From Zero to Launch

## The 30-Day Challenge Last month, I challenged myself to take an idea from zero to launched product in 30 days. Here's exactly how it went down. ## Week 1: Validation ### Days 1-3: Problem Discovery I started by identifying problems I personally experienced. No market research yet—just honest reflection about frustrations in my daily work. ### Days 4-7: User Conversations I reached out to 15 people who might share these problems. Had 8 calls. By day 7, I had clear validation that one problem was worth solving. ## Week 2: Planning & Design ### Days 8-10: Scope Definition I wrote a one-page spec. What's the core feature? What's V1? What's out of scope? This document saved me from scope creep constantly. ### Days 11-14: Design Quick wireframes in Figma. Nothing fancy—just enough to visualize the flow. I shared these with a few potential users for early feedback. ## Week 3: Building ### Days 15-21: Development Seven days of focused coding. I chose technologies I knew well—this wasn't the time to learn new frameworks. ```javascript // My tech stack - Astro (frontend) - Supabase (backend + auth) - Vercel (hosting) - Stripe (payments) ``` By day 21, I had a working MVP. ## Week 4: Polish & Launch ### Days 22-25: Testing & Polish Fixed bugs, improved copy, added analytics. Nothing new, just making what existed better. ### Days 26-28: Soft Launch Shared with my email list and a few communities. Gathered feedback, fixed critical issues. ### Days 29-30: Public Launch Launched on Product Hunt and Twitter. Wrote a launch thread documenting the journey. ## Results - **Users on day 1:** 47 - **Paid conversions:** 3 - **Feedback messages:** 23 Not a massive success, but a successful launch. The product is live, people are using it, and I have real data to iterate on. ## Lessons Learned 1. **Constraints breed creativity** - The 30-day limit forced decisions 2. **Perfect is impossible** - Ship, then iterate 3. **Building in public builds momentum** - The accountability helped 4. **Talk to users throughout** - Not just at the start Would I do it again? Absolutely. The speed forced me to focus on what truly mattered.