Building in Public

What it is

Building in public is a commitment to transparently sharing the journey of product development, from early ideas and technical decisions to launch, iteration, and even challenges. It treats the audience not merely as consumers, but as active participants and an extension of the development team. This involves regular communication about product updates, design choices, technical stack decisions, and business milestones. It's a deliberate choice to operate with an open default, fostering a direct relationship with the community that uses or follows our work.

Why it matters

For a portfolio of purpose-built products, building in public accelerates feedback loops and cultivates a highly engaged user base. It establishes trust and credibility, which is invaluable for early-stage products seeking adoption. When users understand the 'why' behind decisions and witness the ongoing effort, they become more invested. This approach also acts as a forcing function for clarity and intentionality in our own operations; knowing we'll share our progress encourages disciplined execution. It naturally attracts like-minded builders and early adopters who appreciate the transparency, often leading to organic growth and valuable insights that might otherwise be missed.

How TV applies it

At Total Ventures, building in public is fundamental to our operating model. We ship weekly product updates across our portfolio, detailing new features, bug fixes, and underlying technical shifts. For instance, when developing our internal analytics tool, MetricStack, we shared early wireframes and discussed our choice of Firebase for real-time data aggregation. For transactional emails across products like Flowstate, we openly documented our migration to Resend, explaining the performance benefits. Our X and LinkedIn channels serve as direct conduits for these updates, often including snippets of code or screenshots of work in progress. We also share lessons learned, such as optimizing Vercel Edge Functions for specific use cases or integrating AI tools like Claude Code for rapid prototyping. This consistent output keeps our audience informed and engaged, fostering a sense of shared progress.

Common failure modes

The most common pitfall in building in public is treating it as a purely promotional channel, rather than a dialogue. Broadcasting marketing messages without genuine insight into the building process quickly loses authenticity. Another is inconsistency; sporadic updates undermine the trust and engagement built over time. Some teams struggle with the discomfort of sharing unfinished work or admitting to setbacks, but these moments often resonate most deeply with an audience of fellow builders. Conversely, over-sharing irrelevant internal details can dilute the value of the updates. The key is to find a balance, focusing on progress, decisions, and challenges that are genuinely informative and relevant to the product's audience or the broader builder community.