The DIY Approach

Clever Beagle
Jul 25, 2017 · 4 min read

Something I get asked often is “did you do that?”

That question could be in relation to some code, the design for a site, or some graphics in a marketing campaign. Whatever the source, my answer is typically:

“Yep!”

When I started out on my own about six years ago, I didn’t have much cash in the bank. Anything I did have typically went to bills or other expenses, so I had to learn to do most things on my own. What I quickly learned was that while it can be frustrating at first, as a CEO, founder, etc., learning to do whatever on your own can be incredibly powerful.

Back in college, I went through the typical phase of rebellion, going so far as to hold (*cough* illegal) concerts in my living room. Most of the shows we put on were for local punk rock bands. One of the big parts of that scene was the DIY (do it yourself) aesthetic. Literally everything, from the venue (your house), to the promotion, to the alcohol was provided by the people immediately involved. Partially for fun, but mostly out of circumstance.

What I learned from that — aside from having an absolute blast — was the importance of learning to put stuff together on your own. Not relying on established systems, learning how to bend the rules to get what you want, and generally just “figuring it out.” Whatever it takes.

One of the earlier concepts for the UI in Conduit.

Funny enough, this attitude really came to be important when working on software. Though very few people know about it, back around 2011–2012, I’d started work on a product called Conduit that was intended to be a management system for television newsrooms. At the time, my programming skills were next to nil. I had some intermediate experience with HTML and CSS, but I was just dipping my toes into the JavaScript pond.

In order to get the product built, I had to team up with a developer who knew how to code the back-end. Fortunately, the guy I found was willing to work for free — in exchange for some ownership — but was just starting at university and had a range of other obligations to care for. Safe to say, about a year into our work — not even hitting a beta — Conduit met a silent death.

What I learned from that experience was the business importance of knowing how to do things on your own. I realized quickly that as a CEO, you can never bet on having a “technical person” around. You should assume that at some point, you will lose that person and have a strategy in mind for replacing them (or picking up the work yourself).

Following that misfire, I made a point to start learning how to build an entire piece of software — both the user interface on the front-end as well as the server or back-end. It was extremely difficult, but had I not made that choice, you wouldn’t be reading this today. How I did it was nothing special. Just taking an idea, sitting down, and building it, asking The Almighty Google “how do you do ___” as I went along.

The thing about the skills you develop is that they compound. The things I learned designing interfaces gave me hints about how to learn JavaScript. What I learned in JavaScript gave me enough programming experience to feel comfortable dabbling in a lot of other languages. As a result, I’ve been able to build and/or create most of what I need for my businesses all on my own (sitting here this afternoon, I’ve just learned how to create a simple bumper animation for videos in Adobe After Effects).

This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with hiring, though. Rather, it’s important to always err towards resourcefulness first and keeping your costs low. Doing nearly everything on my own has meant a slower growth rate, but I could technically lose everything at this point and be comfortable building it back up all on my own. That wouldn’t be possible without a DIY attitude. It’s an incredibly empowering thought.

As you work on your own product, really consider whether or not you need the help. Can you figure it out on your own? Is it worth the time to invest? Can you do it on your own but get some help to speed up the process (hint, hint)? Really think it through. There’s a good chance that you can figure it out. Once you do, you’ll be able to move your ideas forward much quicker and with far less trouble.

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