Founding Dev

Replace expensive SaaS with the tools you own

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

...with your own software — streamlined for how your business operates, AI operable and up to 70% savings.

Visit https://t.co/fMO7uwP5HW to learn more.

#BuildVsBuyVsOwn #SaaS #BuildVsBuy #CustomSoftware #SaaSpocalypse #fable

[Talha Masood @ai_talha]

One of the reasons why we are pushing the ownership route @foundingdev is because we've seen this play over and over again. Unreasonable pricing, bloated features, unresponsive support, and software that doesn't integrate AI cleanly in your business. The ownership model is different from the build vs buy conversation. It strips off maintenance, gives you control and saves you real cost.

Plus adding a feature is as simple as using our AI enabled operating system with engineering support. We're not asking for any upfront commitment from you. Sit in a call with us, tell us about your workflow, and we'll hand you a template that works just how your business operates.

If it's valuable to you, let's discuss what that value is worth.

#ReplaceSaaS #AI #SaaSpocalypse

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

When your AI tool says "I'll add this to the frontend" or "I'll set up a backend" — what does that actually mean?

Every modern app is split into two halves.

FRONTEND: What users see. The buttons, the pages, the forms, the colours. Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Runs in your browser. Modern frontends are usually built with React or Next.js.

BACKEND: What users don't see. Saving data. Looking up users. Charging credit cards. Sending emails. Runs on a server somewhere. Common backend tools: Node.js, Python, Supabase, Firebase.

They talk through APIs. A typical flow: you click "Save" (frontend), the frontend sends the data to the backend, the backend stores it in a database, then tells the frontend "saved," and the frontend shows you a green checkmark.

For most vibecoders, the frontend is where you live first. The backend comes later.

Follow @fooundingdev for more Vibecoderbasics

#learntocode #vibecoderbasics #CodeCamp #foundingdev

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOUNDER PT 5.

The question hung in the air.
"Do you have other customers using this yet?"

She had prepared for this. She knew it was coming the way you know rain is coming when the sky turns that particular shade of gray. She had three different answers rehearsed, each one calibrated for a different kind of asker. Early adopters. Design partners. Beta cohort.

But sitting there with his eyes patient and waiting, all three answers dissolved.

She took a breath.

"Not yet," she said. "You'd be the first."

The pause that followed felt like a full minute. It was probably three seconds.

"I like that answer," the VP said.
She wasn't sure she heard him right.

"Most founders spin it," he continued. "I've heard them all." He leaned forward slightly. "The ones who just tell me the truth, I pay attention to those."

The meeting ran 38 minutes, not 20.

Before he signed off, he said there was someone she should speak to. "I'm going to make an introduction," he said. "Don't overthink the email. Just be as direct as you were with me today."
She wrote that down.

"I will."

Follow @foundingdev for the final chapter of this series.
#Founders #Buildinpublic #Lifeofafounder See less

[Aima Atigari @aimaatigari]

@bcherny This is very interesting because we created a fun AI archetype quiz @FoundingDev not with Boris’s classification though but curious to see what your archetype is — https://t.co/iD15BAMeAO

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

Most scheduling tools are charging you every month for a problem that was fully solved years ago.

Think about what a scheduling link actually does: it reads your calendar availability, lets someone pick an open slot, and sends a confirmation. That's the whole product. The core logic hasn't changed in a decade.

Yet the leading tools charge $10–$20 per seat per month, lock basic features behind premium tiers, and increase pricing every time they close a new funding round. You're not paying for innovation. You're paying for the fact that switching feels like a hassle.

@foundingdev has a scheduling tool called Kalendar. You set it up once — under your own brand, configured exactly how you work, and it's yours with no monthly fee attached to it.

For a problem this well-defined, there's no reason to keep renting the solution.
#Founders #Calendly #Scheduling #FoundingDev #Startups

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

If you've been using Cursor, Claude Code, or any modern AI tool, you’ve definitely run into JSON—those blocks of text full of curly braces and quotes.

JSON looks slightly intimidating, but it's one of the most common ways computers share data with each other. It's plain text, any coding language can read it, and you can learn to read it yourself in about 30 seconds.

Here is the secret decoder ring:

{ } wraps an object (a group of data)

[ ] wraps a list of items

"key": value pairs up a label with its data

Commas (,) separate the pieces of data

So when you see a user profile like this:

{
"name": "Talha",
"email": "talha@foundingdev",
"verified": true,
"tags": ["designer", "founder"]
}

You’re just looking at a profile for Talha, who is a verified founder and designer.

You’ll see JSON everywhere and once you can read it, half of the developer tools out there suddenly start making total sense.

Save this for the next time you're staring at a block of data, and follow @foundingdev for more.

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOUNDER PT 4.

The calendar invite was set for exactly 2:00 PM but by 1:15, she was already sitting at her desk, unable to focus on anything else.

This call was everything. The man on the other end of the line was a Vice President at the exact type of corporate giant she had built her software to serve. If he said yes, it changed everything. If he said no, she was back to square one. She had precisely twenty minutes to prove herself. To prepare, she split her screen, placing her neat rows of talking points on the left and her product dashboard on the right. A glass of water sat just a few inches from her keyboard. Every few minutes, her hand would instinctively reach out to grab it, only to freeze halfway.

For the first fifteen minutes, the meeting went beautifully. They talked about workflows and data syncing. The VP was nodding, his eyes tracking her presentation with genuine interest. The momentum was building, and she could feel the phantom weight lifting off her shoulders.

Then came the question that almost every early-stage founder dreads.

"This looks great," the VP said, leaning back in his chair. "Do you have other customers using this yet?"

Follow @foundingdev for PT 5 of this series.
#Founders #Buildinpublic #Lifeofafounder

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

When we say do the math, we mean do the math for real — $1900 x 12 (x the no or years your business will run + price hike) = $22800 (min).

~1/3 of this will get you your own software.

✅ Custom built for how your business operates
✅ Could almost be up to 70% cost savings
✅ AI operable from day one

Don't hesitate. Speak to us now! Worst case you leave the call with more knowledge, best case you start the process of owning your own software.

Whatever the case maybe, it's a win-win.

I never meant to say this but #KillSaaS #StoptheRipOff

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

Want to know how most founders accidentally build a $3,000/month software bill without making a single bad decision? Here's how 👇

It starts with one tool. A small problem needs solving, so you sign up for something quick and reasonable — $29/month, totally fine. Three months later there's another problem. Another tool. Another subscription. Then you need a fourth tool just to make the first three talk to each other.

Each decision made complete sense at the time. None of them felt like a big commitment.

But now you have 8 active subscriptions across different vendors, 4 different support inboxes when something breaks, and an automation stack that goes down every time one of those vendors pushes an update. You're spending real money, and real time managing the whole thing.

This is SaaS sprawl, and it's one of the most common hidden costs in early-stage businesses. The way out isn't about finding cheaper tools. It's about consolidating onto a platform where you build and own what you need, rather than renting pieces of it from 8 different companies.

#Founders #SaaSSprawl #Startups #Productivity #FoundingDev

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

Ever wondered what that little padlock icon next to a website’s URL actually does? 🔒

Think of regular HTTP as sending a postcard through the mail. Anyone who handles it along the way can read your passwords, messages, and data.

HTTPS (the padlock) is like putting that same letter inside a secure, sealed envelope. The data is completely scrambled, and only the final destination has the key to read it. That little lock proves your connection is encrypted and verifies the site is actually who it claims to be.

If you're building a site, platforms like Vercel, Netlify, and Cloudflare set it up for you instantly. If you're self-hosting, Let's Encrypt + Caddy takes about 60 seconds.

Don't skip this step—modern browsers flag non-HTTPS sites as "Not Secure," which kills user trust the second they land on your page.

Follow @Foundingdev for more Vibecoder Basics.

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOUNDER PT 3.

It wasn’t a massive win. There was no venture funding, no viral milestone, not even a paying customer yet. Instead, it was just one person, a complete stranger, who replied to something she had posted and said,

“This is exactly what I’ve been trying to explain to people. How are you not bigger yet?” She read the comment four times.

She sent back a “thank you,” put the phone down, and immediately picked it up again. It sounded small because it was. But when you’ve been building in the dark for months, someone finally seeing your light, even briefly, felt like everything.

She still didn’t know if this would work. The spreadsheet from the other night was still just guesswork, and her savings were still low. But that night, as she finally closed her laptop, she knew she was no longer invisible.

Follow @foundingdev for PT 4 of this series.

#Founders #Buildinpublic #Lifeofafounder

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

Not all Operators are built the same.

We mapped out 8 archetypes based on how founders actually use AI to build and grow, and yours might not be what you expect.
Take the 60-second quiz and find out where you land.

Take the quiz now: https://t.co/zQlMjo5lL7
#aitools #buildinpublic #AiArchetypes #businessgrowth #solopreneur

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

When you "buy a domain," what do you actually own? It's not what most vibecoders think.

A URL (https://t.co/DraJlvfHbs) is four parts:

1. https://: Protocol (how it talks)
2. https://t.co/iKIQfnjsHi: Domain (what it's called)
3. /pricing: Path (which page)
4. ?ref=twitter: query (extra info)

When you "buy a domain," you're paying a registrar (like Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy) for the right to use a name for one year at a time. Behind the scenes, that name points to an IP address. The actual address of a server somewhere.

Here are three services people always confuse:

1. REGISTRAR: Sells you the name
2. DNS: Directs traffic from the name to the right server (often included free)
3. HOSTING: Where your actual site or app runs (Vercel, Netlify, etc.)

Found this helpful, follow @foundingdev for more.

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOUNDER PT 2.

She should be asleep. Instead, she’s staring at a spreadsheet that used to feel like a definitive plan, but now just looks like formatted guesswork. Her savings are down. Not dramatically yet—just enough that she notices it every time she opens her banking app, a habit she now does compulsively, like checking the weather, hoping something has magically changed.

Her last real paycheck was four months ago. She doesn't regret the decision to leap, but she wishes someone had warned her that the hardest part of entrepreneurship isn't the actual work. It’s the crushing silence. It’s the long days with no feedback, no external signals, and no idea if any of this is actually landing.

She closes the laptop, hesitates in the dark, and opens it right back up again. Somewhere in the heavy gap between fear and commitment, she finds the nerve to keep going.

Follow Founding Dev for PT 3 of this series.
#Founders #Buildinpublic #Lifeofafounder

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

There are two ways to run software in your business, and most founders spend years in the expensive one before they discover the other.

The default path: You rent access, you pay monthly, get a login, and hope the vendor's priorities stay aligned with yours. When the price goes up, and it always goes up, you either absorb it, negotiate awkwardly, or spend weeks migrating to something else.

The alternative: You own it! You build the tool once on https://t.co/HjmgaI8zg0, customize it exactly how your business works, and run it indefinitely. When something breaks, you fix it. When you want a new feature, you add it.

The difference in cost over 3–5 years isn't marginal, it's the kind of number that makes you stare at your bank statements and do math you really don't want to do.

The founders who figure this out early don't go back.
Get started on @foundingdev today.

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

If you've started using AI coding tools, you've probably seen them mention a .env file. Here's what one actually looks like.

Example:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-abc123…
DATABASE_URL=postgres://…
NODE_ENV=development

Here are five rules to writing a.env file:
· comments start with #
· KEY=value (no quotes needed)
· UPPER_SNAKE_CASE for names
· no spaces around the equals sign
· one variable per line

Your code reads them at runtime via process.env.KEY_NAME (Node/JavaScript) or os.environ['KEY_NAME'] (Python). Every modern framework reads it automatically.

.env files live at the root of your project and goes in .gitignore so it never gets pushed.

Save this. Follow @foundingdev for more.

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOUNDER PT 1

She is heading home at 9:00 PM with nothing but a heavy silence. There were no closed deals today, not even a callback—just an afternoon spent rewriting a single pitch email until the words blurred, leaving her wondering if the flaw was in her business, or simply in herself.

That doubt makes the crowded station feel incredibly isolating. She watches the commuters around her effortlessly clocking out for the night, deeply envying a freedom she no longer remembers. For her, going home doesn't mean resting; it just means moving to the kitchen table, where her laptop waits to be opened again.

So when people ask how the "business thing" is going, she smiles and replies, "Really well!" because exposing the grueling reality takes more energy than she has left.

The train arrives, the doors slide open, and she steps inside. Tomorrow, she’ll try again.

Follow @foundingdev for PT 2 of the series.

#Founders #Buildinpublic #lifeofafounder

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

There's a specific moment some founders describe as the turning point, and it almost always involves a renewal email

You get the notification: your annual subscription is renewing in 7 days. You open the invoice. You look at the total, and for the first time, instead of just clicking confirm, you actually do the math.

$X per month × 12 months. Then you multiply across all your subscriptions. The number is uncomfortable.

That's when you ask the question that changes everything: "How long would it actually take to build this myself?" You look it up. Someone built the same thing on @foundingdev in a few hours.

You don't renew.

That's the turning point. And once it happens with one tool, it tends to cascade. You start looking at every subscription the same way.

Not "is this affordable?"

but "is this something I should own instead?"

The math almost always answers the question for you.

Get started on @foundingdev
#Founders #StartupStrategy #saasmarketing #foundingdev

[Founding Dev @FoundingDev]

A single leaked API key has cost solo developers thousands of dollars overnight.

Here's why: an API key is your house key for a service. Anyone holding it can use your account — OpenAI, Stripe, AWS, Google Maps. Lose one, and someone else runs up your bill.

Losing one is shockingly easy. Bots scan public GitHub repos 24/7. The moment a key hits a public repo, automated scrapers find it within seconds. AI coding tools might even make this worse. They generate code with example keys filled in, and sometimes, vibecoders push it before reviewing.

Where keys should live:
In a .env file at the root of your project, like:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-abc123…
STRIPE_SECRET=sk_live_xyz…

Then add .env to your .gitignore (so Git skips it). Your code reads them at runtime. They never enter your repo.

Already pushed something? Audit with: GitHub Secret Scanning (auto-enabled on public repos), Trufflehog (open-source scanner), or Git-secrets (blocks them at commit time). If a key was exposed, rotate it as deleting the commit isn't enough.

Follow @foundingdev for more.
#vbecoderbasics