How building a product changed you?
Elena Oprea
19 replies
In my case, building my startup Selftalk - an app for self-therapy, transformed my character big time.
1. I became much more grounded, and connected to reality.
2. I discovered so many things about myself, good and bad, which significantly deepened my self-awareness.
3. I’ve developed immense respect and compassion for fellow entrepreneurs, creators, and doers. It’s easy to critique from the sidelines, but it’s an entirely different experience to be in the arena, facing the challenges head-on.
Replies
Prashant Lakhlani@plakhlani
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Building a product forced me to learn sales, marketing, and so many other skills related to this.
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I think I changed a lot while building our startup, I became more confident; I started to pay attention more on what my needs are (cause before I was more focused on others' needs); I started to prioritize better in my life either that this is a meeting or a person from my life.
Beyond Earth: Life Simulation
I became more patient and resilient and stopped fearing failure.
It changed me in ways I didn’t expect but yeah, I’d do it all over again.
Zoom In
Changed my mindset for sure!
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@ataei_builder I am curious how, would you share some examples?
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@elena_opreag I think the most prominent example is when I realized I don't necessarily need to depend on my daily job, as I can make a lot more by building products. I never thought about it until I started building.
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@elena_opreag @ataei_builder I feel that we need a follow up from you on how to stay productive or how to se priorities. I burned out when I was trying to combine 2 things in the same time. How do you keep being mentally well? Cause it give you freedom but also lots of responsibilities....
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@m_i_k great point!
I recently wrote an article touching this subject called system thinking:
"System thinking is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than isolated elements, and for recognizing patterns of change rather than static snapshots."
It's not just about one element anymore.
We have the product, users, partners, processes, and more.
Now, it’s about how seamlessly these elements work together.
JoggAI
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A product is not never something built once and over, it's a whole process of learning and iteration.
Building a product taught me so much. I used to be really impatient, but now I understand that good things take time. You learn to deal with failures and keep trying. It also made me better at talking to people and understanding what they need. Totally changed how I see problems and solutions.
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@poiibu1970 can you give more details how did you make this shift of transforming problems into solutions?
I’m juggling multiple tasks and diving into things I’ve never done before, all while learning on my own without the traditional structure of a university or class. It’s a different experience, but it’s been exciting to take on new challenges and pick up new skills along the way.
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@sonu_goswami2 trying new things on your own.. I assume it comes also with some frustrations when things are failing. Any secret sauce how to handle frustrations while learning something new?
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Hey Elena! For me building a product transformed me as a designer. It made me realize that design isn’t just a skill—it’s a responsibility. I learned to deeply understand users, balance different constraints, and think beyond aesthetics to create solutions that truly make an impact. It pushed me to be more strategic, collaborative, and empathetic in every decision.
Launching soon!
opesource - slightly unhinged
What really got me thinking is diving into the code, the structure of my own mind and body was reflecting so hard. It still is as we're still building! Now get to think about the communities in my body (the microbiomes) that I get to become intimate with as we prepare for launching and beyond.
It's truly a deep dive building a startup, isn't it?