The journal

Notes from the studio.

Practical thinking on product, design and growth - written to be useful rather than to rank, which tends to do both.

17 articles

39 topics

Latest26 Sept 2026 · 1 min read

When Should You Start Charging for Your Product?

Founders are terrified to ask for money for an unfinished product. But if you don't charge on day one, you are not actually validating anything.

Strategy
Pricing
Business

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Analytics25 Sept 20261 min

How to Measure Whether Your MVP Is Actually Working

A thousand website visits means absolutely nothing. If you want to validate your startup idea, you need to measure retention, not acquisition.

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AI21 Sept 20262 min

RAG, AI Agents, APIs and LLMs Explained for Non-Technical Founders

If you are funding an AI product, you cannot afford to misunderstand the technology. Here is the literal translation of today's biggest AI buzzwords.

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SaaS18 Sept 20264 min

CRM software for real estate: build custom or buy off the shelf?

Real estate teams in Ahmedabad lose leads between WhatsApp, calls and portals. Here is what a real estate CRM has to do, and when a custom one beats a subscription.

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Ecommerce17 Sept 20263 min

Ecommerce website or ecommerce app: which should you build first?

Most stores should launch a fast website first and build an app later. Here is how to tell when an ecommerce app is actually worth the cost.

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Process25 Aug 20261 min

How to Hire a Development Agency Without Getting Burned

Hiring an external team is risky. Here are the red flags to watch out for and the questions you need to ask before signing a contract.

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Mobile15 Aug 20261 min

Do You Actually Need a Native Mobile App?

Everyone wants an app in the App Store. But for many businesses, a well-built web application is a much better first step.

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Process5 Aug 20261 min

What Should Be Included in a Software Development Contract?

A software contract is not just legal protection; it is a project management tool. Here is what you must include to avoid being burned by an agency.

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Process28 Jul 20261 min

How to Estimate Software Projects Without Lying to Yourself

Software estimation is notoriously difficult. Here is our practical approach to giving clients realistic timelines instead of optimistic guesses.

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Design12 Jul 20261 min

The Anatomy of a High-Converting Landing Page

Stop trying to be clever. Here is the exact structure we use to build landing pages that actually explain the product and generate leads.

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Engineering30 Jun 20261 min

Node.js vs Python: Which Backend Is Better for a Startup?

Founders spend weeks debating backend languages. Here is the pragmatic truth about choosing between Node.js and Python for your startup.

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Design28 Jun 20261 min

Designing for Developers: How to hand off UI without losing your mind

Designs look perfect in Figma but broken in the browser. This is exactly how we hand off design to developers so the final product actually matches the mockup.

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Budgeting20 Jun 20262 min

The Hidden Costs of 'Cheap' Development Agencies

A $15/hr developer sounds great until you have to rebuild the whole app six months later. Here is how pricing actually works in software development.

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Architecture15 Jun 20262 min

Why Your MVP Doesn't Need Microservices

Founders love the idea of scaling to millions of users on day one. But starting with microservices usually just burns your budget. Here is why.

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Mobile28 May 20262 min

How much does it really cost to build an app in 2026?

You've probably gotten five quotes and five wildly different numbers. Here's how app pricing actually works - and why India-based teams can match US quality at a fraction of the cost.

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Mobile12 May 20261 min

Should you build one app or two? Cross-platform vs native explained.

React Native, Flutter, or fully native? Most founders overthink this. Here's the honest answer for 2026 - and when each option actually makes sense.

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SEO30 Apr 20262 min

Is your business showing up when people ask ChatGPT about you?

More and more buyers are skipping Google and going straight to AI tools. If your content isn't structured right, you're invisible. Here's how to fix that.

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