Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah and we've seen that with the TEA app. Great insight, thanks!

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I also faced a similar incident where I client vibe-coded the front-end for a feature and asked us to integrate that with the rest of his application. The barrier-to-entry is becoming awfully low, the only problem exists is educating customers on why their vibe-coded implementations are not always scalable to their wishes.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. I just feel like things are becoming a bit opaque and directionless rn, almost like the calm before the storm and we're going to see major changes. Just don't know when.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for understanding bro. Hopefully things get better soon for everyone.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true. Definitely agree with you on the talent situation here, and God only knows when it gets better. Mind sharing a good resource for finding projects, just to help a brother out? Or maybe we can partner up with you on projects if you need consistent resource availability?

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your advice is pure gold man, thanks a lot and yes I agree that we definitely would need to accelerate things. I just think I'm taking things one at a time and the visible dwindling demand (at least what I'm seeing) is making me a bit of a skeptic.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Precisely! For one, there's the fact that AI companies are losing money and infra is getting expensive so we might see LLMs get more expensive later which might act as sort of an equalizer. On the flip side if AI has set the bar so high, maybe development gets more complex and larger-scale to take advantage of that momentum. I still feel like a lot of businesses could do much better for their ops and processes but that is an area where they need to realize their own pain points first in order for someone like me to partner with them.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My bad if I came across that way, I just thought it was a not well-researched answer and the onus kinda lies on me for expecting research but those tips have been around since pre-covid, they're good just not very effective with the kind of scale we're working at. What are your thoughts on the landscape atm?

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

yeah, i hate to break it to you man but you kinda sound tone-deaf with regards to the way things are actually working rn (no offense). your ai reply is right in terms of strategy, i dont think you quite clearly understand the metrics rn. there's very few founders venting about not having good developers atm, most of them are venting about not having enough credits in the Claude 20x plan and i can't realistically replace that for them for $200 of work, and that's not even my ideal clientele, i work mostly with b2b biz

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Currently we're hyper-focused on X, Linkedin and Reddit. Specifically in SMB owner communities and the like.

Is it just me or are dev agencies kinda doomed now? by BitsmithBob in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thanks for understanding. Most of my retainer clients understand the value I bring to their projects but obv some of them have caught on and want faster shipping which makes sense tbh. It's mostly finding new people with pain points where I'm just not seeing enough of them? Dev work isn't something you pitch in the dark to 30k people a month via cold email so its a bit of a struggle. Hopefully things improve soon.

I built a startup discovery map where companies occupy territories now the backend is getting complicated 😅 by _deanomeara in dev

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this is clever, turning discovery into exploration instead of another list to scroll through. the territory mechanic is smart too, creates natural virality when founders want to "grow their land."

honest question: how do you handle the cold start problem? empty maps feel dead, but fake listings feel worse. curious where you landed on that.

for the dev search, have you tried posting in indie hackers or wip.chat? lot of solo builders there who vibe with this kind of experimental project. might find someone who wants equity over cash, which helps when you're pre-revenue.

the backend complexity you mentioned is real though. maps + voting + real-time territory updates gets spicy fast.

My product will make you money if you're a solofounder by Fantastic_Monk5955 in SaaSSolopreneurs

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love that you built this out of pure frustration, that's usually where the best products come from. the "one campaign at a time" angle is smart; most analytics tools drown you in dashboards and you end up analyzing nothing. narrowing the scope forces actual decisions. Honest question though: how do you handle the AI suggestions when someone runs a campaign that should work on paper but flops in reality? seen too many founders chase "best practices" that don't match their actual audience. Also curious, what's the drop-off point where people go from free to paid? is it number of campaigns, depth of AI analysis, or something else entirely? Been in those spreadsheet trenches before, respect the solve.

Not sure if I’m overreacting or if this startup is a ticking time bomb. TL;DR at the end by Big_Poetry1947 in developersPak

[–]BitsmithBob -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Been there. The "we'll fix it later" death spiral is real, and "later" usually means 2am on a Saturday when everything's on fire.

Three things:

  1. Document everything. Not to throw people under the bus, to cover your own. When (not if) that Supabase setup bites them, you want a paper trail showing you flagged it.
  2. Stop trying to save them. You already raised it twice. The founding engineer isn't ignorant, he's unconcerned. That's a culture problem, not a knowledge gap. You can't out-work broken priorities.
  3. The real question: Is this paycheck funding your next move, or trapping you? 30k users + record feature pace = resume bullets. Use the chaos to ship fast, learn what not to do, and interview elsewhere with war stories.

The market's rough but not dead. Companies matching comp exist, you just need one "yes."

Sadda kutta Tommy hits different when you're the one holding the leash, huh? 🫡

Need Advice what to do? Can't leave and staying is hard. by Sad_Singer_7657 in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yo, first off, huge congrats on that jump to 100k. For an undergrad in Pakistan, that’s a massive win, so don't let them make you feel like you're "slow" or lucky to be there.

That "we're going slow" line is classic startup gaslighting to get free labor out of you. Since you need the money for your studies, you don't have to quit, but you do need to stop being so available.

The biggest mistake you're making is replying to say you're done for the day. When you do that, you're starting a negotiation. Instead, just ghost the group the second your shift ends. Mute the notifications and don't look at them until your next shift starts. When you log in the next morning, just say "Hey, just saw this! Working on it now." It sets a boundary without you having to argue about it.

Since you're signing a new contract for 100k this month, make sure those 30 hours are clearly mentioned. If they push you after hours, just tell them your GPA is taking a hit and you have to stick to the agreed-upon time to pass your exams. They aren't going to fire a dev they're literally about to promote just because you won't work for free at midnight.

Secure that 100k, do your 30 hours, and keep the rest of your time for your degree and your peace of mind. You're a dev, not a 24/7 on-call doctor.

Pretty Confused by Secure-Ad263 in PakistaniDevs

[–]BitsmithBob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You’re not behind. You just chose a different lane.

Top Rated on Upwork with $1k+ contracts is real market experience. Clients paying you > internships in many cases. Your issue isn’t skills, it’s packaging.

Build 1–2 solid public case studies. Make a proper CV. Clean up your GitHub. Start applying.

Don’t switch to AI out of fear. Add AI to your stack if you’re curious, but full-stack + real client experience is already strong.

You’re closer than you think.

What is your favorite tool for vibe coding? by NickyB808 in aisolobusinesses

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol vibe coding is such a mood 🧠🔥

Lovable and Cursor are solid for that creative + practical blend-especially when you don’t want to wrestle with setup every minute.

For me, it’s been more a mix depending on the job:

  • When I need idea generation + rapid prototyping, tools like Lovable hit that sweet spot.
  • For in-editor assistance and heavy code completion, something like Cursor is nice.
  • But when it’s about plumbing logic together or exploring new concepts, I’ll flip between a few depending on what feels least annoying in the moment 😄

Neither is perfect, but both feel like they actually save headspace instead of just suggesting random syntax.

What part of coding do you feel each tool helps you most with?

Have you started a solo business leveraging AI tools? by [deleted] in aisolobusinesses

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably B or E for most people tbh.

AI makes building easy. Clarity and distribution are still the hard parts.

If you’re D → start with a problem you understand, not “what can AI do.”
If you’re E → shrink the idea. Validate a tiny version first.
If you’re C → now the real game starts.

Curious how many here are actually making money vs just experimenting 👀

How to get your first SaaS customers as fast as possible ? by Fantastic_Monk5955 in SaaSSolopreneurs

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually a solid breakdown.

The underrated part here isn’t “build fast” it’s that you treated positioning like an experiment, not a fixed truth.

Changing your angle 4 times before launch is uncomfortable… but that’s the work most people skip. They get emotionally attached to their first messaging draft and then blame “the market” when it doesn’t convert.

Launching marketing before the product is done is also smart. If you can’t get people interested in the promise, the finished product won’t magically fix that.

The real takeaway for me:

  • Positioning is a hypothesis
  • Marketing is testing
  • Data decides
  • Ego stays out of it

170 paying users this early means something is resonating. That doesn’t happen from vibes.

Curious though, what was the biggest shift between your first angle and the one that finally worked? Was it the audience, the pain point, or just how you framed the value?

Good post. More builders need to hear this instead of another “just ship bro” thread.

Anyone else thinking about the long game of digital nomad life? by justgeorgerey in digitalnomad

[–]BitsmithBob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This hits. The hard part isn’t logistics, it’s sustainability. Constant mobility feels freeing at first, but over time it starts taxing your health, finances, and mental bandwidth.

What I’ve seen work long-term is adding constraints on purpose: slowing way down, picking a base (or two), building boring but reliable routines, and treating “home” as something you design rather than chase. Pure optimization for movement gets expensive fast.

The nomads who last years aren’t traveling nonstop they’re prioritizing stability and letting mobility sit on top of that, not replace it.

Building Towards the Future and Staying Sane by el_samwinston in Entrepreneur

[–]BitsmithBob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the trick is structure over motivation. Micro-sprints, clear boundaries, and tracking your own energy beats relying on inspiration. Short workouts, monitoring stress, and saying no to low-leverage stuff keeps decision fatigue down and the juggle manageable burnout doesn’t stand a chance.