I recently started to hate building projects.
Not because I lost interest in coding, but because they never went anywhere beyond my GitHub repo. Maybe they made it into my portfolio, at best. I wanted to build something that people actually use.
Lately, I’ve been listening to a few podcasts that keep repeating the same truth: "Don’t build features, solve problems."
That hit hard. Maybe the next thing I build shouldn’t start with "what can I make?" but with "what’s worth making?"
The Grocify.ai Experiment
My recent project, Grocify.ai, was an attempt to solve a real problem I faced: deciding what to eat and tracking groceries. I built a WhatsApp bot to handle it.
At first, the code was messy. It was full of deep if-else chains trying to handle every possible flow. It was classic spaghetti code. But that mess was necessary. It helped me understand how users interact with the system.
Only after building the raw version did I start refactoring. I learned a valuable lesson:
- First, make it work.
- Then, make it clean.
- Then, make it last.
You don’t need perfect code to start. You need a real problem and a working idea.
Connecting the Dots Backward
Reflecting on my time at Agua India, I realized I wasn't just building an app that sold water. I was building backend systems that powered logistics across four major Indian cities.
I worked on vendor dashboards, driver tracking, and route optimization. These weren't just features; they were tools that real people—vendors, support staff, and drivers—relied on every day.
As Steve Jobs said, "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward."
Back then, I didn't realize that debugging slow queries was actually me learning how to power city-wide operations. I didn't realize that my "simple" work was shaping something bigger.
Knowing Your Worth
Building valuable software also means understanding the value you bring.
When I first moved to Canada, I took a freelance gig automating an Excel sheet. I quoted the client based on time, but when he asked for my hourly rate, I froze. He told me, "You need to learn how to negotiate and set your price."
That conversation was more valuable than the money I earned. We developers spend years perfecting our code, but often neglect learning how to value our time.
Conclusion
Whether it's a side project like Grocify or a logistics platform like Agua, the goal shouldn't just be to write code. It should be to solve problems and create value.
In a world where AI can write the code for you, the ability to identify what to build and why it matters is the most important skill you can have.