Hey builder,
Last week I told you about a designer walking into a codebase. This week, I walked deeper — and tripped a few times.
The big update: I now have an AI co-founder named Kai. Not a chatbot I ask questions to. A full system — with memory of my projects, my decisions, my constraints, and a direct publishing pipeline to my blog.
Sounds impressive, right? Here's what nobody tells you about setting this up:
It broke. A lot.
First version: Kai forgot everything after 20 minutes. Every conversation started from zero. Like working with someone who has amnesia.
Second version: I gave Kai too much context. The knowledge file was so bloated that responses started contradicting themselves.
Third version: Kai agreed with everything I said. Great for my ego. Terrible for my business.
The fix wasn't better AI. It was better systems. A structured knowledge base. Clear personality rules ("be my devil's advocate, not my cheerleader"). And a hard rule: I read every single word before it goes live.
What's working now:
15 blog posts published in 2 weeks
A content calendar running itself
Fiverr gigs live and waiting for clients
A newsletter (hi, that's this) growing steadily
What's not working:
Revenue: still $0
Fiverr inbox: still empty
The nagging feeling that I'm building a content machine for nobody
But here's what I keep reminding myself: the internet rewards consistency over brilliance. Post #1 doesn't matter. Post #50 does. So I keep going.
3 things I read this week:
Arvid Kahl on AI making experts better and beginners worse — made me think hard about which side I'm on
The concept of "building in public" as a marketing strategy, not just a trend
Why the first dollar is always the hardest (I wrote about this: The First Dollar Problem)
This week's posts you might have missed:
One honest thought:
The hardest part of this journey isn't building. It's marketing. It's putting yourself out there when nobody's watching yet. Every comment in a Facebook group, every reply on X, every newsletter sent to a small list — it feels pointless until it doesn't.
If you're in the same boat, I see you. Keep going.
Talk next week, Sơn
P.S. — If you know a designer thinking about building with AI, forward this to them. They probably need to hear it.