build an app for that > there's an app for that
What do you want to build?
Seems like all that’s holding a lot of us back (me included) is whether or not we take a few minutes to play around with these new AI tools.
I like what Dave Rigotti does in general. He’s building a strong following by being open and experimenting. His companies are pretty cool, too.
We no longer have to hunt for what we want
We can build it. All it takes is a little imagination and time set aside to learn a few new tools.
Maybe I’m dating myself, but do you remember when apps proliferated and the going joke was “there’s an app for that”?
Someone built the thing you wanted to do. I don’t hear that anymore. What I hear is “you can build that with Vercel, Relevance, n8n, and even older (but still cool) tools like Make.com.
Engineering-as-marketing is about to explode
The Hubspot Website Grader was revolutionary. That’s not hyperbole. It literally changed how millions of people thought of publishing tools online. It helped who knows how many teams justify the time and cost to build simple-but-helpful tools with the express purpose of capturing leads that eventually turn into money.
Two things happened this week that made me sit back and think about engineering-as-marketing:
We had our quarterly Accoil in-person offsite. We talked a lot about helpful, free tools we can build.
Dave’s post above. I didn’t think we’d be the only team plotting ways to build cool, free things. But it got me excited about all the things we can build when the cost approaches $0.
Of course we’re not alone, but there’s plenty of room
We’re not the only ones plotting new tools and dreaming of massive spikes in leads. But there’s so much room to be helpful that I don’t think anyone needs to feel like they’re about to miss the train.
Ok, wait too long and the moment may pass, but this will be a long moment. And you have a unique perspective on what is and is not helpful. There are a lot of problems to solve, big and small.
What’s stopping you isn’t capability anymore
No degree needed. Heck, we’re close to the point where you might not even need no-code tools. You may just need an idea and a good prompt to build your next tool.
If you’re reading this on a Sunday (when it’s being published down here in Australia), take a walk and think back to any of those little moments you’ve had when you thought “wouldn’t it be cool if we could build that?”
And maybe block some time on Monday morning to see if you can.
Peter
(470 / 500)