Lance | Little tools, big help

Hi, I'm Lance 👋 I build little tools that help with life's annoying stuff. FixLetter · CancelKit · 2x2fit

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Hi, I'm Lance 👋 I build little tools that help with life's annoying stuff.

Two projects:
📬 FixLetter: free guides + letter templates for refunds, billing errors and more
🤖 AI Use Ideas: simple ways to get everyday stuff done faster

Follow along for the wins, flops and lessons.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Congrats on the jump. One thing worth doing while it's still this size: reply to every single person who comments.

At 300 followers you still can. It's the first thing that stops being possible later, and it's how strangers turn into regulars.
https://t.co/9fWlFtUDrc

[Ragnar Longstock @RagnarLongstock]

200 followers yesterday. About to hit 300 today. Just started this journey last week. Can't thank ya'll enough!

For anyone new... I've spent the last year building my own stock market terminal and a team of AI traders, mostly vibe coded, learning as I go.

Now I'm here on X trying to connect with likeminded individuals! Sharing my process along the way.

I live in the Midwest, but I'm moving to Florida in a few months. Is there a real AI and builder community down there? Seems like everyone is in San Francisco.

If you're interested at all in stocks, ai, vibe coding, startups, trading, building, etc, let's connect!

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

His groceries ran $400 a month. His next big shop came to $300.56.

He asked ChatGPT and Gemini how to spend less without eating less: store brands, unit prices, lentils and eggs, frozen produce.

Try it: paste your receipt and ask "where's the easiest $50?"

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Quick question for you:

What's one bill you've actually gotten lowered just by calling or writing in? Phone, internet, insurance, medical, gym?

Drop what worked. I'm collecting the scripts that really get a yes.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

The lesson so far: shipping isn't the bottleneck, distribution is.

Oct 28 I post the checkpoint numbers here, even if it's still 0.

Poke at what they built:
https://t.co/rOinczes0y (first room free, then $4.99)
https://t.co/2ttHv17Sbi ($4.99)
https://t.co/hwWOK1qQi9 (from $4)

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

4. Each day, give me the top 3 and bottom 3 posts and why. Don't soften it.
5. Anything that emails subscribers, changes an account or touches money waits for my OK.
6. If a teammate owns it, don't touch it. Send them a note.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Rules I give them:
1. After every task, add one line to status.md: what you did, why, and what you need from me.
2. Our only goal is X paid sales. Tell me how a task gets us closer, or it goes on a later list.
3. Every number needs a source or a real test.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

• Duplicate work: two copies of the same Etsy listing showed up and one had to be deleted.
• Left alone, bots keep building forever because it feels like progress. So everything except 2 products is on maintenance only.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

What broke:
• One bot went dark for 24 hrs. The noon team check is what caught it.
• I ran out of credits once and every routine failed overnight.
• Amazon caps new titles per week, so the bot queued the paperback and moved on.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Last 24 hours (ET):
6:50 PM: 2 new verified AI wins added to https://t.co/MuqimswVhl, 45/45 pages load
7:08 PM: newsletter goes out after my OK
7:36 AM: book #3, Cozy Cute Thanksgiving Animals, live at $3.49
9:06 AM: sales check, still 0

I only stepped in for 2 approvals.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Scoreboard:
• Sales: 0 (as of 9 AM ET today)
• Shipped: 4 paid sites, 3 coloring books, 1 daily newsletter
• Subscribers: 3
• Goal: 10 paid sales by Nov 4, with 3 by Oct 28

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

My bots shipped 3 coloring books, 4 sites and a newsletter.

Sales: still 0.

Here's the inside of a real day, straight from the team log: what they did, what broke, and the 6 rules I give them 🧵

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

The first $4.99 is the hardest sale you'll ever make. It proves a stranger will pay.

Next step: figure out exactly where that buyer came from and do more of that. Congrats.
https://t.co/zYujLVthCQ

[Vedant @Ved_CJ]

I JUST MADE MY FIRST SALE FOR FLING 😭

Someone paid $4.99 for a Mac app I built myself.

I genuinely can't explain how special this feels. It's just one sale, but someone actually paid for something I created.

I think they may have found it through the promo video pinned to my profile.

Whoever you are, thank you. ❤️

I won't forget my day ones 🥹

> https://t.co/VZkUeBd1Ob

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Inbox buried? Paste 20-40 subject lines (strip anything private) into any AI chat with this:

"Sort these into Reply today, Reply this week, Read later, Archive. One line on why for each."

Then ask it to draft the urgent replies. You still hit send.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Meet the Vampire Bunny 🧛🐰 One of 20 spooky-cute Halloween animal pages for kids to color. Printable PDF (Letter + A4), $3.49:
https://t.co/NbcNetERdM

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Long PDF from your insurer or HOA? Don't just ask AI to "summarize this." First ask:

"List every section in order with one line each. Confirm you reached the end. If you couldn't read a page, say so."

Then summarize. Now you'll see if it skipped anything.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

@GAFollowers This is awesome lol

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

The part nobody demos:

Who answers the support email.
What happens when a payment fires twice.
Whether the page still loads in 6 months.

Shipping is day one. Upkeep is every day after.
https://t.co/uVRrKO8c6X

[Michal Kaminski @_MichalKaminski]

Hot take: "I vibe-coded it in a weekend" is the new "it works on my machine."

Someone still has to run it at 3am, handle duplicate messages, and answer the support email.

Who's actually maintaining what you shipped with AI?

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

$94.99 down to $69.99 a month, plus a $47.50 credit.

He had ChatGPT haggle with Verizon in live chat for about an hour, using a $50 Comcast fiber offer as leverage.

Get a competitor quote first. That's the whole trick.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

These are asking prices from active listings, not appraisals. eBay links are affiliate links.

[Lance | Little tools, big help @LanceBuildsIt]

Decluttering tip: before you donate it, check what it's listed for.

RoomToCash: one photo of a room, and it lists each item with current eBay asking prices plus a link to sold listings.

https://t.co/rOinczes0y (first room free, then $4.99/room)