When Marina Trajkovska first tried Bubble, it was a bit of a missed connection. After successfully spinning up a basic page, she didn’t touch no-code again for two years. Motivated to build an idea but lacking the traditional coding skills to make it happen, she tried Bubble again — and this time, she was hooked. After spending nearly a decade as a QA engineer, she soon pivoted to pursue Bubble development full-time.

Today, Marina is the co-founder and CTO of Voicepen.ai, a tool that converts audio to blog posts. An active member of the no-code community, she enjoys consulting on Bubble apps for others and serves as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and Techstars mentor.

Tell us your Bubble story.

In 2018, I wanted to turn my idea into reality, but lacked funds to hire developers. I knew there had to be a solution that didn't involve me learning to code — this led me to discover Bubble. 

I was able to quickly create a basic page with only a few elements. However, I reached a point where the complexity became overwhelming, and I abandoned Bubble. Here’s a screenshot of my first Bubble app:

Two years later, I had another idea, but still didn't know how to code. I decided to give Bubble another try — but this time I went straight to the How to Build page and started learning. I built the Etsy clone and was immediately hooked.

I spent nearly a decade as a QA engineer before making the leap to working full-time as Bubble Developer. The turning point for me came when I successfully integrated a local Macedonian banking system with the API Connector. That achievement was my "aha" moment‌ — ‌it made me realize the vast potential of Bubble, allowing me to build just about anything. (It's worth mentioning that the e-banking system in Macedonia isn't cutting-edge, especially when you compare it to something like Stripe.)

What does your career look like today?

As a Bubble Developer, I often find myself juggling multiple projects at the same time. Each project is unique and presents its own set of challenges and rewards. Among these, my personal venture, Voicepen.ai, holds a special place.

The process of managing such an intense workload is filled with challenges, but it's also an incredibly rewarding experience that encourages personal and professional growth. 

Recently, one of the challenges we've embraced at Voicepen.ai is to create a very modern website with complex animations using Bubble. This required a lot of creativity and some coding knowledge.

How has becoming a Bubble Developer unlocked doors for you?

It was a game-changer for me! I've always had the mindset of a startup founder, but I never had the opportunity to learn coding well enough to code my own apps. Discovering Bubble was like gaining a superpower‌ — ‌it allowed me to quickly develop tools and make fast improvements.

One summer, my former co-worker and I launched five different tools. We didn't stop until one of them really caught on, and that was Voicepen.ai. Bubble enabled me to build my own startup and raise my first funding ever. I am finally a technical founder because of Bubble.

How many Bubble apps have you built to date? Which one was the coolest?

I’ve built around 40 Bubble apps that have gone live. Among them, I've created a Netflix-style platform for YouTubers, developed AI-powered tools like Voicepen.ai, and even worked on an enterprise app that handles over 1 million records in its database. 

What’s your favorite Bubble hack or little-known tip?

Oh, there are so many! I love that I can download files from links by calling a GET request using the API Connector. 

Also, I can create smooth sliding animations using the height/width transition and opacity transition: 

What would you say to someone who’s considering a career in no-code?

Start by learning the basics of software development, then dive into using the Bubble editor. There are excellent beginner courses on development that lay down the fundamentals needed to build and manage any app. Understanding these core concepts will significantly improve your ability to create more sophisticated and efficient apps in the future.

We’re making progress, but women are still underrepresented in programming. Anything else you’d like to add in honor of International Women’s Day?

The no-code movement is breaking down barriers in the tech industry, making it easier for women to get involved in creating and shaping technology. This is a big step in tackling the industry's gender gap.

In particular, women are making a mark in the no-code sector by leading as innovators, business owners, and educators. There's a huge opportunity for women to start their own tech companies and stand out in the tech world like never before.

For example, take Marlene and Hodan from Empire AI. They used Bubble to quickly build and rapidly expand their startup. Their success is just one of many stories showing what women can achieve in this field.

However, there's still a lot of room for more women to join and make an impact in the no-code industry. Having been involved for the last decade in women's tech communities, I've seen firsthand the difference that support and encouragement from other women can make in these spaces. I'd love to see a community like that forming around no-code.