It's always funny when companies call employees "Product Owners." In many places, the role is really about maintaining an internal product, without giving the employee any real ownership. The title implies ownership, but the role rarely comes with it.

First pair of prescription glasses in my life. Do I fit in with the indie community better now? 🤓

Software is a great way to start a business because it has relatively low capital requirements. People with limited capital can gain real business experience, accumulate capital, and later use it in any other field... #buildinpublic

Google is planning to verify all Android developers and block apps on stock Android if the developer isn't verified. The verification seems similar to Google Play, but it would apply to every developer, regardless of how they distribute their apps. keepandroidopen.org

Commenting on X posts is often futile. Most large accounts rarely notice or reply to comments (though there are exceptions). Comments boost the original post's engagement, but the commenting account usually gets little to no reward... #buildinpublic

Just a reminder for myself and others who need it: We can talk to potential customers before there is an existing product. People are willing to talk to us if we show interest in their actual problems and perhaps offer something in exchange.

Jan Builds Digital@janbuildsdigital.bsky.social · last mo.

I need to learn how to do market research for products that don't exist yet. The last project taught me a big lesson. #buildinpublic

The AI slop has entered Flippa where pre-revenue projects are now regularly listed for sale. With the barrier to building software lower than ever...

I'm still shaping my understanding of the difference between a business relationship and a friendship. A business relationship is built around an economic exchange, whether it's monetary or non-monetary. Once that exchange ends, the relationship usually ends as well.

I usually get bored on passive vacations. Give me physical work instead! A new floor makes the house look better and brings satisfaction to my mind. By the way, physical work feels great for digital people. We have bodies that are meant to work too!

This makes me very anxious: the opportunity cost of a failed venture. I've spent X months on a failed project. Those months could have been used on a different activity that would have pushed me closer to my goals. #buildinpublic

I need to learn how to do market research for products that don't exist yet. The last project taught me a big lesson. #buildinpublic

Last two weeks were stressful and crushing. After getting a lot of positive feedback from accountants, a new blocker has appeared that can directly disrupt my new product. Electronic invoicing is being adopted across several European countries with a clear goal: governments want to reduce tax fraud

When hiring a developer makes more sense for solopreneurs than relying on agentic coding: You are busy building and need to ship many features at once as soon as possible. Outsourcing some features is technically possible, and you have a budget to spend.

Jan Builds Digital@janbuildsdigital.bsky.social · 2mo ago

You're building a lot of product features at the same time, need to ship as quickly as possible, and have the option to outsource one feature to a developer. How do you decide? 1. Build it yourself with AI assistance 2. Pay a developer to build it with AI assistance #buildinpublic

My irritation with ChatGPT and their bugs reached new levels these days. Custom GPTs don't follow the instructions which means they are useless ~20-30% of time.

You're building a lot of product features at the same time, need to ship as quickly as possible, and have the option to outsource one feature to a developer. How do you decide? 1. Build it yourself with AI assistance 2. Pay a developer to build it with AI assistance #buildinpublic

A really strong week. The client validation I got in May has been very encouraging #buildinpublic • Clear confirmation that my product solves a real problem people have

“Founder-led customer support” is often described as an indie startup advantage over VC-backed startups. Still, I’ve rarely seen it highlighted on landing pages. Maybe it’s not as compelling as people think, or maybe it only resonates with certain customer segments. #buildinpublic

It's interesting how different industries seem to create their own archetypes of people. Physically demanding professions are often associated with blue collar workers who are seen as rough, dirty, or rude.

It feels great talking to a potential customer on the phone and hearing her say that after doing market research, she likes our solution the best and explain why. Also, this wouldn’t have been possible without the MVP. Validation is just easier when you have something tangible to show and offer.

There are at least two reasons why AI agents won’t replace entire markets across many niches. 1. People still trust other people more than robots, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. 2. AI agents are still tools that need maintenance, and not everyone wants to deal with that.

Client validation takes forever and it’s definitely outside my comfort zone 😬 #buildinpublic - The email campaign started at the beginning of March. Product leads were collected throughout March.

Whenever I’m talking to someone and they start swearing at or gossiping about another person, I immediately think they’re capable of doing the same to me.

Serious question: How much business and personal information should you share on social media?

Hard skills are easy to learn. Or they are not easy, but they are predictable. The real challenge is working with and influencing people. That’s what excites me and a big part of what keeps me motivated to keep hustling. #buildinpublic

A good time to ask for customer feedback is right after they request a refund. You don’t know if they’ll share, but there’s always a reason behind the refund, and sometimes customers want to explain it. It’s a great chance to learn more about your product and the overall customer exp. #builtinpublic

Reconnected with a childhood friend through a running app. We’re literally running the same race at the same time from different countries. It's pretty amazing how tech connects people.

One thing I’ve learned from building software products is that you need to ship updates and new features constantly to stay competitive. Software is a competitive game to play. Or maybe I just never reached the stage where a product can grow without releasing anything for six months 😁

What's your most efficient activity when an agent is coding and thinking for you? #buildinpublic

Gemini sucks at editing Google sheets. I've uploaded two sheets from Drive and prompted Gemini to structure and copy data from one file to the other, and it completely failed. Totally useless.

These days, we can say, “I remember when the codebase used to be a real competitive advantage that was hard to copy.” #buildinpublic