I read MAKE by @levelsio last year. It changed how I think about building products and helped me see the different stages of making something useful.
In this post, I want to share the lessons that stayed with me and how they shaped the way I built Eloovor and Paiper.
For context:
- Paiper is a document intelligence app that helps users understand documents more easily.
- Eloovor helps users optimize their job search and automate some of the repetitive work around it.
Both products followed a similar approach, but the outcomes were very different. Paiper did not work as a product. Eloovor had a much stronger response.
That matters because no principle guarantees success. Good advice can help you move faster, make better decisions, and learn from reality sooner, but it cannot remove uncertainty.
For me, the biggest lessons were knowing when to stop, when to move on, and why sharing progress matters.
1. Speed is Your Best Friend
The faster you launch, the faster you learn whether people actually want what you are building.
In the past, I spent too much time perfecting products before showing them to anyone. By the time I launched, I would sometimes learn that nobody needed it, or that they needed a slightly different version of the idea.
Getting a product into people's hands early lets you collect real feedback, watch how people use it, and understand which features matter.
This helped me understand that even if I found Paiper useful, other people had different concerns about document intelligence apps, especially around privacy. It also made me realize that large file storage platforms like Google Drive or iCloud could make the product less relevant by launching a small add-on feature.
2. Launch Quickly and Launch Often
A common mistake is waiting for the product to feel perfect before launching. In reality, frequent launches give you more chances to improve.
Shipping small updates regularly creates a loop: users try something, you learn from the feedback, and the product gets closer to what people actually need.
More than 50% of the new features and 80% of the existing feature enhancements that we do on Eloovor right now are based on user feedback and how they are using the product.
3. Share Your Ideas and Progress
One of the biggest mistakes I made while building was keeping ideas secret because I was afraid someone would steal them.
MAKE talks about this fear and makes a point that many builders eventually learn: execution matters more than the idea itself. Even if someone copies you, they will not have the same vision, context, or understanding of the problem.
More importantly, sharing progress builds interest, attracts early users, and creates feedback before launch.
4. Let Growth Happen Organically
In the early stages, growth should feel at least somewhat natural. If people truly need what you are building, they will use it, return to it, and sometimes tell others about it.
That does not mean growth will happen magically. It means word of mouth, repeat usage, and organic engagement are stronger signals than vanity traffic. If you constantly have to push the product onto people, it may be time to reassess product-market fit.
We shared Eloovor on a few subreddits and app repositories. Over time, users started finding value and sharing it on their own. It was also featured on There is an AI for that and The AI Report organically.
5. Monetization is Validation
A strong way to validate an idea is to see whether people are willing to pay for it. If even a small group of users pays early, it is a strong signal that the product has real value.
Free users are helpful for learning and growth, but paying users reveal whether the problem is painful enough to support a business. Instead of focusing only on downloads, sign-ups, or page views, revenue can force a more honest conversation with reality.
Final Thoughts
I recommend reading MAKE if you are a builder or entrepreneur trying to create something new. The book is practical, direct, and grounded in the realities of building from scratch.
The first example in the book is the book itself
Get your product into people's hands as soon as possible, embrace organic growth, share your progress openly, and focus on building something people actually want.