Daniel Leach

Senior Laravel dev.
Building RequestHarbor in public.
Sharing the messy path from 0 users to something people actually want.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

I’m a senior Laravel dev building SaaS in public.

I’ve already built 2 apps that got 0 users.

This time I’m trying to do it differently:

- validate earlier
- talk to users sooner
- build smaller
- share the mistakes
- stop hiding in code

Current project: RequestHarbor, a secure client request portal for files, answers, approvals, and follow-ups.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@___faust____ Yeah I did it twice. Learned my lesson. For RequestHarbor I spoke to real potential users to get input. Interest is looking good so far but still gotta market.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

One lesson I’m trying to apply from past failed projects:

A product needs a clear buyer, not just a clear user.

It is easy to build something people might use.
It is much harder to build something someone is willing to budget for, expense, or justify.

How early do you think about buyer vs user?

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@omarvvvr I have one I have been holding onto for years, but just trying to find the right positioning to use it. Don't wanna waste it on something meh.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@gailcweiner Love to see it lol...

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@i_nehasingh_ Cursor.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@sahill_og And Cursor is better than both. Yes, I said it.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@adahstwt Never shut down, except for security/os updates every now and then.

Takes too much time away from building to wait for reboots, docker compose up, etc.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@Venkydotdev Just wait for "Composer 3.0". It's gonna be a good day.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@Shpigford Composer 2.5 is so good for the cost. I use it soooo much on a $20 plan and never hit the cap.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

I think one of the harder parts of being a developer-founder is that building can feel like progress even when it is actually avoidance.

There is always another feature to add, another refactor to clean up, another design improvement, another edge case.

All of that feels productive.

But sometimes the thing I actually need to do is ask whether anyone cares enough to pay for the product.

Curious what other founders struggle with this too.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

The more I build, the more respect I have for simple products that do one thing clearly.

Simple is usually not lack of ambition.

It is restraint.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

The AI coding workflow I like most:

I make the decisions.
AI speeds up the implementation.
I review like it was written by a very fast junior dev.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@themishra4402 Cursor + spacex/xai

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@khushiirl https://t.co/V8Dbtd6PTa

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@gaurangbuilds Yes but much slower. I would hate to go back now. I’m shipping at lightning speed.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@aryanlabde Design alllllll day.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

@nizzyabi @orchid_hq Let's go! Subscribing!

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

I’m trying to be more honest with myself about why I start certain projects.

Sometimes it is opportunity.

Sometimes it is curiosity.

Sometimes it is just wanting the dopamine of a clean new codebase.

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

What is the smallest product you have ever paid for that solved a real problem?

I have one bubbling, but need to validate it real quick first. No more building before validation!

[Daniel Leach @danielkleach]

The dangerous part of being technical is that every idea feels buildable.

That does not mean every idea is worth building.

Any other devs/engineers feel this way?