Thanks to the help of several AI coding tools, I’ve built upwards of 10 personal apps and tools in the past year: a step tracking tool, a fitness dashboard, several productivity tools, and a content calendar that plugs straight into Buffer's API.
I’m currently working on an app that will help me cater to the very diverse needs of my harem of houseplants. 🤓
I built all of these things with a couple of different AI coding tools, all of which offer different levels of handholding. These days, I'm super comfortable using Claude Code, GitHub, and the terminal daily.
I will also acknowledge that I had plenty of help. At Buffer, we have dozens of very nice, very helpful engineers who have been unblocking their non-technical peers at every turn. We even had Build Week, a full week outside our regular roles to build a simple tool or workflow with AI.
And before you ask, heck yes — it did feel really, really intimidating at first, even with all the support I had.
Firstly, because it turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be, and secondly, because it has opened up a world of possibilities for me and my work.
I know a lot of my creator and marketing peers are still peering down the “how-the-heck-am-I-supposed-to-do-this?” chasm, and I’d really love to help.
It is not a guide to launching a SaaS company, becoming a developer, or shipping anything production-grade. The frame here is small, useful, personal tools: things that will make your work a little smoother, or even stuff you’ll use with your family.
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