A few years ago, if you ran a small business and someone said “we should build an app for that”, it usually meant one of three things.
- You hire a developer (expensive).
- You hire an agency (more expensive).
- You don’t build it and you keep living with spreadsheets, sticky notes, and that one overworked admin who somehow holds everything together.
Now it’s different. And not in a vague, tech hype way. In a very practical, week by week way.
Low code tools have made it so you don’t need to be a coder anymore to build something useful. Not a toy. Not just a form. An actual internal tool, customer portal, quoting system, booking app, inventory tracker, approvals workflow. Stuff that used to take months.
And the biggest thing SMEs get from this is not “innovation” as a buzzword.
It’s speed to market.
The old way: good ideas dying in the backlog
Most SMEs don’t suffer from a lack of ideas. They suffer from a lack of time, money, and technical capacity.
You spot a problem.
- Customers keep emailing for updates.
- Your team keeps duplicating data between systems.
- Sales needs a faster way to generate quotes.
- Operations wants a simple approval flow that doesn’t live in someone’s inbox.
So you write it down. Maybe you even mock it up in Google Sheets. Then you ask around for a developer, and you get a quote that makes you blink twice. Or you find someone affordable and realize you’re now managing a mini software project on top of running the business.
Weeks pass. Months pass.
Eventually you settle for “good enough” and keep patching the process manually.
Low code is basically the opposite of that. It makes the “okay let’s just build it” moment realistic again.
What low code actually means (without the fluff)
Low code platforms let you create apps using visual building blocks instead of writing everything from scratch in code.
You drag and drop UI components. You connect data sources. You define logic with workflows and rules. And yes, sometimes you can add code, but you don’t have to start there.
Think of it like this.
Traditional development is like building a house by cutting timber and pouring concrete yourself.
Low code is like using pre built materials, modular walls, and a power drill. You still need to know what you’re building. You still need basic common sense. But you’re not starting from raw materials.
Which is why non coders can finally participate in building tools for the business. The people who actually feel the pain every day. Operations managers, finance leads, customer support, founders. The ones closest to the problem.
You don’t need to be a coder anymore (but you do need to be clear)
This is the line that gets misunderstood.
Low code doesn’t mean “anyone can build anything instantly with zero thinking.” You still need to define:
- what the app is supposed to do
- what data it needs
- who uses it and what permissions they have
- what happens when something goes wrong
But you don’t need to know JavaScript frameworks. You don’t need to know how to set up a server. You don’t need to write database queries all day.
You can build the first version yourself. Or your team can. And if you do later bring in a developer, it’s usually to polish, scale, integrate, or clean things up.
That’s a very different relationship than “please build this whole thing from scratch and I hope we guessed right.”
Tools worth knowing: Bubble and PowerApps (and why SMEs like them)
There are a lot of low code tools out there, but two names come up constantly for SMEs because they hit that sweet spot of capability and practicality.
Bubble (popular for custom web apps)
Bubble is one of the most well known no code platforms for building full web apps. Not just landing pages. Apps with logins, databases, complex workflows, payments, admin dashboards, user roles. The kind of thing you might sell to customers, or run your business on internally.
Why people like Bubble:
- It’s flexible. You can build weird, specific workflows that match how your business works.
- It’s fast for prototyping, and still strong enough to ship.
- It has an ecosystem of plugins for payments, APIs, integrations, and UI components.
If your goal is “we need a customer portal in 3 weeks” or “we want to test a new service idea without hiring a dev team,” Bubble tends to be the tool that gets suggested.
Microsoft PowerApps (great if you live in Microsoft 365)
If your business already runs on Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Dynamics, then PowerApps starts to look very attractive.
PowerApps is built for creating internal business apps quickly, especially apps that sit on top of existing Microsoft data and workflows.
Why SMEs like PowerApps:
- It fits into the Microsoft environment you’re already paying for.
- It plays nicely with Teams, approvals, and automation through Power Automate.
- It’s strong for internal tools. Field checklists. Request forms. Asset tracking. Simple CRM like workflows.
For a lot of SMEs, the value is not “let’s build the next startup product.” It’s “let’s fix the process that wastes 2 hours a day for 6 people.”
PowerApps is perfect for that.
Speed to market: the real reason low code matters
If I had to pick one reason low code is changing SME innovation, it’s this.
Speed to market means you can go from idea to usable app before the idea goes stale.
That’s it. That’s the shift.
Traditional software projects have friction:
- budgeting
- hiring
- scoping
- handoffs
- long feedback loops
- waiting for the next sprint
Low code shortens the loop.
You can build a version in days, put it in front of your team, and immediately see what’s wrong with it. And something will be wrong with it. That’s normal. But now you’re improving a real thing instead of debating a hypothetical thing.
This matters even more for SMEs because your advantage is not massive scale. It’s agility. You can make decisions quickly, you can change direction quickly, you can talk to customers quickly.
Low code matches that pace.
What SMEs are building with low code (realistic examples)
Not everyone is building a fancy consumer app. Most SMEs are building boring apps that save money. The best kind.
A few common ones:
- Job tracking dashboards for service businesses (status, next steps, documents, customer updates)
- Internal request systems (IT requests, purchase requests, leave requests, approvals)
- Quoting tools that generate consistent quotes fast, with margin rules baked in
- Client onboarding portals (collect files, forms, ID checks, agreements)
- Inventory and asset tracking without paying for a heavy ERP
- Scheduling and booking systems tailored to how your team actually works
- Compliance checklists for field teams, with photo uploads and timestamps
- Simple CRMs for niche workflows that off the shelf CRMs never quite match
And the key thing is, these apps don’t need to be perfect. They need to be useful and quick.
You ship. You learn. You iterate.
That cycle is the whole point.
The hidden benefit: you stop waiting for “the big system”
There’s this trap a lot of SMEs fall into.
They think they need a single, perfect platform that solves everything. So they spend months researching CRMs, ERPs, project tools, and workflow software. They buy something. Then they spend more months trying to bend the business around the tool.
Low code flips it. You can build small apps that match your real workflow. And if one app becomes critical, you improve it. If it turns out not to matter, you drop it.
That’s healthier. Less sunk cost. Less drama.
Also, it reduces the risk of big change. People adopt small tools faster than giant system overhauls.
Okay but what about risks (because yes, there are some)
Low code is not magic. It’s still software. And SMEs should be aware of a few things upfront:
- Governance matters. If everyone builds their own app with no standards, you get chaos. Decide who owns what.
- Data quality matters. If your app relies on messy spreadsheets, it will inherit that mess.
- Security and permissions matter. Especially if customer data is involved.
- Scaling can get tricky. Some low code apps are fine for 20 users but struggle at 2,000. Plan accordingly.
- Vendor lock in is real. You’re building on a platform. Make sure you’re comfortable with that trade.
None of these are dealbreakers. They just mean you should treat low code like a real capability, not a weekend hack.
A simple way to start (without overthinking it)
If you’re an SME leader and you’re curious, don’t start with “let’s build our entire system.”
Start with one process that’s painful and repetitive.
Pick something with:
- clear inputs and outputs
- a small group of users
- measurable time cost
- low risk if it’s imperfect at first
Build a minimum version. Even if it’s ugly. Especially if it’s ugly.
Then improve it based on real usage, not opinions in a meeting.
That’s where speed to market becomes a competitive advantage. Not because you built an app. But because you built the right app faster than your old process allowed.
The bottom line
You don’t need to be a coder anymore to build useful software for your business. Tools like Bubble and Microsoft PowerApps have made it realistic for SMEs to create apps in weeks, sometimes days.
And when you can ship fast, you can experiment fast.
That is what “innovation” looks like in a small business. Not flashy labs. Not big announcements.
Just building the thing you need, quickly. Getting it into people’s hands. Fixing it as you go. And moving on to the next bottleneck before it becomes normal.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What challenges did small businesses face when building apps before low code platforms?
Previously, small businesses had to either hire expensive developers or agencies to build apps, or continue relying on inefficient methods like spreadsheets and manual processes. This often led to good ideas dying in the backlog due to lack of time, money, and technical capacity.
How do low code platforms change the app development process for SMEs?
Low code platforms allow SMEs to build functional internal tools, customer portals, quoting systems, and more using visual building blocks instead of writing code from scratch. This approach speeds up development, reduces costs, and enables non-coders like operations managers and founders to participate in creating solutions.
Does using low code mean anyone can build an app without any technical knowledge?
Not exactly. While low code eliminates the need for deep coding skills like JavaScript frameworks or server setup, users still need to clearly define what the app should do, its data requirements, user permissions, and error handling. Basic common sense and planning are essential.
What are some popular low code tools suitable for SMEs?
Two widely used low code platforms for SMEs are Bubble and Microsoft PowerApps. Bubble is great for building custom web apps with complex workflows and integrations quickly. PowerApps integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 environments and is ideal for creating internal business apps like checklists, request forms, and asset tracking.
Why do SMEs prefer Microsoft PowerApps if they use Microsoft 365?
PowerApps fits naturally into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem that many SMEs already use. It works well with Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Dynamics, and automates workflows via Power Automate. This makes it perfect for streamlining internal processes without extra software investments.
What is the main advantage of low code development for small businesses?
The key benefit of low code is speed to market. It enables businesses to go from idea to a usable app in days rather than months by cutting down budgeting, hiring delays, scoping challenges, handoffs, and long feedback loops inherent in traditional software projects.
