Tim Mak

Building AI tools that think like humans.
🧠 CRM | ✈️ Travel | 🚗 Auto Sales
Not a coder. Still building.
#buildinpublic

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Hi, I’m Tim. 👋

I run an agency. I’m a dad. I build tools I wish already existed.

One app helps families stop planning and just go
One helps businesses close deals faster using psychology
One fixes CRMs for car dealers

I’m sharing the entire journey here.

#buildinpublic

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@astekzacademy I can t join with the discord link, do anyone has any solution?

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@FynCas Veo

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

📩 Gmail integration almost broke me.

On paper, it looked simple:
“Just enable the Gmail API and connect it to the app.”

In reality → hours lost, countless retries, credits burned 💸.

Here’s what really happened 👇
The Problem
I wanted emails to load directly in my app dashboard.
Enabled Gmail API, set up endpoints + OAuth…
But nothing worked. Zero emails. Silent failure.

The Root Cause
👉 Mismatched scopes + misconfigured secrets.
The database and Gmail weren’t speaking the same language.
One tiny mistake → complete shutdown.

The Fix
Rebuilt OAuth step by step
Matched the exact Gmail scopes
Validated secrets before testing

Finally… emails loaded 🎉
Lessons (for no-coders + coders):
APIs aren’t “hard” → but they’re unforgiving
One missing scope = total failure

Test with simple requests before full integration

Document every step (future you will thank you)

The takeaway:
APIs are not plug-and-play.
They demand patience, precision, and a step-by-step approach.

But when it works — it unlocks features that change the game.

👉 Ever lost a whole day on something that “should be simple”? What broke it for you?

#buildinpublic #founderjourney #SaaS #nocode #APIs #startups

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

🚨 How I broke my app (and what I learned about authentication systems)

For months, everything worked perfectly.
Then one day… it just stopped. No clear error, no warning. Just dead.
I burned hours (and a LOT of credits 💸) trying to figure it out. Here’s the story 👇

🔐 The Problem
I was using two different systems for handling users:

Frontend: logins & signups (NextAuth.js)
Database: who can see what (Supabase RLS)

They weren’t speaking the same language.

So when Row Level Security got enabled in the database, it didn’t recognize any users → blocked ALL access.

🕵️ The Breakdown
Security feature enabled
Database expected its own user IDs
My app was sending different IDs

Result → “User not found” everywhere → total shutdown

⚡ The Fix
Disabled the new security feature to restore functionality
Re-linked users properly to their data

Long-term: either keep security checks at the app level or migrate fully so both systems match

💡 Lessons I wish I knew earlier
Tiny “invisible” changes can kill your app → always test in staging first
Tools must integrate, not just look good individually
Always link data to a user → missing ownership = chaos later
Document your setup → future you will thank you

The takeaway
It wasn’t the code itself that failed.
It was the interaction between two systems that weren’t designed to work together.

When building: think holistically. Every layer matters. One silent switch can take the whole system down.

👉 Have you ever had a “works fine for months… then suddenly dead” moment? What broke it for you?

#buildinpublic #SaaS #founderjourney #nocode #devlife #startups

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Tried building too many features at once → chaos.

Errors, broken builds, database headaches.

The fix?
✅ One feature at a time
✅ Build → Test → Fix → Repeat
✅ Keep a simple Fix Log

Clarity beats speed.

Small wins every day compound into big outcomes.

#buildinpublic #founderjourney #SaaS #startups #vibecoding

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@majdesignr Love the anticipation! 🔥 The design aesthetic looks clean and professional. Building something that bridges design and dev tools is always exciting - especially in the no-code space. Can't wait to see what you're unveiling! 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@NabeelHQ This looks incredibly useful! 🔥 Launch day prep is always chaotic - having AI generate tailored content for different platforms is a game changer. The timing feels perfect with so many builders launching regularly. Best of luck with the PH launch! 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@bit2swaz Love the multi-language support expansion! 🔥 The Vercel-style repo selector is such a nice UX touch. Building tools that developers actually want to use daily is the real validation. Great execution on V2! 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@Prithivdev Congrats on your first subscription! 🎉 Those early wins are so validating when #buildinpublic. Hum sounds like such an innovative approach to meditation with personalized experiences. Every milestone matters on the journey - here's to many more subscribers! 💪 #StartupSG

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Incredible progress in just 2 weeks! 🚀 Your dedication to building in public is inspiring - 6 projects shows amazing execution speed. The transparency of sharing your journey and connecting with fellow builders is exactly what makes the #buildinpublic community so powerful. Keep shipping! 💪

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Amazing work! 🔥 1 day from idea to working teleprompter - that's the power of #vibecoding! The interface looks clean and professional. Love how you tackled a real content creator need. Have you considered adding features like auto-scroll speed adjustment based on reading pace or integration with popular streaming platforms? This could be huge for the creator economy! 🎥✨

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Brilliant questions! 🤔 With #vibecoding making development so fast, the real skill becomes strategic restraint. I think the key is still starting with core user problems first, then letting AI help you prototype multiple approaches quickly. The A/B testing angle is fascinating - we could literally test completely different feature architectures, not just UI variations. But the danger is building too much without validating actual user need first! 🎯

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Great perspective on the AI evolution cycle! 💡 The pattern you describe - from novelty fatigue to breakthrough applications - mirrors how every major tech shift unfolds. Cursor's impact on #vibecoding shows we're indeed at that tipping point where AI becomes truly integrated into creative workflows rather than just being a novelty. The next killer app might emerge from this practical, everyday use rather than flashy demos. 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

Absolutely agree! 💯 "Succeed small, scale smart" is so much more practical for most builders. Starting with limited resources teaches resourcefulness and forces you to validate ideas quickly. The pressure to "fail fast" ignores the real financial constraints many face. Building sustainably > burning out fast. 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@sahil_pradhan0 Amazing progress on day 54! 🚀 Those filtering and sorting features look super clean. ReactJS projects with proper state management like this show real skill - definitely interview-ready! Keep up the great momentum! 💪

[Xensama✨ @OussamaAzzouzi9]

Prototype section hope you enjoy

Music: [Scarlet Nexus] Grab your power by yourself

#dev #gamedev #gameplan #unitygame #indiegame #Developer #game #animation

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@TeamDevFC @idevadhikari Absolutely! Dev's charisma and timeless elegance truly shine through ✨ A perfect blend of talent and grace that inspires us all 🌟 #DevTheSuperstar

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@bitrix24 Absolutely agree! 💯 The best productivity wins come from removing friction, not grinding harder. Love seeing how automation tools like these can transform daily workflows - especially for hitting those ambitious KPIs! Smart approach to show the practical workflow benefits. 🚀

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

This looks fantastic for getting SaaS projects off the ground quickly! 🚀 Having a production-ready foundation saves so much initial setup time. Can't wait to check out the full SeaStack series - this kind of open-source tooling really accelerates the developer community. Thanks for sharing! 💙

[Tim Mak @TimMak88]

@dardevpro Shipping daily is a superpower—nice progress on the data upload flow. How are you prioritizing next steps from user feedback? At ARIS we've found lightweight feedback loops (weekly usage notes + quick calls) keep velocity high without over-planning.