Building in public: what I've learned in six months

Six months ago, I started sharing progress on every tool I build. Not just launches — the messy middle, the wrong turns, the pivots.

The feedback loops changed everything. Users who watch you build are more invested than users who stumble upon a finished product. They forgive rough edges because they saw them get polished.

What surprised me

I expected critique. What I got was collaboration. People who follow the process feel ownership over the outcome. They suggest features that are actually good, because they understand the constraints.

The hardest part is resisting the urge to only share wins. The posts that get the most engagement are the ones where I explain a decision I reversed, or a week where nothing shipped.

Accountability is the real product

Building in public creates a forcing function. When you've told people you're shipping something Friday, Friday becomes real. That external pressure is surprisingly effective even when no one is watching closely.

On scope

The other effect: scope becomes visible in a way it isn't when you work privately. When you have to narrate what you're building, you notice when the story gets complicated. That's usually a signal that the feature is too.