Building Publicly

Day 56 / 365

Have you heard of the new trend among indie builders on Twitter called “Building In Public”? It’s a fascinating approach that involves sharing the process of building a product online in real time. Unlike the traditional way of building products, where you keep your idea a secret until you have a finished product, building in public means sharing your idea with the world as soon as you come up with it.

At first, this might sound counterintuitive. After all, why would you want to give away your idea before it’s even fully formed? But there are actually several advantages to building in public that is worth considering.

The first advantage is accountability. When you make your idea public, you’re putting yourself on the hook to follow through with it. This can be a powerful motivator to keep working on your project, even when the going gets tough. You’re no longer just accountable to yourself, but to everyone who’s following your progress and rooting for you to succeed.

I can certainly relate to this. In the past, I’ve started many projects that I never finished. Sometimes, it was because I lost interest or got sidetracked by other things. Other times, it was because I didn’t have anyone holding me accountable. But when you build in public, you have a built-in support system of people who are invested in your success. That can be a powerful incentive to keep going, even when things get challenging.

The second advantage of building in public is that it can help you attract customers. When you share your idea and your progress with others, you’re building a community of people who are interested in what you’re doing. These early adopters can become some of your most loyal customers down the line.

For example, imagine you’re building a new app that helps people learn a new language. You start sharing your progress on Twitter, and before long, you’ve attracted a small but enthusiastic group of followers who are interested in your project. They start giving you feedback and suggesting new features, which you incorporate into your product. By the time you launch, you already have a built-in audience of people who are eager to try your app and spread the word to their own networks.

Of course, there are some risks to building in public as well. For one thing, you’re exposing yourself to potential criticism and negative feedback. Not everyone will be supportive of your project, and some people may be quick to point out its flaws or shortcomings. It’s important to remember that this kind of feedback can be valuable, though, as long as you take it in stride and use it to improve your product.

Overall, I think the idea of building in public is an intriguing one, and it’s something I’m personally interested in trying myself. By sharing your progress with others, you can build a sense of community around your project and create a feedback loop that can help you make a better product. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even attract some early adopters who will become your most loyal customers down the line.