Day 3 of Building: I Hit the ‘Build vs Buy’ Wall

Every builder hits this wall.
I didn’t think it would come this early.

But today, on Day 3 of building my next product, I hit the classic dilemma:

Should I build this myself… or just integrate something off-the-shelf?

🚧 The Fork in the Road

I was cruising along — momentum high, vision clear, tasks flying off the board — until I hit a feature that stopped me cold.

I opened the tab. Then another. Then another.
Comparisons. Docs. API limits. Pricing. SDKs. Customizability.
“Maybe I can build a minimal version first?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t waste 3 days on this?”
“Maybe I’m overthinking it?”

Sound familiar?

🧠 The Hidden Cost of Building

Building from scratch is tempting — total control, no black boxes, zero vendor lock-in.
But here’s what people don’t talk about enough:

• You’re not just building it — you’re maintaining it.

• Every custom line of code is future technical debt.

• Every extra hour delays the moment users get their hands on the product.

And right now? I don’t have time to be a perfectionist.

⚖️ The Decision

After staring at it for an hour, I forced myself to ask:

Is this part of the “core magic” of what I’m building?

If yes — it’s worth the time.
If not — ship faster, validate sooner.

I chose to integrate.

And just like that, I moved forward.

🧭 My New Rule

Here’s the rule I’ve written on a sticky note near my monitor:

If it’s not your edge, don’t waste your energy.

That’s it.
It’s helping me move faster than ever.

---

💬 Let’s Talk

If you’re building something — or thinking about it — what’s your approach to the Build vs Buy dilemma?

Drop a comment below, or write your own story.
This wall shows up for every builder sooner or later.

📣 Follow along as I build in public: @nayaklitun9