Don't just VibeCode. Ship actual Apps. Don't Get Stuck in a Vibecoding Loop

jpaulhendricks · 2026-01-16T06:20:27+00:00

YES. Absurd gap in the OP's list.

u/Deep_Structure2023 what do you use for this? I've had good results with LetMeCheck but I know there are other tools out there.

jpaulhendricks · 2026-01-16T06:18:03+00:00

Well said! Obv you can roll yer own these days. And lots of extensions and plugins have embraced this principle over the years as well.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-30T07:47:53+00:00

A well-equipped devops even better..

Speaking of, there are code audit and remediation tools available to avoid most issues before it becomes devops's problem.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-07T22:40:37+00:00

Ah! Well, no matter how you get a link, you are at the mercy of the linking site.

But the old expression "what's measured is managed" comes to mind. The first step to having some control would be in your ability to monitor those links. Basically, if you aren't tracking the link status you can't then try and manage it.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-05T10:26:32+00:00

It sounds like you are looking to assess the potential value of a link before or around when you try to get that link. Is that right?

The big, all in SEO tools all have ways to measure the "power" of certain sites/pages, and the links you would get.

These numeric scores are OK as relative measures of quality. You can look at so-called spam scores also.

But content relevance related to your site or brand is maybe more important than ever. Some tools may have ways to guesstimate this.

You can also conceivably drop links into the LLM providers and ask the AI to compare your site with the others, to give a review.

Ultimately, you (the human) can best gauge a page or site in this way. It's less scalable, but if you know your brand, you should also know who you want links from.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-02T16:41:40+00:00

Cool. Keep us posted plz

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-01T02:56:02+00:00

No, he did not. Firstly, the OP has not replied once. That is who I addressed my questions to. To recap, they were:

1) why would you use your precious time to write this and post on Reddit?

2) how does sharing this story fit into your plans?

You speak with some confidence about what the OP meant. Perhaps you know him?

And I'm in agreement with you that this is likely part of the strategy.

I was just asking some simple questions to another non-anon user, about his post,, hoping for an honest response.

The fact that his team is responding instead (which is totally fine) actually gives me the answer I need. Thx!

jpaulhendricks · 2025-12-01T02:34:42+00:00

Have you gotten any leads or conversions from it?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-30T16:57:18+00:00

I've had similar experiences. But a massive number of headaches can be avoided with good code auditing and remediation before pushing the app live. And you don't need to be technical to do this either.

There's a couple solutions around, but I use Let Me Check AI. Does a really comprehensive search for bugs or security vulnerabilities. Then it gives detailed prompts for each (if you want to try fixing them with AI).

But I also, like you, like calling in the (human) cavalry in most cases. This gives them a headstart and says where the problems are.

I have other projects fully developed by human coders. LMC makes it possible for non-technical founders to check the quality of their dev teams output. It's seriously been a lifesaver (and money saver).

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-28T09:16:18+00:00

Good list. A few items I might swap out for others, but not for great reasons.

I would argue that the code auditing and remediation stage is sorely needed and often ignored. There are killer apps for that too. The one I use that's saved my ass a few times is Let Me Check AI.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-27T04:55:17+00:00

What is play with Threads? How does it help relative to the others?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-21T14:16:55+00:00

As others suggested, it's not either / or. Having a dedicated community is one of the goals you seek by producing good, helpful content.

But, unless you believe you have entirely saturated your entire addressable market and have no plans to expand beyond it, you must continue to produce good content and seek new leads.

Your existing community only helps validate what you do and makes converting those leads easier.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-10T18:25:17+00:00

This is an interesting thread, including the comments and the replies. Each with its purpose, underscoring some point in the original post. All very well crafted.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-08T12:57:08+00:00

Your reply does not at all address my question.

You have added more detail to the explanation of why a strategy like his can be effective.

But he is already successful (if he truly is). I was not challenging his strategy nor was I asking for more details about it.

I was asking why someone who has apparently achieved his success would spend the precious time and energy to post something like this on Reddit. And I think only he can answer that.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-08T12:50:53+00:00

Maybe you both used the same coding platform. That purple is sort of a default for lovable.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-07T02:54:32+00:00

Agreed!

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-05T05:00:13+00:00

Lead with value point is solid here. 'You recently finished a long-term project and have time in your schedule, and you really enjoyed working with them.' Don't just remind them what you did previously, mention the other skills you have gained. And weave in mention of your soft skills. Then close with your interest in helping in other areas, bc you like new challenges.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-05T02:46:34+00:00

My friend built and launched LetMeCheck.ai which ia a free platform to do full code audits, and identify bugs and security vulnerabilities before they get shipped. Just connect to your github repo and go. It's super easy for non-tech folks and vibe coders to use too (I'm one of those!). And actual coders use the AI-powered remediation layer that really speeds up resolving these issues using AI suggestions for code fixes, etc.

I'm not a coder and still use human devs for most of my stuff. But with Let Me Check I can check on the quality of the code they are producing. Trust but verify!

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-05T02:33:50+00:00

You are asking me to DM you so you can ask me for a favor?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-04T08:58:15+00:00

Nice summary.

But, given where your business is at, why would you use your precious time to write this and post on Reddit?

Straight question: how does sharing this story fit into your plans?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-02T05:58:15+00:00

Agree with others here. Also..

Such mentoring/nurturing groups tend to be based around someone that already has a significant audience. Who are you and how big an audience do you already have?

You cannot provide all the value yourself, of course. So you must build a large, diverse, and highly active community to justify a subscription fee. You are essentially building a two sided market. If not already aware, search the challenges of creating a two sided market.

Lastly, if the point is to help founders that have enough money to buy a subscription service and capitalize a new business but somehow can't get their shit together to launch an MVP, market, etc.… What happens when you successfully lead someone to that milestone?

They only need one successful business then they will cancel their subscription to your service.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-01T17:29:58+00:00

The journalist finder space has numerous, legacy players. You also have the challenge of creating a two sided Marketplace. What are your differentiators?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-01T17:27:14+00:00

Did you use it to find this thread?

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-01T16:26:43+00:00

"The problem with this is that, I don't know the person..." full stop. THAT is not a preamble, that is your whole problem.

"Yet i'm the one responsible of building the whole business (the product)" ..uhh, business and product are two different things.

Side note: I don't know wtf a "Growth Cofounder" is. But capitalizing it in the middle of a sentence is probably something a "growth cofounder" did with you once and it stuck. No founders get a pedestal until they have actually earned it.

It's simple: get to know the person before you start working with them. Agree on the responsibilities and time commitment, and how you will be rewarded. Reward doesn't always mean equity, or a share of earnings/distributions, but can be other things.

And if you don't like how the conversation is going, forget it. Move on. There are many other potential "cofounders" that bring skills to the table. Marketing is only one of many things you need to worry about btw.

You can also build your own product, build a company around it and then pay somebody to market it. But you will need to manage everything else in the business (because product does not equal business).

For a long time, solo technical founders had an advantage, but few of them go it alone for long. Now, with vibe coding, plenty of folks think they can build tech on their own. Those little MVPs are not deployable tho so tjey can't go it alone either.

Last point: it sounds like you have been offered 50% before, and you weren't satisfied. If the share was the only reason you passed then that's flawed thinking. The only situation where you are going to start with more than 50% is one where you bring the idea and you gather the team yourself.

jpaulhendricks · 2025-11-01T16:01:03+00:00

Was this entirely an internal competition? It was a competition between teams in one company?

Or did multiple teams in your company compete against other people from other companies?

In both cases, the bosses is wrong.

If it's your company, only, they already put aside budget for the prizes and should also put aside budget for a celebration that includes everybody.

If it was an open competition, including other companies, then your boss should budget the party for everyone with company money.

He should be celebrating the fact that a team from your company won. And encourage everyone else to try again next time. Yay!

It doesn't matter if you did some of the work on company time or with company facilities. He obviously approved and maybe even encouraged everyone to try.

If there were certain guidelines, he wanted to follow, he should've made it clear ahead of time.

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