Building in Public: Lessons from Launching Popper
When I launched Popper last year, I made a commitment to build in public. Sharing both successes and failures has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. Here's what I've learned from growing our user base to 1,100+ users and partnering with 60+ local businesses.
The Power of Transparency
Building in public isn't just about sharing metrics—it's about being honest about the journey. When we hit our first 100 users, I shared not just the milestone but the three failed marketing approaches that preceded it. That post resonated more than any product announcement and led to connections with other founders who became valuable advisors.
The real magic happened when I started sharing our technical challenges. A post about our Firebase scaling issues caught the attention of an engineer who had solved similar problems. That chance connection saved us weeks of troubleshooting and led to a 40% improvement in our app's performance.
Real Metrics Drive Accountability
When you commit to sharing your numbers publicly, you can't hide from reality. Our monthly updates include:
- User growth (currently 1,100+)
- Business partnerships (60+ and growing)
- Engagement metrics (3.2 transactions per user weekly)
- Retention (78% 30-day retention)
This transparency creates accountability that's impossible to achieve when metrics remain private. There were months when growth stalled, and knowing I'd have to report those numbers publicly pushed me to experiment with new acquisition channels rather than making excuses.
Engineering Trade-offs in the Open
As a technical founder, I've found particular value in discussing engineering decisions publicly. When we chose React Native for cross-platform development, I wrote about the trade-offs involved. That post sparked valuable discussions about performance optimizations we hadn't considered.
Similarly, documenting our journey with Firebase—from simple MVP to supporting thousands of transactions—has created a record of technical decisions that helps us avoid repeating mistakes and provides context for new team members.
One of our most difficult decisions was whether to rebuild our rewards calculation engine for better scalability or optimize the existing system. By sharing our analysis publicly, we received feedback that ultimately saved us from a premature rewrite, focusing instead on targeted optimizations that achieved the same goals with less risk.
Community as a Competitive Advantage
The most unexpected benefit of building in public has been the community that's formed around our journey. Our users feel invested in our success because they've watched us grow from the beginning. When we ask for feedback, we get thoughtful responses rather than generic suggestions.
This community became a genuine competitive advantage when a larger competitor entered our market. Our users didn't just stay loyal—they became advocates, bringing friends onto the platform and suggesting new businesses for us to partner with. That organic growth would have cost thousands in marketing spend to achieve otherwise.
The Challenges of Public Building
Building in public isn't without its challenges. There's a fine line between transparency and oversharing, especially regarding financial metrics or strategic plans. We've developed a simple framework: share freely about the past and present, but be more selective about future plans that might change or create competitive disadvantages.
There's also the emotional toll of public failure. When our first Android release had critical bugs affecting 20% of users, documenting that failure publicly was painful but ultimately strengthened trust with our community. They saw how quickly we responded and appreciated the honest post-mortem.
Looking Forward
As we prepare for our next phase of growth, building in public will remain central to our approach. The benefits in terms of community building, accountability, and unexpected connections far outweigh the challenges.
If you're considering building in public, my advice is simple: start small, be consistent, and remember that authenticity resonates more than perfectly curated updates. The goal isn't to impress people—it's to bring them along on your journey, both the victories and the setbacks.
I'd love to hear about your experiences building in public or answer any questions about our journey with Popper. Connect with me on Twitter or through the contact form on this site.