How do you split time between building and growth when you're solo?
How do you split time between building and growth when you're solo?
I've been building NAAD (an Indian classical wellness app — ragas, pranayama, mantra meditation) mostly alone, and I've noticed something: the skills that make you good at shipping product are almost the opposite of the skills that make you good at growth/distribution. One is heads-down and technical, the other is outward-facing and relational.
For those of you who've been solo makers — did you force yourself to learn marketing, or did you eventually bring someone in to own that side? And if you brought someone in, how did you structure that (equity, profit-share, contract) in a way that felt fair to both sides?
Genuinely curious how others have navigated this, especially early on when there's no revenue yet to pay someone a normal salary.
Replies
AI is my marketing strategist at this point
@jbrio Can you Please explain me more about
@new_user___1872026da0949094391b81e I didn't hire anyone to join me for marketing, and I didn't really "learn" marketing, I just ask the AI for advice and follow along with what it says.
@new_user___1872026da0949094391b81e OK, here's what you do:
Open ChatGPT (or Gemini or Grok or DeepSeek)
Write down what your app is about. Make sure to write a lot of detail.
Finish by asking "give me a detailed plan to grow my app."
Do whatever the AI tells you.
When you get rich someday, send me a bottle of champagne 🙏
I’m not sure a solo founder needs to divide every day equally between building and marketing. It may be more sustainable to work in blocks—several focused product days followed by a dedicated distribution day—rather than constantly switching modes.