What I’d Do Differently

2.5 years of vibe-coding. 7 production apps. More than 20 prototypes.

If I could start over, here’s what I’d change:

• I’d ship half the features, twice as fast ⚡

My biggest mistake was building features nobody asked for. I spent weeks on fancy dashboards when users just wanted a CSV export. Build less. Ship more. Let users tell you what’s missing.

• I’d learn Git properly from day one 📂

For the first six months, my version control was „copy folder and rename it v2.“ When things broke, I had no way to undo. Git felt intimidating until it saved me from a catastrophic deployment. Now it’s non-negotiable.

• I’d talk to users before writing a single prompt 👥

Three of my apps never launched because I built solutions to problems nobody actually had. The apps I’m proudest of — CalendarGenie, Energy Backbone, Marina Master — all started with a real person saying „I need this.“

• I’d invest in testing earlier 🧪

„It works on my machine“ is a dangerous mantra. The first time a customer found a bug I could have caught with a simple test, I felt embarrassed. Automated testing isn’t optional — even for vibe-coders.

• I’d worry less about the tech stack 🔧

I wasted weeks evaluating tools. Replit vs. Cursor. React vs. Vue. PostgreSQL vs. MongoDB. None of these decisions mattered as much as I thought they would. Pick something. Build something. Switch later if needed.

• I’d start charging money sooner 💰

I gave away too much for free for too long. Free users give polite feedback. Paying users give honest feedback. The day I added Stripe was the day I started building a real business.

• I’d ask for help more 🤝

Solo doesn’t mean alone. The best decisions I made came from conversations with other builders, users, and yes — my AI tools.

Every mistake on this list made me better. But I wouldn’t mind making them faster next time.

Full story in my article series 👇

This is part of my 7-part series on vibe-coding. Follow along to see what happens when a non-developer starts building.

This post is part of my series on vibe-coding and building apps without traditional coding skills. All articles in the series →