After years of building stuff on the internet, I finally decided to start writing about it. Why now? Well, it just feels like the right time to share what I've learned along the way.
I've been a web developer for almost 15 years now. When I started, like many others, I dreamed of building the next Facebook or Amazon. I wanted to be the next big success story. But you know what? The older I got, the more I realized that's not what I really wanted. I've worked at both big and small companies, and trust me, running a billion-dollar company isn't all it's cracked up to be. What I really wanted was to build something that could support me and my family. After reading "Start Small, Stay Small," everything clicked. You don't need to build a unicorn to be successful - sometimes a small, profitable business is all you need.
One thing I've learned the hard way is that "if you build it, they will come" is total nonsense. I can't tell you how many times I've built something I thought was amazing, only to watch it sit there with zero users. Building the product is just the start. You need to think about marketing, SEO, sales, and finding the right audience. These days, before I jump into coding, I take time to research and plan. It's saved me from wasting countless hours on projects that would've gone nowhere.
Right now, I'm deep into building directory websites, so you'll probably see quite a bit about that here. But I'll also be writing about AI tools, development tips, and how our industry keeps changing. Sometimes I'll share what I'm working on right now, other times I'll talk about lessons from past projects, or we might just discuss where tech is heading.
This isn't meant to be a one-way conversation. Whether you're a developer, designer, or just curious about building stuff online, I'd love to hear from you. Drop a comment, ask questions, or just say hi. We're all learning here, and sometimes the best insights come from random conversations.
- Name
- Mike Murphy
- @murphbuilds