I've been thinking a lot about "dogfooding" lately - you know, that practice of actually using your own product. Next month, it'll be 1 year since I registered a new domain name for the sake of exploring a new idea. This past year I've been able to focus on just one idea—an actual problem I have and can solve.
Let me paint you a picture of where I started. I was that founder who'd get excited about every new idea that popped into my head. Sparrow? Bought the domain. Chrchlink? Yep, got that one too. Decent Soap, Little Sea & Me, Shift Pace Drive - my domain registrar probably loved me. I'd sketch out logos, dream up brand names, and convince myself each one could be the next big thing.
The list grew: Lazwear, Cogitav, Resimplify, and many more. Some were just fun ideas, others were attempts to catch a trend or make some money. And each time, I'd go through the same ritual - register the domain, design a logo, and... well, usually that was about it.
But then something changed. I started noticing a pattern in the few projects that actually stuck with me, the ones I couldn't stop thinking about even after the initial excitement wore off. They were all solving problems I faced every day.
Look, I spent two years on church staff, and Planning Center was just... not it. Every time I had to use it, something felt off. The workflows weren't intuitive, and I kept thinking "there has to be a better way." That's what led to Handiwork - I wanted to build the church management tool that I wished I had when I was on staff.
I've been renting since 2014, and let me tell you, the state of property management software is rough. Every time I needed to communicate with my property manager, it felt like I was using software from another era. Perch came from wanting to fix that - making it visual, making it intuitive, making it actually work the way modern software should.
Being the Black Sheep in my family isn't just a throwaway line - it's something I've really felt. And I bet there are tons of others who feel the same way. That's why I created Hike. It's a family journaling app that lets you keep tabs on how everyone's doing without forcing those awkward "so how are you REALLY doing?" conversations.
Here's the thing - I got saved in 2016 and baptized in 2019. Coming to Christianity as an adult means you've got a lot of catching up to do with Bible knowledge. I was struggling with comprehension and remembering what I learned. The idea started with thinking about how Duolingo makes language learning stick, but evolved into something different: a notes app specifically for Bible study that helps you remember and learn from what you've saved. Instead of just collecting highlights and notes that you'll never see again, it helps you build on your understanding through your own saved content and what others have shared. It's about making all that knowledge actually stick and grow over time.
Looking back at that long list of domains I registered - from Lazwear to Cogitav to Resimplify - I can see how much my approach has changed. Since starting Harvous, I've only registered one new domain: ReviseMy. And even that was different - it wasn't just another random idea, but a strategic reservation for potentially evolving my client work into a productized design service someday.
I still have different ideas pop into my head all the time, and I probably always will - it's just part of who I am. But now, instead of immediately jumping to register a domain and design a logo, I ask myself "Could this idea actually be a feature or extension of what I'm already building with Harvous?" It's amazing how often these new ideas can actually strengthen your core project when you're focused on solving a real problem.
The dogfooding projects stand out because:
I'm not saying I'll never have new ideas or see new opportunities. But now, instead of jumping to register a domain at every interesting thought, I ask myself: "Is this solving a problem I actually have? Would I use this every day?" Because I've learned that my best work comes from solving my own problems. And when you solve a real problem for yourself, chances are you're solving it for others too.