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Hey friend,

It would be easy to look at 2024 by conventional metrics and see it as a failure.
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I made less money than I have in 5 years. I didn’t get a single paying customer for either of the products I worked on. I have fewer newsletter subscribers than I did at the start of the year.
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But last year was the happiest year of my life and I feel like my career is exactly where I want it to be. I wrote about what went well, what didn't go well, and what I learned in my annual year-in-review post. I write these mostly for myself, but I also share them because I know I love reading and learning from others.

By the way, if you wrote an annual review, hit reply and drop me a link. I'd love to read it!

Cheers,

Andrew

P.S. I've got several pieces I want to write next, so I'm bringing back the poll. Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to drop your vote and let me know what you think I should write.

For bootstrappers

​Why building in AI is nothing like making conventional software​

This is an interesting essay from Edmar Ferreira, an entrepreneur in residence at the content and software company Every. So much of product strategy is about understanding and reducing risk. In this essay, Edmar argues that the type of risk applied AI startups need to worry about is different from traditional software startups. I really like his breakdown on types of risk, and types of AI companies. I think both are useful frameworks, and his conclusion is generally correct.

​How to find your audience's online watering holes​

An oldy, but a goody, from Stacking the Bricks on finding your audience's online watering holes. They like to talk about early stage product validation as a "sales safari" where you find places your audience hangs out and observe their behavior to identify product ideas. You can then return to those watering holes with helpful content to promote your new product.

​Prompt engineering, RAG, and fine-tuning: benefits and when to use​

Another AI post (it's been on my mind lately as I'm building MetaMonster, my SEO crawler that fixes issues for you). In this one, my friend and former client Mark Hennings breaks down the differences between prompt engineering, RAG (a term getting thrown around a lot right now), and fine-tuning. For anyone building with AI it's helpful to understand the differences and when to use each.

From me

​My 2024 year-in-review​

It would be easy to look at 2024 by conventional metrics and see it as a failure. I made less money than I have in 5 years. I didn’t get a single paying customer for either of the products I worked on. I have fewer newsletter subscribers than I did at the start of the year. But last year was the happiest year of my life. In this post I talk about what went well, what didn't go well, and what I learned.

For fun

​We played hide and seek across Japan​

I've been obsessed with this YouTube channel ever since my podcast co-host Sean sent me this video last week. Think the Amazing Race, but produced by creators with a recurring cast, and way more strategy. I can't stop watching. I'm already 4 seasons in and I genuinely can't stop watching.

​A winter cocktail recommendation for you​

One thing I didn't talk about much in my year-in-review post is my deepening fascination with craft cocktails. I've massively expanded my bar over the past two years, and can now make most classic cocktails for friends that come over. This simple winter cocktail is my newest find: hot chocolate and Green Chartreuse. It's shockingly good. If you can't find Chartreuse (which is hard because it's made by monks who refuse to increase production with popularity) I like Genepy as a decent alternative.

​My current favorite cookbook​

Staying in the food theme, I thought I'd share my current favorite cookbook: The Wok by J. Kenji López-Alt. I got the book and a carbon steel wok from my parents for Christmas, and my girlfriend and I have been cooking from it constantly. We have yet to be disappointed by a single recipe.

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