Building In Public

I have always wanted to create content, but never wanted fame. I was a rapper for a minute, I am a rapper, but not currently releasing music, and I thought that I should try and document my journey as a developer. Now its about give or take 8 months and counting since I wrote my first line of code in Javascript. Well, HTML and CSS cannot be considered coding languages... in my opinion, but boy have I learned a lot. I think it is much easier to learn how to program when your life depends on it, than when you are only trying to learn a new skill.

Anyway, I feel like I am diverting from my main idea, which is the concept of building in public. I think there are several ways to build in public. First, there is the way everyone on this platform does it, by writing about a programming problem that they are solving, whether its hashing, or caching, or whatever complex phenomenon that developers find themselves trying to solve. Then there is the way I am doing it, talking about my startup, which never feels like its a real business, until I get a client to pay my rent. And then there is another way to create content, which is YouTube. The Holy Grail.

Facts: Most YouTubers who end up building in public are not trying to make money from their content. They just want to document their journey. Well that's a load of dung.. YouTube is one of the content creators favorite hub because it can be monetized. No one wants to pour sweat, blood and tears without a penny in return. But then, we have the Mr. Beasts, who just wanted to be YouTubers period. Anyway, before I lose my train of thought as the ADHD person that I am, let's get back on the train.

Where was I, yeah, YouTube. I just came across this content creator called Daniel Dalen and his content is off the roof. There are content creators the Likes of the Hormozis and the Gary Vees, and then developer coders who create content such as tutorials and endless projects.... which is educative, but then there is Daniel Dalen. This dude just made his life as an entrepreneur seem like a movie. He is moving from city to city going to do business.

Rarely are there incidences where they are having excessive fun, except eating out in all these Chinese restaurants, but their content, which is a Vlog Style version of building your company in public just wowed me. I am completely speechless. I think I just found a way that I can document my startup journey and share the lessons with the viewers in a way that is both entertaining and fun. However, here is what my current day looks like. Sit at a desk, learn a new skill, implement it in your project and sleep.

And then occasionally, when I am just about to run out of money, make a sales run to town looking for a potential client. I am always running out of money, and every week I start the week with begging God to give me some money for food and electricity, not factoring in rent. P.S. God always comes through, even if I have to bitch through the entire waiting period not knowing what is going to happen next. But who want's to see that.

Everyone wants to see you when you are long past your survival phase of the business. When you are travelling and having all these high profile clients. But you know something. I think that once I get out of survival mode... not business survival mode, but bill survival mode, I will start vlogging my journey of building a startup. Bi weekly episodes, where I will start talking to my phone like the lunatic I know I am and just post that stuff online to see what happens.

Blogging is a good way to express myself and my frustrations in this startup journey... but content is the way to reach more people and at least relate with them. I really don't think I want to inspire people. No F... that. I am way past my messianic phase of trying to improve the world. I just want to help people relate with me. I mean there are times I listen to Leila Hormozi's or Bet David's rant about how difficult business is and I feel like I am not the only one drowning in a sea of anxiety.

I think documenting this journey will be exceptional. I might get an online job to help me cover the bills and have some runway money and get paid to learn to code, but I want to keep building software, shipping them, improving, iterating, selling, and marketing these products even if I have to sacrifice sleep and my social life to get all this stuff done. The point is when you build in public, you just don't get attention. You help fellow entrepreneurs or coders experiencing the same hell as you know that the struggle is universal. Which is what we all need to hear so that we cannot give up, because boy is being an entrepreneur a bitch. Adios Muchacha!!!