🐧 Leveraging AI as a non-technical business owner | Sherry Jiang

Today, in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• 🚀 How a former Google PMM builds apps without being a "coder"
• 🛠️ The 3-step workflow Sherry recommends to build your first AI-powered app this weekend
• 🔮 Real-world examples of simple apps that her non-technical students have built

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🤖 Leveraging AI as a non-technical business owner | Sherry Jiang

I went down the rabbit hole of coding with AI recently.

In just a few hours, I built and launched a simple app with Vercel V0 and Cursor AI. My mind was blown.

Does that sound like gibberish to you?

Don’t worry, our featured guest today will break it down nice and crisply.

Before I introduce her, let me report back that coding with AI has transformed my expectation of what a non-technical business owner can do in 3-5 years.

While the tools are not dead-simple to use, I can imagine a future where the difficulty level drops down to being on par with building a Wordpress blog in 2007. (I did it, but man setting up plugins were pesky.)

Today, I’m very excited to introduce my Singapore expat friend, Sherry Jiang, founder of Peek, an AI-powered personal finance app and instructor of a coding with AI course.

I’ll let Sherry introduce herself:

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Hi, I’m the founder of Peek, an AI-powered productivity app designed to simplify personal finance for young professionals with busy lives. As someone who has been investing for years, I noticed how overwhelming financial decision-making and admin can be. That’s why I created Peek to make managing your money as enjoyable and intuitive as possible.

Before starting Peek, I spent most of my career in big tech at Google and Amazon. At Google, I was the growth product marketing manager who led helped scale Google Pay in India to over 100 million users in just three years. Outside of my startup, I’ve been learning to code with AI since mid-2024 and now teach a course that helps others go from zero to one in coding using AI tools.

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Tell us about your career journey.

I started my career in big tech, working at Amazon and Google. While I loved the experience and learned from some of the brightest minds in the industry, I always felt a pull toward taking bigger risks and building something of my own. That’s when I decided to leave Google and start Peek, and haven’t looked back since.

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What was your first "aha moment" when you started using AI tools to help you build without coding experience?

One of my first “aha moments” came when I was building custom GPTs for personal finance use cases. I noticed that GPT was writing code snippets for me, and it clicked: if AI can write code from natural language, I could potentially build full-blown applications without deep coding expertise. So I started using V0.dev (generative UI) and Cursor (AI code editor) to build full applications that include API connections to LLMs and backend. These experiences made me realize that the barrier to building software is lower than ever, and AI tools can bridge the gap for non-technical founders like me.

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For complete beginners, what's your recommended 'first 24 hours' learning plan with AI development tools?

The most important concept for beginners is clarity. Before touching any code, spend time creating a detailed product requirement document (PRD) that outlines exactly what you want to build. Use tools like ChatGPT or Claude as a copilot to brainstorm and refine your PRD—ask them to suggest clarifying questions or fill in gaps, like specifying UI elements (e.g., dropdowns vs. sliders). This exercise ensures you have a solid foundation before diving into development. In my coding class, we start with this step because 90% of the work is figuring out what to build, not how to build it.

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Walk us through your exact workflow in going from 0→1 with AI development tools.

• Start with a PRD: Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to brainstorm and refine your product requirements.
• Design the UI: Use a generative UI tool like V0 to create interactive front-end mockups. V0 lets you use natural language to design interfaces, which is incredibly powerful for visualizing your app before writing any code.
• Add functionality: Once you’re happy with the UI, move to an AI-powered code editor like Cursor. Cursor allows you to add backend functionality, connect APIs, and integrate databases like Supabase.

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What's an example of a simple project our readers could build this weekend to practice these skills?

Here are a few beginner-friendly projects my students have built in just a few hours:

• A personal website to showcase their business or portfolio
• A wealth tracker or financial freedom calculator

These projects are a great way to practice using AI tools and get comfortable with the development process.

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What's your framework for deciding when to use AI tools vs. hiring developers to solve your problem?

AI tools are fantastic for prototyping, user testing, and creating proof-of-concept demos. I love using them to visualize ideas and gather meaningful feedback without relying on static mockups. However, when it comes to final implementation and scaling, hiring developers is still essential. While I can build functional prototypes, I’m not yet at the level of a professional developer, and certain tasks—like optimizing performance or integrating complex systems—require expert hands. AI tools empower me to move faster, but they don’t replace the need for skilled developers in the long run.

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What unconventional advice would you give to non-technical business owners who want to leverage AI in their business?

Everyone should learn to code—at least at a basic level. While it’s tempting to rely on vendors or hire developers for everything, not understanding the technical side of your business puts you at a disadvantage. Designers are learning to code to become design engineers, and product managers are expected to prototype. Similarly, non-technical founders should invest in learning AI tools and basic coding skills. It’s not about becoming an expert overnight but about gaining enough technical fluency to communicate effectively, make informed decisions, and stay ahead.

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Where can we go to learn more about you?

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• TikTok 
• Instagram

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• Have you ever seen a Goth downtown? - Why Goths are a great test case for whether an environment (AI) is actually conducive to creativity

📚 From Our Archives

We’re 1.5 months into 2025 - how are you feeling financially? 🤔 

At the end of 2024, I shared my personal EOY Financial Checklist:

✅ Review my 2024 savings and investment
✅ Plan my 2025 529 and family sinking fund contributions
✅ Rebalance my investment portfolio
✅ Calculate my 2024 tax bill
⏳️ Research life insurance policies

If you’re still catching up on your finances, I included a comprehensive checklist that anyone can use to go from feeling financially lost to confident.

Get your copy of the financial checklist:

Read the Deep Dive Here →

✨From Our Community

• I recently went on Kadima Careers’ podcast 🎧️ [Listen: Youtube, Spotify]. Alan and I discussed topics like how I moved from US to Singapore as a tech worker to the realities of fractional consulting.
• We hosted our first-ever Monthly Community Call on Portfolio Careers 101 🤩 Turnout was excellent. Our intimate group had tech founders, C-level execs, AI product manager, and even a school operator. We had an engaging discussion about their expertise and the first steps to monetizing it in the next 30 days. Next call in the first week of March - stay tuned!