Now Is The Time To Build That Idea You Have

My father learned to code in the 80s, so, in the 90s, I was raised on computers and the internet.

In the late 90s, I would spend hours chatting with friends on AIM.

In 2005, I would be in the first million or so people to join Facebook.

In 2010, I’d start blogging about my experiences in the Peace Corps and continue writing on the internet til today. 

In all these decades on the internet, I’ve always wanted to build something beyond just content, like writing blogs, making podcasts or YouTube videos, social media posts or even creating websites with Squarespace.

I’ve always wanted to take an idea and turn it into something more, but felt like there were two real barriers to make this happen:

Over the years, I’ve had ideas for apps, but never been able to push them forward, because of these two limiting factors.

Today, these two barriers to entry no longer exist.

Before I talk about the new era of building on the internet, let me paint you a picture of the way it used to be.

Before recently, being a non-technical Founder with an idea was challenging, as your idea was really only as good as your ability to find and pay someone else to build it.

If you’ve never worked with a developer before to build something from 0, well, it’s difficult.

Why?

Because it hinges on your ability to describe the color blue to a blind person. This is a refrain I often use to describe the process, as it’s exceedingly complex to explain to someone else in detail what your vision is and how it should look in an app. This is especially true if what you’re building doesn’t have a strong reference point. Even when Zuckerberg built Facebook, he had MySpace and Friendster to take cues from.

Beyond the complexity of explaining blue to a blind person is that every change you make, albeit small, has a cost. Developers are not cheap, so when you have a 30 minute emergency call with them to fix one part of one section of your live app, their invoice for that seemingly small amount of work could be more than $1k, especially as it was likely done urgently which commands an extra premium. 

Years ago I was part of a team building a two-sided marketplace for construction professionals and I still have PTSD thinking about how much the developers would charge for the seemingly smallest change. 

In writing this, I asked Claude “How many hours do you think a developer would've needed to build out the code and flow for CHUMP that we've done together thus far? Any estimation?” and this is what Claude said:

The admitted assumption that all of the decisions were done right the first time, something which is highly unlikely for any project, is noteworthy. So, I’d go ahead and double if not triple that cost estimate from $18k-$33k to $54k-$99k using the $100-$150 hourly rate for a developer’s time — a rate that depends upon where you source your developer(s). I say that, because I can already hear someone scream about how “devs from [insert country] don’t cost that much!”.

The good news is that non-technical Founders no longer have to rely on developers and donate an organ to get their idea off the ground.

Today, they can just do it themselves. 

You no longer need to be a developer or write code to build on the internet.

Anyone can now build real, working, shippable things – apps, tools, automations, and websites all entirely without writing a single line of code yourself. 

In the last 6 weeks, I’ve done more with Claude for $100 a month than I likely could’ve done with a developer, a $100k budget and 3 months. I know that that sounds hyperbolic, but it’s not an exaggeration.

I've launched websites for GetJarrett and CHUMP, created financial dashboard tools, built out internal workflow automations, set up a calendar reminder bot for my father, got CHUMP to a prototyping phase, and iterated other money tech ideas that I’ll share publicly once they’re ready. I did all of this without writing one line of code. 

However, it does require the following 5 things:

1. Time - You don’t need a lot, but you need some. An hour a day during the week and an extra 3 hour stretch on the weekend can get you places. Once you start to explore, I think you’ll want to carve out the time. 

2. Patience - To build anything, you need patience and building with AI is no different. 

3. Curiosity - To build with AI, you need to be willing to try new things. I know that’s cliche, but it’s true, because every week there’s a new tool or workflow. Your AI outputs will only ever be as good as your curiosity-led inputs. Put another way, you’ve got to ask good questions to get good answers. 

4. Creativity - In a world where coding is no longer the barrier to building things, creativity matters more now than ever. With AI, creativity is no longer a soft skill that looks weird on LinkedIn or your CV. Right now, creativity is the most valuable technical asset in your arsenal.

5. A Vision - You need to know what you want to build. It doesn't have to be a fully formed roadmap, but you need direction. Without a vision, AI can be more limiting than make you feel Limitless.

Now, I should mention that you need a computer and around $100 a month, but most people reading this have a computer and can find $100 a month in their budget if they truly have an idea they want to bring to life.

En fin, if you've been thinking about an idea for a while, this is your sign to go build it.

And, if I had to start again today, I’d do the following:

I can’t make any promises but I’d bet that within 8-10 hours you’re going to get farther with the idea you’ve been sitting on than you could’ve imagined.

We’re currently in a golden era for building on the internet where you don’t need a developer nor money to pay a developer to get an idea off the ground.

You just need to start.

As always — nothing replaces action.

See you next Tuesday.

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