The 'Build in Public' Dilemma: My Honest Take on Sharing Wins (and Failures)
My personal struggle with how much to share when building in public, the fear of judgment, and my 'Authentic Sharing Spectrum' framework for deciding what and when to post.
The 'Build in Public' Dilemma: My Honest Take on Sharing Wins (and Failures)
There’s this constant tug-of-war happening inside me lately, especially when I sit down to share my journey building products. On one hand, I genuinely believe in the power of building in public. It’s how I connect with other makers, get feedback, and stay motivated.
On the other hand, there’s this gnawing fear. What if I share a struggle and people think I’m incompetent?
What if I post about a feature that flops, and it makes my entire project look amateurish? It’s easy to see the polished successes of others, but showing your own messy middle?
That’s a whole different ballgame.
This is the 'build in public' dilemma I’ve been grappling with. How much is too much? How do you stay authentic without oversharing or looking like you’re just complaining?
After a lot of internal debate and a few awkward posts, I’ve started to develop a framework for myself. I call it the "Authentic Sharing Spectrum." It’s not a rigid rulebook, but more of a mental guide to help me decide what and when to share.
The idea is simple: not all updates are created equal, and neither is the level of transparency we need to offer. I categorize my sharing into a few levels:
- Level 1: The "Shipping It" Update: This is about announcing a new feature, a bug fix, or a small improvement. It's generally positive and focused on the product itself. Think "Launched a new dashboard for Project X!"
- Level 2: The "Learning in Progress" Update: This is where I share a specific challenge I'm facing and what I'm trying to learn from it. It’s still product-focused but acknowledges a hurdle.
For example, "Experimenting with different onboarding flows for Project Y. Seeing some drop-off, trying to figure out why."
- Level 3: The "Deep Dive Struggle" Update: This is the most vulnerable level. It’s about sharing a significant roadblock, a major failure, or a personal learning curve that’s impacting the project.
This is where the fear often kicks in. An example might be, "My latest marketing experiment for Project Z completely bombed.
Feeling a bit discouraged, but I'm dissecting the data to understand where it went wrong."
When I’m deciding what to post, I ask myself a few questions:
- What is the primary goal of this update? Is it to inform, to get feedback, or to simply document a moment?
- What is the real lesson here? Even in failure, there’s usually a valuable takeaway.
- How will sharing this potentially help or inspire others?
- Does this feel authentic to my current state, or am I forcing it?
For instance, when I was trying to integrate a new payment gateway for one of my MVPs, I hit a massive, unexpected technical snag. It took days to resolve and felt like a huge setback.
Initially, I wanted to just ignore it and pretend it never happened. But then I thought about how many other solo founders might face similar hidden complexities with certain tech stacks.
So, I decided to share a Level 2 update, focusing on the process of troubleshooting and the specific technical challenge. I didn't dwell on the frustration, but I highlighted the learning. It wasn't a glamorous win, but it felt honest.
The key for me is finding that sweet spot where I’m sharing the reality of building without getting bogged down in negativity or seeking validation. It’s about sharing the journey, the ups and downs, in a way that’s sustainable and true to myself.
The takeaway here is that building in public doesn't mean you've to broadcast every single mistake or doubt. It's about finding your own comfort level with transparency. Use a framework like the Authentic Sharing Spectrum to consciously decide what to share, why you're sharing it, and how it aligns with your personal goals for building in public.
What level of transparency feels right for you today?