The Unglamorous Part of Building: Bug Hunting at 6 AM
Building Products with AI in 2026
There’s a moment every builder knows. You’re deep in the product, everything should work, and then… it doesn’t.
The lead capture feature breaks. The QR card won’t display. The data shows up for you but not for the user. And suddenly you’re three hours into troubleshooting Row-Level Security settings in your database, wondering if this is all going to work or if you’re just building another expensive learning experience.
Its Saturday night and I finally figured it out. Dynasty Notes is collecting leads properly, the security is locked down, and the QR contact cards are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.
LETS GOOOO.
But let me back up.
The First Time I Tried This
A few years ago, I tried building a no-code CRM. I loved the idea. I spent time, money, and energy on it. I was all in.
The problem? By the time I got deep enough to really test it, I realized it didn’t even have the automation features I needed. Almost made the whole thing useless. And before I could even think about launching, I had to iron out a ridiculous number of bugs. A few bugs here and there? Fine. But this was too many. Way too many.
I never launched it.
Fast Forward to Now
Between AI tools and what people are calling “vibe coding,” the game has completely changed.
I know most of the real developers out here aren’t as thrilled about it. I get it. But for people like me, people who’ve always had product ideas but lacked the skillset to build them, this is a different world.
Vibe coding isn’t perfect. Not even close. But it’s only getting better from here, so why not stay at the front of this wave? My ChatGPT year-in-review usage already puts me in the top tier of users. I’m leaning into this.
And yeah, resolving bugs in Dynasty Notes and the other apps I’m working on is still tedious. But compared to a few years ago? It’s a breeze with AI in my corner, hence my usage being among the top 1%… so yeah, I’m most definitely putting it to use.
The Question That Keeps Me Up At Night
So by no means am I complaining. If anything, dealing with bugs means I’m actually building things. Which is fantastic.
The real question is: will it all be for waste again, or will I actually launch a polished product that provides real value to users?
Only time will tell. But I’m here for the challenge. And I don’t give up on my beliefs, regardless of how long it takes me to make it happen.
What I’m Building
Dynasty Notes is a networking tool that solves a problem I’ve had for years: collecting business cards and contacts at events, then never following up.
You scan a QR code, share your info, and both people walk away with an actual connection they can nurture. No more “Bob from Seattle” and not staying in touch with this new connection.
The lead capture feature is the backbone of the whole thing. If that doesn’t work, the product doesn’t work. So getting it right, making sure leads show up in the right account, making sure the security is airtight, that’s not optional. That’s the product.
And tonight, after a lot of trial and error, and a little support, I got it working.
Just Lifing
Building is messy. It’s unglamorous. It’s Tuesday at 6 AM or Saturday at 8:30 PM troubleshooting sessions and wondering if you’re wasting your time.
But it’s also the only way forward. You can’t launch what you don’t build. You can’t learn what you don’t try.
So yeah, bugs suck. But they’re proof you’re in the arena. And I’d rather be here, fighting with Row-Level Security settings, than sitting on the sidelines wishing I’d tried. It’s also the reason why I’m working on a number of other apps too. Times are changing and you can finally, at least, enter the game.
Dynasty Notes is live and evolving. If you’ve ever struggled to stay connected with people you meet at events, conferences, or networking sessions, check it out at DynastyNotes.com. Let’s build better networks, together.
