Hi, I'm Connor Finlayson.
I help experienced professionals and teams turn their ideas into digital platforms — fast.
I’m the founder of Unicorn Factory, New Zealand’s leading freelancer marketplace, and I’ve spent the past decade building, automating, and scaling online businesses with no-code tools. Now I work with consultants, agencies, and organizations who want to modernize how they operate or productize what they already do best.
I live in Ottawa, Canada, where I run my own projects, create content that teaches others how to launch without code, and occasionally train for marathons.
My Story
I started working for myself right out of university, diving headfirst into the startup world. I joined an accelerator program for my first startup, Hatcher. Unfortunately, the startup didn't take off, and I ended up burning through my savings, feeling completely burned out.
After taking some time off, I decided to try freelancing. I began by helping businesses create Facebook ads. One of the frequent requests from my clients was for landing pages. I struggled with WordPress and coding, but then I discovered Webflow. It was a game-changer. As a non-developer, I quickly learned how to spin up landing pages for marketing campaigns, and I was hooked.
I decided to combine my new skills with my passion for helping freelancers. That’s how Unicorn Factory was born—a freelancer marketplace where I could practice my Webflow skills and help my Facebook ads business find more clients. Unicorn Factory started small, with just 8 freelancers, but soon grew to about 50.
My big break came when I was invited to speak at the first-ever Webflow Conference. Sharing my experience of creating Unicorn Factory with no-code tools was a pivotal moment. After returning from San Francisco, I decided to pivot my focus from Facebook ads to helping people build their MVPs using no-code tools.
To share what I was learning, I started a YouTube channel. It grew quickly, reaching over 10k subscribers in just 13 months. I also began consulting through my mastermind and courses, helping others turn their ideas into reality.
Today, I split my time between working on my courses, creating content, and helping first-time founders build their SaaS apps with no-code tools. Living in Ottawa, Canada, I also make time for training for my first marathon. It's been an incredible journey, and I'm excited to keep pushing forward.
The Businesses I've Built and What I've Learned
2018 - Hatcher
Tinder for food deals and gigs in New Zealand. Started straight out of university with a team of 4, but failed after 2 years due to a bad business model and running out of money.
2020 - Housesitting NZ
Directory for finding local housesitters in New Zealand. Partnered with a friend, but sold my share after 6 months due to lack of passion. It was a great learning experience for building marketplaces.
2020 - Unicorn Factory NZ
Freelancer marketplace in New Zealand. Initially a way to promote my freelancing services, it has grown into NZ's largest freelancer marketplace, generating six figures annually with minimal weekly work.
2021 - We Love Local
Sold: Move to Canada
E-commerce store curating locally made products in gift boxes. Started with my partner and sold after a year and a half. The business now turns over seven figures annually.
2022 - YouTube
Launched a channel teaching no-code tools for building online businesses. Currently taking a break.
2022 - MVMP
Mastermind and course community helping people build marketplaces with no-code tools. Have assisted over 100 founders in building their MVPs or consulting on their sites.
2023 - codemeetsnocode.com
E-learning platform for learning Airtable scripts and automations. Closed due to co-founder disagreements.