I want to build in public, but not for the "likes." I don't care about visibility as a growth hack. I care about the work itself—especially when it’s still messy, tentative, and uncertain.
Lately, "building in public" has become a performance. We’ve started filtering out the struggle and only posting the "presentable" stuff. But when you clean up the process, you lose the truth of it. You’re just sharing a story, not the work.
The Open Indie Builders Manifesto is my response to that. It’s a stand for a simple idea: work is valuable before it's "successful." I want to stay exposed to the "I don't know yet" phase rather than rushing to package it into a pretty narrative.
The rules are simple: Build while it’s unclear. Share the raw thinking and the real mistakes. Don't feel pressured to turn every hour of work into "content." Some things are important precisely because they aren't finished yet.
This isn't about storytelling or marketing—it's about the craft. It’s about how being seen changes the way we build.
Stacks and tools come and go. Openness is what stays. I’ve published this manifesto to set the tone for everything that comes next. If you’re tired of the noise and just want to build, join me: