TL;DR
- Tom, a holistic health expert with no coding experience, built Elora Health using Lovable in just one month.
- He leveraged AI to create and refine features, learning development concepts along the way.
- The biggest challenge? Overconfidence in AI-generated changes and the need to reframe prompts.
- Tom shares key lessons on perseverance, iterating effectively, and trusting the process.
Meet Tom: A Founder Who Built Without Code
Tom is the founder of Elora Health, a digital health app that sets challenges across all your health dimensions. Coming from a background in nutrition, his expertise lay in advisory work, not software development.
“I knew I had a good idea for an app, but I never had any experience writing code. I understood the technical elements, but I just knew that I could never create it myself,” Tom shares.
Then, he found Lovable.
Day 1: Discovering Lovable
Scrolling through Twitter, Tom saw a post about Lovable. Someone had used it to build an app by simply typing in ideas. Intrigued, he decided to try it.
“As soon as I started using it, everything just clicked. It felt intuitive. It gave me the initial inspiration to go for it.”
The Journey from Idea to Product in One Month
From Notebook Sketches to a Working Prototype
Tom had a long list of ideas. Lovable helped him bring them to life.
“I put in all the features I envisioned, and Lovable created the initial app. It had a calendar for scheduling workouts and challenges—exactly what I needed.”
But the journey wasn’t linear. As he tested his app, Tom realized that AI-assisted development required iteration and adaptability.
A Dialog with AI: The Development Process
The process felt like collaborating with an AI developer.
“I’d ask Lovable how to build a feature. It would explain the approach, then execute. It was a real back-and-forth—basic features evolved into more complex ones as I learned more.”
One of the best parts? The live preview.
“I loved watching my app update in real time. I made edits on the go and connected it to GitHub for better version control.”
The 3-Week Push: Refining AI Features
For all of January, Tom spent over three hours daily working on Lovable.
“The first week, I thought I was nearly done. By the second and third week, I realized I needed to refine my AI features. That’s where things got more complex.”
AI-generated features weren’t always perfect, and Tom had to work through iterations manually.
Lessons for Founders Building with AI
1. Beware of Overconfidence in AI-Generated Features
“One of the biggest problems is overconfidence. AI maps out exciting changes, but it doesn’t always consider what they might break. I wasted hours tweaking things before realizing reverting was the best option.”
2. Start Small, Iterate Smart
At first, Tom had no idea what an edge function was. By the end of the month, he was implementing advanced features.
“The key is perseverance. You start with basics, and soon you’re speaking the AI’s language, making complex tweaks.”
3. Reframe Your Prompts to Fix AI Missteps
“The AI doesn’t always recognize when it’s digging a hole. If you reframe the problem in a different way, you can bring the AI back to the right focus.”
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Revert
Tom learned that reverting changes saved more time than trying to fix broken features.
“You feel like you’re losing progress, but if you don’t revert, you waste more time debugging something that was doomed from the start.”
What’s Next for Elora Health?
Tom is now refining his AI features, adding enhancements based on user feedback. Unlike serial founders who launch multiple apps, he’s focused on making Elora the best it can be.
“I’m obsessed with making this one product great. I don’t want to build 20 apps—I want to build one incredible one.”
And the hard work is paying off.
Elora Health Has Its First Paid Customers
“Right now, we have two paying customers. It’s a start, and I’m excited to keep improving the product.”
Final Thoughts: A Founder’s Perspective on Lovable
Despite some initial frustrations, Tom is committed to using Lovable long-term.
“The AI is good, but it will get even better. I’d love to see it understand broader context and become even more responsive.”
And Lovable is evolving.
With upcoming features like better AI-assisted debugging, in-app edits, and improved Supabase integration, the platform is set to become even more powerful for non-technical founders.
“I went from an idea to a fully functional product in a month. That just wasn’t possible before. Lovable made it happen.”
Want to see what Tom built? Check out Elora Health: https://elora-health.com/
Got a product idea? Try Lovable today.
