You Don't Need to Be a Developer to Think Like One
Your new operating system for building solo.
If you're building something on your own, your default state is probably chaos.
You're the CEO, the marketer, the designer, and the customer support agent. You're juggling a dozen tasks, fighting fires. The path through the fog is never clear.
The temptation is to just grind through the chaos.
But what if the answer isn't more hustle, but a better operating system for your brain?
For years, I’ve solved problems by writing code. And over time, I've realized that the mental models a developer uses to build software are secretly superpowers for anyone trying to build a business.
You don't need to write a single line of code to benefit from them. You just need to learn how to think like a developer.
Here are the core principles that can change how you build, forever.
1. Don’t Solve Problems, Debug Them
When a solopreneur faces a problem, the response is often panic. We try random things, hoping something sticks.
A developer doesn't "solve" a bug. They debug it. This is a calm, systematic process:
Isolate the problem: Don't say, "I can't focus." Say, "I notice my productivity crashes every day around 2 PM."
Form a hypothesis: "I believe my post-lunch energy slump is the cause."
Test the hypothesis: "For the next three days, I will take a 15-minute walk right after lunch."
Analyze the result: Did your focus improve? If yes, you've found a solution. If no, form a new hypothesis ("Maybe my office is too warm in the afternoon").
The takeaway?
Stop reacting with panic.
Start debugging your business. Isolate, hypothesize, test, and analyze. Treat every problem like a bug, and you'll find the solution with clarity instead of chaos.
2. You Don't Launch a Masterpiece, You Ship an MVP
Perfectionism kills more dreams than failure ever will. We spend months building in secret, polishing every corner of our "masterpiece," only to launch to silence because we never stopped to ask if anyone actually wanted it (yes, I did it too).
A developer's cure for this is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The goal isn't to build your grand vision. It's to answer a single question with the least amount of effort possible: "Does anyone care about this?"
The takeaway?
The goal isn't a perfect launch. It's maximum learning with minimum effort.
3. You Don't Live with Complexity, You Refactor It
As you build, your business will get messy. All your daily tasks become tangled and complicated. The natural tendency is to just live with the mess.
A developer has a word for cleaning up messy but functional code: refactoring.
You aren't adding new features. You are actively pausing to simplify what already exists. You make it more efficient, elegant, and easier to work with in the future.
The takeaway?
Investing time in simplifying your systems today will save you hundreds of hours tomorrow.
If this way of thinking resonates with you, you can learn more about the specifics of the newsletter (like the format and what to expect) in our official welcome post.
This is the core philosophy of Solo Dev Saturday 🧱.
We take these powerful, battle-tested concepts from the world of software development and apply them to the universal journey of building alone.
You don't need to be a developer to be a part of this. You just need to be a builder who believes that a better way of thinking can lead to a better business.
Welcome. I'm glad you're here.