Thread by @trends_vc

Build in Public 101. Everything you need to know:

🏁 14 Players
🔮 2 Predictions
☁️ 4 Opportunities
🏔️ 3 Risks
🔑 3 Key Lessons
🔥 2 Hot takes

Let's dive in👇

💎 Why It Matters

Building in public helps you:

• Validate ideas
• Stay top-of-mind
• Get fast feedback
• Build connections with stakeholders

🔍 Problem

You need to break through noise to share your story.

💡 Solution

Make a habit of sharing struggles, wins, milestones, questions and lessons.

🏁 Players

@DruRly • Trendsvc creator who shares progress and failures in public.
@arvidkahl • Sharing lessons on bootstrapping and building in public.
@aaraalto • Designer and artist building Wagmi Table.

More 👇

🏁 Players

@5harath • Co-founder of @shoutoutso_. Shares insights around no-code, community and product.
@bossnayamoss • Building Frauvis. A newsletter, community and job board.
@maciejcupial • Building @calendeskcom. An online booking system.

More 👇

🏁 Players

@whizzzoe • Shares projects on her personal site.
@thisiskp_ • The "Build In Public" Guy. He was offered a job with
@beondeck in public.
@mijustin • Building @TransistorFM. A podcast publishing platform.

More 👇

🏁 Players

@CasJam • Building @ZipMessage. A video messaging tool for async conversations.
@JanelSGM • Building Newsletter OS. A framework to launch and run your newsletter.
@ekrubyguy • Building Appbasics and @RubyOnRemote

More 👇

🏁 Players

@damengchen • Building Testimonial, Embed, Supportman and See Ya Future.
@BrettFromDJ • Building a one-person, million-dollar design service - Designjoy.

🔮 Predictions

Creators will use podcasts as a channel to build in public. See examples:

• The Build in Public Podcast by @thisiskp_
• Startups for the Rest of Us by @robwalling
• The Bootstrapped Founder by @arvidkahl
• Software Social by @leenyburger & @mjwhansen

🔮 Predictions

More companies will be built around accountability challenges:

• Creative Companion Club is for creators (cc @jayclouse)
• @100daysnocode is for builders (cc @HainingMax)
• @ship30for30 is for writers (cc @dickiebush & @Nicolascole77)

☁️ Opportunities

Find your tribe. Engage with subcommunities 👇

• #fintwit is for finance.
• #retwit is for real estate.
• #100DaysOfNoCode is for builders.

☁️ Opportunities

Share more than revenue. There are other ways to build in public. You can:

• Offer Help
• Share Goals
• Request Help
• Build Waitlists
• Share Lessons
• Share Struggles
• Share Milestones
• Reflect on Progress
• Show New Features
• Share your Roadmap

☁️ Opportunities

Join a challenge. Social accountability works.

• 12 startups in 12 months helps you launch a startup every month for 12 months.
• @100daysnocode helps you bring your ideas to life in 100 days.
• @ship30for30 helps you get started writing online in 30 days.

☁️ Opportunities

Repurpose content.

• @arvidkahl turns blog posts into tweets, threads, podcast episodes, books and courses.
• @nathanbarry turned his iconic blog post into a Twitter thread

https://twitter.com/nathanbarry/status/1202243039986536454?lang=en

🏔️ Risks: Person > Persona

Don't lose yourself while building in public. It's easy to become obsessed with crafting narratives.

Building in public is performative but find balance.

🏔️ Risks: Copycats

Sharing success and strategies will lead to copycats.

Feature parity is possible in SaaS. While creators and communities are categories of one.

🏔️ Risks: Competitors

Oversharing can allow incumbents to frontrun your roadmap.

@buffer, one of the most open companies, throws caution to the wind and shares their full roadmap buffer.com/resources/tran…

🔑 Key Lessons

Building in public has benefits beyond reaching customers. You can:

• Recruit team members
• Get fast feedback
• Meet new friends
• Find evangelists
• Meet mentors
• Find investors

🔑 Key Lessons

Early followers become invested in your journey when you involve them by asking for feedback and sharing struggles.

See the Endowment Effect 👇

https://twitter.com/NotechAna/status/1501241158202187784

🔑 Key Lessons

Building in public works because transparency is scarce. We value authenticity and vulnerability.

As @BreneBrown says “Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.”

🔥 Hot Takes

If building in public feels like a job to you. It won't last.

Choose a strategy that you can maintain.

Don't like Twitter? No problem. Podcast or make videos.

🔥 Hot Takes

Building in public is performative.

Embrace it. Be authentic. Tell honest stories and build connections.
thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-performati…

😠 Haters

"What if people judge me?"

This is your ego talking.

The bad news is that no one cares about you.
The good news is that no one cares about you.

We care about ourselves and our problems.

Focus on providing value and sharing stories.

😠 Haters

"I don't have any followers. No one's listening."

Don't try to boil the ocean. Join small communities and connect with people one-on-one.

Highlight others' work. @dickiebush gained early followers by appreciating others 👇

https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1301241471782318080

😠 Haters

"Building in Public? This sounds like Bragging in Public."

If you only share wins, this is bragging. And inauthentic.

Share the ups and the downs 👇

https://twitter.com/dannypostmaa/status/1503651764486086657

🙏 Thanks to our contributors:

@arvidkahl
@aaraalto
Nyssa Cromwell
@CasJam
@maciejcupial
@5harath
@fausto_st
@ekrubyguy
@kattrisen
@shacrw_
@PrabhjotSL

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