Building in public brought me opportunities I no longer needed

On September 21, I shared that thought on X.

Numbers as saved in ClimbX on September 26, 2026. They show how people reacted to the post. They do not count the offers it brought.

The 143 bookmarks surprised me more than the likes. People saved it, which tells me a lot of builders know the feeling. There is more behind that last line. This is the longer version.

When the offers started

The offers did not come with my first followers. They came after months of posting about the same work every day. Here is my follower curve, with the point where the messages started.

This is the post from that first wave, on August 4:

The follower count mattered less than the habit. By August, people had watched me share the same project for four months. They knew what I was building and how I made decisions. That is what they reached out about.

People can see your work before they ever talk to you

When you share your work, people remember you for it. They see the problem you are solving. They see the decisions you make and how you explain what you learned.

That is why building in public can bring offers a nice profile alone will not. When a project or collaboration comes up, people have a reason to think of you. Your work gives them something to open the conversation with.

You do not have to make every day a success story. Explaining a hard decision can tell someone more about how you work than a launch post. Just give people something real they can understand.

The timing is the strange part

When you want an opportunity, it is easy to think getting it will fix everything. A job offer. A project someone trusts you with. An invite to work together.

But what you want can change while you do the work that gets you seen. You build something of your own. You get clearer on what is worth your time. An offer that once felt like the obvious next step becomes a choice you have to think about.

More opportunities can feel overwhelming

Job offers, project offers and collaboration offers are different decisions. Each one takes your attention before you even say yes. You have to understand what the person wants and whether it fits. You also have to see what a yes would mean for the work you already have.

I am glad building in public brought these offers. I also meant it when I wrote that it has been a bit overwhelming. Being thankful for an offer does not mean you have to say yes. These are the two questions I ask about every offer.

The first question separates the nice feeling of being asked from the actual work. The second shows you the cost. Every yes takes time from something you already have going.

Give people something specific to remember

If you are building something and do not know what to share, start with a piece of work you can explain honestly. It does not need to be a lesson for everyone. One real thing you noticed in your own project is enough.

For example, you could show a change you made and explain the problem behind it. You could describe a decision where both options had drawbacks. Or share something you expected users to do, then explain what surprised you.

These posts help readers get to know you. Over time they see what you care about and where your skills might fit. No single post is sure to bring an offer. And the likes on my post do not tell me which earlier work led to the offers.

You still get to choose what comes next

The attention is nice. But what sticks with me is having options I did not expect. Building in public has put people and possibilities in front of me that I would have missed.

You do not owe an offer a yes just because you once wished for it. You can be thankful and still protect what you are building now. That is the choice behind the post, and the part I think about most.

Common questions