What Does It Mean to Build in Public?
The term “building in public” refers to the practice of entrepreneurs sharing their entire journey openly with the world. This can entail everything from discussing early ideas, failures, or customer feedback to financial data, product development updates, & even the struggles they’ve faced along the way. It’s been championed by successful founders like
David Heinemeier Hansson of Basecamp, who revealed their successes & challenges in real-time.
But, does this approach truly benefit everyone? First, let's look at the pros:
Benefits of Building in Public
- Accountability: Sharing your progress encourages you to stay on track. When you tell the world what you’re working on, you may feel more committed to finish it.
- Community Engagement: You build a community of interested users while gathering valuable input about your product.
- Transparency: Being open about your struggles may humanize your brand, attracting more customers who appreciate authenticity.
- Audience Building: If done right, you can accumulate a following that could lead to potential customers even before you launch.
The Shiny Side - Why It’s Not as Glorious as It Seems
Despite these alluring prospects, there are serious caveats early-stage founders must consider. Here’s why building in public may be misleading:
1. False Expectations
Building in public often comes with inflated promises & projections. The immense pressure to appear like you're thriving can lead founders to exaggerate their achievements. For founders, seeing others thrive in public can create a toxic sense of competition. You may start feeling you need to adopt a facade & create achievements that aren’t completely accurate or sustainable. You may find yourself maintaining a sense of perfectionism that isn’t grounded in your foundation.
2. The Curse of Oversharing
When you share
everything about your journey, the line between personal & professional starts to blur. Each increment of your progress can come under scrutiny. This may invite unsolicited advice, but worse is negative feedback that could undermine your self-worth & confidence. A great example is
Pat Flynn who shared income reports & later felt such pressure from his audience that he stopped doing them. Continuous scrutiny might disable your ability to make bold changes when you need to.
3. Unwanted Competition
If you reveal all aspects of your project—your ideas, your strategies, & more—you open yourself to potential competition. As noted in various blog discussions, tons of startups have encountered copycats that swoop in & take advantage of the transparency you offered. Every idea you put out there is a potential target for replication, especially in today’s hyper-competitive environment. Think twice before sharing those “secret sauces”.
4. Wasted Time
Being constantly engaged in sharing updates can detract from the time you spend on creating your product. The expected workload can shift from building towards marketing & maintaining an online presence. Time that could have been spent cracking complex problems may instead be spent updating your followers or responding to comments. One can easily transition from “startup builder” to “social media personality”, which isn’t always ideal.
5. Misleading Metrics
A common issue for those building in public is relying on vanity metrics to gauge success. You may find yourself fixated on social media likes, retweets, or comment engagements, while neglecting key performance indicators that actually drive business growth. This shift in focus may lead to marketing stagnation while you present certain numbers as successes even if they don’t translate to revenue growth.
6. Simplicity in a Complex World
Real startup life is messy, complicated, & takes time to navigate. Dismissing struggles can create an illusion of simplicity for those following your journey. The intricate nature of building a startup often gets glossed over in favor of narratives that attract likes & shares. This can lead to potential founders oversimplifying processes & underestimating the effort involved in overcoming hurdles.
7. Emotional Implications
Building in public can take an emotional toll. Every time you share a misstep or setback publicly, it can feel like a personal failure. Criticism may weigh heavily on your psyche if you’re too invested in public feedback. This continuous cycle of public highs & lows can lead to anxiety, burnout, or even worse—a loss of passion for your project. You might consider achieving goals outside public scrutiny to maintain your mental health.
Alternatives to Building in Public
Given the potential downsides of building in public, consider alternatives that might work better for early-stage founders:
- Gather Feedback Privately: Maintain a closed group or beta testing community to receive feedback on your product without exposing yourself to open criticism.
- Batch Sharing: Instead of live updates, consider less frequent blog posts or updates highlighting multiple milestones, ensuring you don’t overwhelm yourself with constant documentation.
- Investor Updates: Focus on crafting detailed reports meant for investors, targeting an audience that truly understands the ups & downs of startup life.
- Iterative Development Plans: Document your progress in internal communication without the urgency to put everything out to the public eye. This way, you invest more time in development while keeping a record of important milestones.
Conclusion
While building in public can be an exciting opportunity for some, it’s not always the best path for everyone—especially early-stage founders. The pressure to maintain a certain image, avoid unwarranted competition, and sustain continuous public engagement can mislead even the most passionate entrepreneurs.
Instead, weigh your options & consider whether ensuring privacy in parts of your journey might prevent unnecessary distractions & enhance your startup’s success. After all, the essence of entrepreneurship is in developing something great before presenting it to the world.
Get Ready to Engage with Arsturn
If you want to create a meaningful, customized experience without oversharing your journey yet still keeping your audience engaged, consider utilizing
Arsturn. With Arsturn, you can effortlessly create chatbots that answer questions or provide information tailored to your needs & brand—without the pressure of constantly being in the public eye! It's a top-notch no-code platform for building AI chatbots that enhances user experience without losing any
secret sauce! Whether you're an influencer, a founder, or just someone looking to improve engagement, Arsturn can streamline your operations while keeping your focus on building your business. Join thousands who’ve unlocked the potential of Conversational AI with
Arsturn.
No credit card required!Consider carefully what path you choose as you embark on your startup journey—building in public may just not be the golden ticket!