That’s when they stumbled upon Bubble, a no-code platform that promised to turn ideas into working software without writing a single line of code. Everything changed.

The Coronavirus Catalyst

Most people spent lockdown gaming or binge-watching Netflix.

“We said no, we can build our own stuff. We started testing small applications,” Olivier says.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Skills, time, and ambition aligned. Even after failures, the drive never left them.

“Just the ambition to become an entrepreneur, to become independent, kept us going. Even if one product failed, we knew there had to be something we could do with the skills we built.”

The First Build That Changed Everything

Their first project was an online review management tool.

The idea: centralize all reviews from Google, TripAdvisor, and Booking into one platform.

“I think we had, at one point, €800 revenue a month,” Olivier recalls. Not a huge number, but it was proof that they could build something real.

But there was a problem: scalability. The project required constant manual input. Too much effort. So they shut it down.

The lesson wasn’t about failure. It was about the power they had discovered.

“We saw how fast things could go, how fun it was to build those things and to bring ideas to life,” Olivier says.

The Freelancing Detour

After that, Olivier started freelancing for an American company while still studying economics.

Eventually, he dropped out completely.

But freelancing had a ceiling: "You are not really building your own company, you are freelancing for another company."

Then, at a networking event, fate struck. Olivier met someone who had just sold his no-code agency. The man was looking for something new.

“I told him, I’ve got some no-code skills, and maybe we can build something here in Belgium.”

That someone was Pieter Moremans, who became Olivier’s co-founder, and together they launched Build More.

Breaking Down the No-Code Mystery

No-code sounds like hype to most people. Olivier simplifies it:

“It’s basically a visual way of developing applications.”

Think Photoshop, but for software.

That's no-code. Drag and drop elements and workflows instead of coding from scratch.

“It’s more accessible to less technical people. However, you still have to architect an app, manage data, and structure logic, so there’s a learning curve.”

The Speed Advantage

Build More’s value proposition is simple: faster, cheaper, smarter.

“Traditional agencies take months, cost tens of thousands. We can do it quicker, without breaking the bank.”

They face competition from AI coding platforms like Lovable, which claim to automate development.

But Olivier explains why Build More has an edge:

“If something breaks, we know how to fix it. With AI coding, you might just type ‘fix this problem,’ and while the platform may show you what changed, you don’t always know why it changed or how it could affect other parts of the system. It’s possible that something else in the backend was changed without you knowing it, making things really fragile. We don't want to take this risk for our clients.”

Fighting the Scalability Myth

The biggest misconception about no-code? That it doesn't scale.

"That is also one of the things that traditional developers usually like to say because maybe they are scared to lose their job."

Reality? “95% of our clients just want to go from A to B. They want something that works. That’s it.”

Build More has delivered over 70 projects. They currently manage 20 active projects, making them one of Belgium’s and the Netherlands’ biggest Bubble agencies.

The VTM Success Story

One of their proudest projects came through VTM, Belgium’s largest commercial TV network.

The challenge: build a marketplace for the Tiny House Battle show. People could register for viewing days and place bids, in just 3–4 weeks.

“We had so many visitors that the system crashed. We had to upgrade our plan,” Olivier recalls. “It’s the kind of problem every startup dreams of.”

It was a success, and it proved no-code could handle high traffic, tight timelines, and enterprise demands.

The Build More Process

The process is simple and transparent:

• Intake call: Introductions, idea discussion, and initial scope.

• Functional analysis: Deep dive into features, user stories, and details.

• Quote: A fixed price. For simple projects, €5,000 in 3–4 weeks.

• Delivery: Everything built at the agreed price, no scope creep, no surprises.

Silver Partner

Build More is officially a Silver Agency with Bubble, meaning they generate at least €10,000 annually through the platform.

They’re aiming for Gold in the next 1–2 years.

The AI Integration Strategy

While others fear AI disruption, Build More embraces it.

“We implement as much AI as possible to lower costs and development time,” Olivier says. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, n8n, and others.

The prediction? Software will be built faster, clients will demand faster delivery, and prices will drop.

Partnerships That Work

Roles are clearly divided:

• Olivier Coolen: technical development

• Pieter Moeremans: technical work and sales

• Philip Coolen (joined this year): growth

• Philip Vermeylen (joined this year): sales and administration

The Innovation Scan Opportunity

Build More isn’t just building apps, they’re also scouting inefficiencies in companies.

"We come to your company, we see what are you wasting time on, what are things that should be automated but aren't, and build solutions." Olivier explains.

It’s part consulting, part implementation.

The Crisis That Never Launched

Not every idea works. First Response was another idea they built, meant for governmental crisis management.

With time they realized it had a long sales trajectory. They pivoted, folding it into a premium support plan for Build More, guaranteeing 24-hour resolution.

The Two-Year Vision

Build More is streamlining everything.

Manual testing, inconsistent processes, and custom solutions will evolve into standardized, repeatable workflows.

The goal: certified developers, predictable project flows, a productized agency model, and steady 20% year-over-year growth.

The Advice He'd Give His Younger Self

• “Launch more things.”

• “Focus on marketing.”

• “Don’t be afraid to sell.”

Youth intimidated him at first, but experience built confidence.

“After a few client meetings, you know you’re capable of selling things.”

For the Next Generation

His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple:

"Create a PowerPoint with your vision, your idea and just go to people, before starting the business."

Talk to people. Get feedback. Try to validate with money.

"If you can go a step further and validate it by asking for money, you know you're good to go."

The Real Reward

What makes it all worthwhile?

“Working with my brother, and being able to plan my schedule the way I want.” Olivier says.

Freedom to build and to work with people you love.

Olivier’s Recommendations

• Person: Sam Altman

• Podcast: My First Million

• Current song on repeat: Pictures of you by Anyma

• Favorite place in Antwerp: Boer Van Tienen

Antwerpreneur-to-Antwerpreneur Q&A

Question: What's a non obvious skill that has been crucial to your success?

Olivier’s answer: “I think something that's critical for our success is that I’m a perfectionist when I’m building software. It needs to be perfect for the clients, otherwise we’re not going to even show it, and that's why our clients are so happy. Another skill would be patience because when building software you always encounter bugs, which is very frustrating. But you need a lot of patience to tackle them and now that sometimes you need to go take a walk, get some fresh air and come back.”

Where can you find Olivier?

You can find him on LinkedIn.

🧃 Giggle Juice