Stay consistent
How to build in public when you still have a day job
4 min read
Build in public with a day job by posting a short log of what you shipped, what you learned, and what is next — on your own time, about your own project. Leave out employer names, confidential details, customer data, and revenue screenshots you cannot explain. Three useful posts a week beat a launch thread you will not repeat.
Building in public is a distribution channel and a diary. For someone with a job, it is also a risk-management problem. The useful version is boring on purpose. You show the work. You do not turn your employer into content.
A log format that takes ten minutes
Use the same shape every time so you do not waste the evening deciding how to sound. Four lines are enough.
- Shipped: the artifact a stranger could look at.
- Learned: one specific reaction from a user or from the build.
- Stuck: the decision you are avoiding.
- Next: the step that fits the next block on your calendar.
Post it where the same people will see the sequence. A private residence feed, a personal site, or a single social account all work. Starting five accounts is a second job. Pick one home for the log and stay there for a month. Residents at Camp Zero use the member feed for this, which keeps the draft stage away from a public algorithm. The public version can wait until the offer is clear.
What stays off the internet
- Your employer’s name, roadmap, metrics, and internal tools.
- Customer names, unless you have permission.
- Code, prompts, data, or screenshots from work systems.
- Complaints about your manager. They feel honest and they travel.
- Exact revenue if you are not ready for the tax, contract, and family conversations that follow.
You can still be specific. “A clinic admin said the reminder copy sounded like a bill” is a lesson. “Here is the export from my company’s dashboard” is a leak. If you are unsure, leave it out. Specificity about your own project is plenty.
Let the log do the selling
People hire the person who has been visibly doing the work. A log that shows ten reps of the same offer outperforms a thread about your mindset. End some posts with a plain line: who the offer is for, what they get, and how to reply. Then go back to shipping.
If you want a room that expects the log, look at side hustle accountability and the Camp Zero membership. The public internet can come later. The streak starts with people who will notice a missing Thursday.
Questions people ask
Is building in public safe if your contract restricts outside work?
Only after you understand the contract. Posting about a personal project can still violate IP or conflict rules if the project overlaps with your employer. Get clarity first. This is not legal advice.
How often should you post?
Once or twice a week is enough if every post includes something you shipped. Daily posting helps only when the update stays under five minutes.
Should you use your real name?
Yes, if you are selling trust. A pseudonym can protect a job search, and it also makes referrals harder. Many people use a real first name and keep the employer unnamed.