Like millions of others, I was captivated by the rise of generative AI. But unlike most, I didn’t just imagine use cases. I built one.
Alongside a friend, we launched HelpMeTeach.ai, an AI platform designed to help educators reduce their workload. We had no engineering backgrounds. No funding. No roadmap. Just curiosity, conviction, and a willingness to learn everything ourselves.
Two years later, here are 10 things I’ve learned. The hard way.
1. You Need a Desire to Build and Learn
We didn’t know how to build with no-code. We didn’t know how to write prompts, shoot walkthroughs, or structure databases.
But we had two things: a desire to build, and a hunger to learn. And that got us further than any degree or roadmap ever could.
2. Multiply the Work by 10
I have a newfound belief. Naivety is the key to success. Why? It gives you permission to start.
But here’s the reality: everything will take 10x more time, energy, and effort than you expect.
- Think onboarding will be easy? Users will sign up and have no idea what to do next.
- Think your MVP is done? It’ll break in 10 different ways.
- Think a tutorial takes 1 hour? It’ll take 10 to make it usable.
Expect friction. Build anyway.
3. Be a Jack of All Trades…and a Master of All (yes really)
Building a SaaS means doing everything.
Payment integrations, customer support, UI bugs, blog writing, analytics, walkthrough videos. It’s all yours.
You can’t outsource this. You have to master the boring stuff. Especially the boring stuff.
4. Leverage What You Already Know
Your past life is your advantage.
Our background in digital marketing meant we knew how to drive traffic, run ads, and understand analytics. That didn’t mean we knew how to retain users, but it gave us a head start when it came to getting users in the first place.
Play to your strengths, especially when the rest of the business is chaos.
5. Launch the MVP Sooner Than Feels Comfortable
You’ll never feel “ready.”
Ship anyway. The feedback you get post-launch will teach you more than months of planning ever could.
Your MVP is not your final product. It’s the starting point of your real product.
6. Iterate Like Your Life Depends on It
Iteration is your oxygen.
Talk to users. Watch how they interact with the product. Ask what’s missing. Then ship fast.
You’re not just competing with expectations, you’re competing with funded teams and better UX. Speed is your only advantage.
7. The User Is Always Right (Even When You Think They’re Wrong)
We once rejected a feature request because it “didn’t fit our vision.” Then three more users asked for it.
We built it. Guess what? It became one of our most-used features.
You are not your user. Be humble enough to listen and adjust.
8. There Is No “Done”
SaaS is never finished. There’s always a button to fix, a user issue to solve, or a feature to refine.
Learn to love the loop. Or at least accept it.
9. Keep Learning or Fall Behind
New APIs. New frameworks. New tools.
Staying still means falling behind. If you’re not learning, your product is decaying. If your product is decaying, you’re losing users.
Make research part of your weekly schedule. Not a one-off task.
10. Know Your Competitors. Then Be the Opposite
Study your competitors like you’re going to war.
Find their strengths. Then find the gaps.
You don’t need to be better at everything. Just be known for one thing they’re not and keep doubling down on it.
Final Thoughts
We didn’t set out to build a unicorn. We set out to help overworked teachers. That kept us grounded and gave us clarity.
HelpMeTeach.ai exists because we believed educators deserved better tools. Not another dashboard. Not another platform to learn. Just done-for-you, helpful AI that saves them time.
There’s still a long way to go. There always is.
But if there’s one lesson that overshadows all the rest, it’s this:
Start before you’re ready. You’ll figure it out faster than you think.
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