I stopped thinking like a "startup founder" and started building one small useful thing at a time
For a long time I made the same mistake a lot of side project builders make.
I thought I needed a big idea before I could start.
So I kept collecting ideas, watching other people launch, saving threads, reading about "the next big thing," and waiting for the right moment. But the truth is, the biggest unlock was not a better idea. It was changing how I approached building.
I stopped asking, "What can I build that sounds impressive?"\ I started asking, "What is one small thing that would be genuinely useful to a specific group of people?"
That shift changed everything.
Instead of trying to launch a giant product, I started looking for smaller, sharper problems. Things people were already solving badly with spreadsheets, Notion docs, manual reminders, or scattered tools. Those problems are easier to understand, faster to build, and much easier to validate.
What surprised me most was how much momentum comes from simplicity.
A small side project that solves one annoying problem can get its first users faster than a polished app with 10 features. People do not care how much time you spent building if the thing saves them time today.
A few things I learned along the way:
- Build for one very specific user, not "everyone."
- If you can explain the value in one sentence, the idea is probably clear enough.
- Validation is more important than complexity.
- Shipping something useful quickly beats planning the perfect product.
- Side projects work best when they are narrow enough to finish.
I also realized that a lot of side projects fail not because they are bad, but because the founder never reaches the point of talking to real users. They stay in idea mode for too long. The moment you start getting feedback, the project becomes real.
That is why I now care less about making something huge and more about making something useful, simple, and shippable.
If you are in the same stage, I think the best move is to stop aiming for a full startup and start with one small problem. The smaller the problem, the faster you can learn whether people care.
I have also been putting together notes and frameworks from studying 1000+ founders and builders who figured out how to go from idea to revenue without overcomplicating it. I am organizing that into Toolkit for anyone who wants a more practical path from side project to real product.