I’ve always been a builder. I love the process of taking an idea and turning it into something real. But building in public, I was hesitant to share my work with the world. I was worried that someone would steal my ideas or that I wouldn’t be able to live up to the expectations of my audience.
But then I learned about building in public. Building in public is the practice of sharing your journey as you build something, from the early stages of ideation to the final product launch. It’s about being transparent and open about your process, and inviting others to participate and offer feedback.
I decided to give building in public a try. Here are just a few of the benefits I am expecting:
- Built a community of supporters. When you build in public, you’re not just building a product, you’re also building a community of people who are interested in what you’re doing. These people can offer you feedback, support, and encouragement. They can also help you spread the word about your work.
- Got early feedback. When you share your work in progress, you get feedback from people who are actually interested in using it. This feedback can help you improve your product and make sure it’s meeting the needs of your users.
- Learned from others. Building in public is a great way to learn from others. When you share your work, you’re opening yourself up to feedback from people who have more experience than you. This feedback can help you improve your skills and knowledge.
- Gained credibility. When you’re transparent about your process, it shows that you’re confident in your work. This can help you build credibility with potential customers and investors.
If you’re thinking about building something, I encourage you to give building in public a try. It’s a great way to build a community, get feedback, learn from others, and gain credibility.
Here are some tips for building in public:
- Start small. Don’t try to share everything all at once. Start by sharing small updates about your progress.
- Be honest and authentic. People can tell when you’re being fake, so be honest and authentic about your journey.
- Be open to feedback. Not everyone is going to love your work, and that’s okay. Be open to feedback and use it to improve your product.
- Be consistent. The more you build in public, the more people will start to follow you. So be consistent with your updates and make sure you’re sharing something new every week or so.
Building in public is not always easy, but it’s worth it. If you’re willing to put in the effort, you can build a community of supporters, get early feedback, learn from others, and gain credibility. So what are you waiting for? Start building in public today!
Here are some examples of people who have successfully built in public:
Naval Ravikant: Naval is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur who has built a large following on Twitter by sharing his thoughts on business, investing, and life. The VC Factory Naval Ravikant, venture capitalist and entrepreneur
DHH: DHH is the co-founder of Basecamp, a project management tool. He has been open about his journey as an entrepreneur, sharing his successes and failures on his blog and podcast. @DHH, co-founder of Basecamp
Jessica Livingston: Jessica is a venture capitalist and co-founder of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. She has written a book about building in public called “Founders at Work.”The VC Factory Jessica Livingston, venture capitalist and co-founder of Y Combinator
Melissa Perry: Melissa is a software engineer and blogger. She has been building in public for several years, sharing her work on her blog and on Twitter. Cooleaf Melissa Perry, software engineer and blogger
These are just a few examples of people who have successfully built in public. If you’re thinking about building something, I encourage you to check out their work and learn from their experiences.
Buildspace.so
Build your idea over six weeks. IT’S FREE! I love that they say, “This is not a course. Or a step-by-step tutorial. or a bootcamp. we won’t show you how to code a web app, how to open up FL studio to record a beat, how to set up a Shopify store, etc. That knowledge is literally a google/youtube/chatgpt search away.”
You can watch the archive recording to see what you get and even do the work. I love the energy, the tasks, and the reasoning behind it.
