Recruiting BANGER designers, Audience Building, Noco's CRO focus and the EU Worm Diet - Episode 15

In this episode of WORK IN PROGRESS, Ian and Wes tackle the hiring struggle in design, new AI-powered updates in Webflow, and a regulation allowing insect protein in food. A mix of practical insights, rants, and some well-earned laughs:The Designer Hiring Crisis – Why is it so hard to find designers with good taste? Ian and Wes discuss the massive gap between applications and actual talent.AI in Design and Development – Webflow’s new Figma-to-Webflow update and how it changes handovers for design teams.The Power of Personal Branding in Hiring– Why building an audience is the best long-term hiring strategy.Bug Protein in Your Food? – A new EU regulation allows mealworms in everyday food. Ian and Wes aren’t having it.Building for the Future – The Noco team continues to push CRO-driven web development, and Wes reflects on Eli5’s hiring spree.A high-energy episode mixing frustration, strategy, and a touch of conspiracy.Timestamps:(0:00) Intro & Banter (2:00) Hiring Designers & The Struggle (9:00) What Makes a Great Designer? (Can Taste Be Trained?) (15:00) The Power of Personal Branding in Recruiting (24:20) The EU’s Food Regulation (Mealworms in Food) (29:00) Noco’s CRO Strategy & Productized Growth (33:00) Webflow’s AI-Powered Figma Integration (37:00) Hackathons, AI Tools & The Future of No-Code (40:00) Closing Thoughts & Outro The WORK IN PROGRESS podcast hosted by Ian Piepenbrock and Wes Botman, two founders who are scaling and refining their businesses every day.Wes Botman is founder and CEO at ⁠⁠Eli5⁠⁠ (https://eli5.io), a software studio making complex ideas simple and accessible.Ian Piepenbrock is CEO at ⁠⁠Noco⁠⁠ (https://noco.agency), an agency dedicated to helping B2B SaaS and tech companies grow through strategic web design and branding.Watch/listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cOqBRMjjgcXKSDDIboKrt?si=6990da66e09e4ef2Follow us on X for more raw insights, thoughts, and a good dose of founder reality:Wes: ⁠⁠@wesbotman⁠⁠ (https://x.com/wesbotman)Ian: ⁠⁠@lamswolprins (https://x.com/lamswolprins)