As an indie software business, we're constantly faced with a tough question:
Do you double down on what s working?
Or hedge your bets and build something new?

The past year at Magic Lasso Adblock, we asked ourselves that very question.

Are you in favour of banning social media for users under 16?

Recently, there has been a surge of laws and restrictions targeting social media platforms for young users.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately while building.

So many tools we use daily feel like they should be one product, but they're scattered across 5 different subscriptions.

I posted a random thread on X about the cost of living in the Netherlands. Nothing about what we're building. Just genuine thoughts about life in the Netherlands.

It hit 1M+ impressions. And here's the weird part we got a ton of signups and paid users for Starnus from it. Without ever mentioning the product.

Meanwhile, my "here's what Starnus does" posts? Way less engagement.

This genuinely messed with my head. I'm sharing the actual X post below

When I first started, I believed that as long as I built a great product, it would naturally become popular. But as I zoomed out, I realized the market is incredibly competitive. Having a good product alone isn t enough to truly convince users.

That s when I began building my presence on social media creating content about myself, sharing my journey, and talking about the product I m building. I ve come to see this as a very effective way to build trust and spark genuine interest not only in what I make, but also in who I am as a founder.

At the beginning of the year, 2 co-founders reached out to me because they wanted to scale their personal LinkedIn profiles. The reason: In a few months, they re planning to raise funding and believe their personal brand could help.

A few days ago, another founder contacted me with a similar intention, although he s not planning to raise funding. For him, LinkedIn has become the platform that generates the most leads. He doesn t particularly enjoy the network itself, but he still wants to keep building it.

Hey DaysAround fam

While building tools for nomads and travelers, I kept running into the same friction:

messy currency math and scattered expenses.

In your org, who s responsible for videos? Or rather which team creates videos?

Marketing?
Product?
Growth?
Customer success?
Founder?

I ve noticed something interesting:

I recently saw a marketer with 10k+ followers launch and finish 6th with 348 upvotes. They followed a proper pre-launch and post-launch plan, did everything right, and still the outcome felt unpredictable.

Now I m launching @Curatora next week.

I m not a marketer. I have a little over 1k followers. Of course, asking for support helps. But I also keep hearing that a large part of the Product Hunt community shows up mainly for their own launch, then goes quiet until the next one.

That makes me wonder: how much of success here is strategy, and how much is timing and network effect?

When I interviewed for my current company, I had a conversation with the Founder and PM that lasted more than an hour. Interestingly, only about 30% of the discussion focused on my experience which made sense, since my background wasn t directly related to the role I applied for.

The remaining 70% of the conversation was about how I approach real-world problems, my mindset toward the work I would be doing, and how I envisioned growing in the role. They also asked why I chose this product and company, what it meant to me personally, and how I hoped to contribute moving forward.

In my last post, we talked about how video workflows are evolving.

Zooming out, I ve been thinking about something bigger.

Today, I came across an article on TechCrunch: The great computer science exodus (and where students are going instead).

It shows that UC campuses saw a drop in computer science enrollment for the first time since the dot-com crash (6% in 2025, 3% in 2024), but students are shifting to AI-focused programs.

I used to think the hardest part of building a product was building the product.

Turns out, creating superfans is harder.

The real challenge is getting people to love your product:

We've objectively tested Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to determine which offers the best:

Speed,

Standards Compliance,

Our team is planning to launch a new version of our product on Product Hunt next week, after a period of optimization and improvements. As we get closer to launch day, I realize there s a lot to prepare, and I m curious about how other teams usually approach this process.

So far, here s what we ve been focusing on:

• Most importantly, making sure the product works well and delivers real value

• Continuous testing to ensure performance and stability

• Designing clean and clear product screenshots

• Preparing a summary of what s been updated, fixed, or optimized

• Writing launch content (tagline, description, first comment, etc.)

• Maintaining good health and a stable mindset for the launch

• Expanding our network and connecting with other makers

I m curious. Do you usually work with music on? Do you have go-to songs or playlists that help boost your energy and creativity while working?

Personally, I like starting my mornings with chill instrumental piano music to ease into the day. Later on, I switch to R&B, pop, or something more upbeat to keep the momentum going. Recently, I ve been vibing with:

• Love - Keyshia Cole

• So Easy (To Fall in Love), Man I Need - Olivia Dean

• Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush

• End of Beginning - Djo

• Moonwalkin - LNGSHOT

• Damn right - JENNIE, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis

• Keshi s playlists in general

What playlists or songs have you been listening to lately while working? Really curious to discover what everyone else is into

We re usually very good at creating to-do lists for work.
But what about everything outside of work?

I ve started turning my personal habits into a checklist to build discipline and make these habits non-negotiable over time.

Here s mine:

In the past, my thoughts were often stuck in small, daily things like:
Is there any drama on Facebook today?
Did anyone like my story?
Did my crush drop any hints?
Is anyone asking me out today?
Does my best friend have new stories to tell me?

Looking back, I can t help but laugh at myself. None of these thoughts really helped me grow, yet they always gave me that emotional, butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling.

Everything started to change when I entered a phase of I don t even know who I am.
And that s when I began searching for real answers.

The greatest invention of our time the smartphone has also become one of the biggest consumers of our energy and attention.

Being focused is now an art.

I joined Product Hunt about 2 months ago, and ever since receiving my first compliments and comments on our recent product launch, I ve truly felt how nice and supportive people here are. Everyone seems open to discussion, willing to help, and genuinely curious about what others are building.

At first, I thought it would be really hard for a newcomer like me to join such a big community. But it turned out to be much less strict than I expected - actually, it feels like a place with so much potential for us to grow together.

Every day on Product Hunt, I feel like I m learning or discovering something new. It s not just about upvotes. It s about ideas, feedback, and seeing how others think and build.