cjlovesdata.bsky.social

What I've learned over the past week 🧵 Overthinking hides behind two traps: the Vulnerability Trap, where fear of judgment stops you from sharing work the Quality Trap, where perfectionism delays launching projects. Both stop movement and block clarity.

Overthinking wears the mask of careful diligence but is really just avoidance. Growth needs discomfort (discomfort that I wanted to avoid at all costs). Realizing this helped me push past hesitation and keep moving forward.

The key has been to act despite discomfort. Movement creates clarity, and small wins build confidence. Overthinking fades once you start to do the damn thing anyway.

Growth, sales, and marketing felt uncomfortable for me as a coder. They put my work in front of strangers and risk rejection. Avoiding them left me stuck with flat sales and no users.

I decided to stop coding for a while to focus on growth and marketing instead. Posting imperfect content, like a messy YouTube video, gave me real feedback and early wins over endless overthinking.

23 Sept 2025

I kept adding features to Rippl even though I had zero users 🤢 I did it to hide from sales and marketing 😱 I started a code freeze to solely focus on finding users 🚫💻 I'm going value-first and providing solutions to problems in order to build trust, then try to sell 🧪 #buildingpublic #marketing

19 Sept 2025

im repurposing blog posts to video content what do you think? feel free to skim, theres a transition at the end id like feedback on too 🙏 #buildinpublic #marketing #videocontent #video

18 Sept 2025

I spent the last week focusing on video its a "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" approach 😂 im happy I spent the time slogging through the learning process because video content feels like a good card to have up my sleeve also, comment if you catch the error lol #buildinpublic

I wanted to add video to my landing page after learning it could boost conversions by 86%. I’d never made a video before. This is the solopreneur grind: learning new skills from scratch while trying to grow. #buildinpublic #marketing

I saw that my first video didn’t need to be perfect, just good enough to start. Comparing myself to pros was pointless. The key was building skill and actually shipping something.

Building this skill proved more valuable than buying a one-off service. Now I can quickly tweak and improve because I invested time in learning, not just in a product. That skill compounds.

Searching “how to make social media videos” threw me into a mess of sponsored ads pushing tools, courses, and shortcuts. It was noisy, costly, and designed to drain my patience and wallet. (jokes on them, the wallet couldn't be more empty)

I skipped quick fixes and decided to do the work myself. At first, sifting through all the fluff was frustrating, but I kept digging for real knowledge and found tools like OBS and DaVinci Resolve.

9 Sept 2025

yup, I did it focused on everything but the marketing and now having to backtrack lol #buildinpublic #solopreneur

4 Sept 2025

Building a community beats taking courses. Real advice comes from those in the trenches, sharing what has worked. It’s not about finding the perfect solution, it’s about growing together and figuring things out without judgment. Entrepreneurship thrives in uncertainty!

Startup advice usually sounds like everyone has a clear playbook. Meanwhile, I’m in bed scrolling Reddit, worried Rippl’s missing onboarding means I’m off track. Knowing how to build stuff doesn’t mean I’m good at getting people to actually use it. It’s messy and that’s part of the deal.

Confident founders seem polished now, but they weren’t always sure either. They tell their stories backward, after things worked out. That uncertain, “I don’t know” feeling is part of starting something new. Accepting it helps you focus on learning fast without pretending to have it all figured out.

Building from scratch means stepping into the unknown. Feeling lost isn’t a glitch, it’s a sign you’re moving. Progress can feel uncomfortable because you’re forging the path as you go. Honestly, that’s probably how it’s meant to feel.

Most decisions happen with way less info than we want. We try things, hope they stick, and pick up skills we never planned to learn (I'm looking at you, marketing!). It feels clumsy but maybe this chaos mixed with embarrassment is exactly how it’s supposed to go.

Moving forward without a clear map is its own skill. Early on, you won’t have all the answers. You just have to act, even if you fumble. That leap on Reddit might not land Rippl’s ideal users, but standing still won’t get you anywhere. Movement brings clarity, even if it’s slow and awkward.

22 Aug 2025

I'm bullish on blogs for communication. They should be the centerpoint for your social media channels. Repurposing blog posts sucks and is tedious so I built postripple.co to help me save an insane amount of time and sanity.

22 Aug 2025

original blog post: cjlovesdata.com/blog/your_bl... follow me on substack! cjlovesdata.substack.com

15 Aug 2025

Overthinking feels like a trap, with too many options and fear of messing up chasing some perfect start. I’ve been stuck staring at “what ifs” instead of doing. You learn by moving, failing, and tweaking as you go. Picking something, even if imperfect, beats freezing. It’s messy, real progress

11 Apr 2025

Took a gamble and booked a solo work-cation to focus. Condensed months of side-hustle into 2 weeks. Launched new products, learned marketing, and remembered why I love building things. Turns out, creativity hits different when you’re not exhausted Anyone else done the same?

I’m CJ — a data engineer with a master’s in data science. I always thought the only way forward was climbing the ladder but I wanted more freedom and autonomy. Then I read “Company of One” by Paul Jarvis and realized I need to change something. Here's what I changed 🧵

artsypetz.comArtsyPetz - Home

I started building. I created artsypetz.com — custom, affordable pet portraits you can order as wall art, clothes, mugs, and bags.  It got paying customers early on and that felt unbelievable. I rebuilt my personal site by ditching Squarespace and learning next.js + React to make it myself.

If you’re indie hacking, solopreneuring, or dreaming of escaping the 9-5… let’s connect! 🙏

I recognized my technical/creative skillset. I realized people in Jarvis’ book shared a similar skillset. They built products/offered services with a focus on the freedom that came with autonomy. I wanted that autonomy so my family could make big life decisions w/o needing “permission” from work.