What is vibe coding? A plain-English guide for business owners
By John V Jayakumar · Updated
Where the name comes from
The term was popularised in early 2025 by AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, who described a new way of programming where you “fully give in to the vibes”: you tell the AI what you want, accept what it produces, and keep steering it with more instructions.
Since then, AI builders such as Lovable, Bolt and Replit have made this practical for people who have never written code. You type what you want in plain English. The builder writes the code, shows you a working preview, and lets you keep changing it by chatting.
How it works, step by step
- Describe the tool. For example: “Build a 6-question GST readiness check for small business owners that scores them out of 100.”
- The AI builds a first version. In a minute or two, you see a working screen in your browser.
- You test it like a customer would. What’s confusing? What’s missing?
- You refine it in plain language. “Make the questions shorter. Ask for name and WhatsApp number before the full result.”
- You publish it. The builder gives you a link you can share on WhatsApp, LinkedIn or as a QR code.
The skill isn’t coding. It’s describing clearly what you want, and judging whether the result is right for your customer. That’s why business owners often do well at it: they know their customers better than any developer does.
What a business owner can realistically build
| Works well | Needs more care | Not a fit (yet) |
|---|---|---|
| Lead tools: scorecards, readiness checks, quizzes | Tools that store customer data (you need security checks) | Banking-grade or medical systems |
| Calculators and estimators | Payments and subscriptions | Apps that must be in the App Store |
| Booking and pre-check forms | Logins with different user roles | Very large, complex platforms |
| Internal tools: trackers, dashboards, checklists | Connecting to other software (APIs) | |
| Simple products you sell to others |
The limits, honestly
- AI makes mistakes. It can produce something that looks right but behaves wrongly. You must test it, especially anything with logins or customer data.
- Security is your job. If your tool stores leads, check that one user can’t see another’s data. In our programs we teach a simple two-user safety test for exactly this.
- The law still applies. If you collect personal data in India, the DPDP Act applies to you.
- Clear instructions matter. Vague prompts give vague tools. A simple structure like the RAO method makes a big difference.
Vibe coding vs hiring a developer vs no-code builders
- Hiring a developer or agency: best for large or complex systems. Slower and more expensive for small tools, and every change goes back through them.
- Older no-code builders (drag-and-drop): good for websites and forms, but you’re limited to what the builder’s blocks allow.
- Vibe coding with an AI builder: fastest for small, custom tools, and you can change anything by describing it. You still need to test carefully.
How to start
- Pick one question your customers always ask before they buy. That’s your first tool.
- Write it as a one-page brief: who it’s for, what it asks, what result it gives, and what you want to receive.
- Turn the brief into a prompt with the RAO method.
- Build it in an AI builder, test it with two people, then share it.
If you’d like to see this done live from a blank screen, that’s exactly what happens in our 3-Day Business Tools Workshop.