<p>What I Learned Building Verve AI (Before Launching on PH)</p>

Hey everyone — I'm getting ready to launch [Verve AI](https://getverveai.com/why-verve-ai?utm_source=Product-Hunt&utm_campaign=Launch) on Product Hunt. Here are a few things I've learnt along the way... As with any build, no matter how much planning I do, things always pop up along the way.

Here are a few things I wish I'd figured out earlier:

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### 1. Speed matters — but it’s easy to stall

I massively underestimated how long things would take. Like all great generals, I was planning on executing at great speed, which was a bit of a miss for me.

Reworking things cost me a lot of time; the more features that were added, the harder it became to unravel.

As people start using AI to write more and more code, it goes to show you still can't beat good foundations.

Shipping fast is a skill in itself and one I will hopefully master!

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### 2. Get the foundations right early

By going the extra mile in planning, I would have saved weeks in the end. The key things that are required in any app: good authentication and easy onboarding. If I had started thinking about how these work, it would have made life a hell of a lot easier!

Using AI saved lots of time in the planning stage, although it's not a silver bullet.

Having built this app, in the future I’ll be able to utilise AI in a much more effective manner — not only harnessing the power of LLMs but also applying my own experience and planning skills.

As the adage goes: more haste, less speed.

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### 3. Talk to more people

I fell into the “just keep building” trap. There were weeks when I didn’t talk to a single potential user. Looking back, this was a mistake. Originally, I planned to engage with potential users on an ongoing basis: build, get feedback, iterate. I got project tunnel vision and didn't give time to this process.

During the project, when I did speak to a Shopify merchant the feedback was always great. It enabled me to learn what really matters to them.

Lesson: talk to people, even when you're not "ready."

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### 4. Marketing is its own mountain

Building is one thing. Getting people to care is another. We are at the stage in history where the "build it and they will come" mentality is most irrelevant.

Marketing — I’m still figuring it out. But I’ve realised that consistency and patience matter way more than clever copy or viral hacks.

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That's my 2 cents — not trying to dish out advice here, just wanted to reflect.

If you’re building something and it feels like a slog, you’re not alone! Check us out here: [Verve AI](https://getverveai.com/why-verve-ai?utm_source=Product-Hunt&utm_campaign=Launch) if you have a few moments to spare.

Happy to chat if you're in the early stages too.

— Marcus

Founder, [Verve AI](https://getverveai.com/why-verve-ai?utm_source=Product-Hunt&utm_campaign=Launch)