Everything is a hypothesis

Likemind began with a strong vision: a consumer social platform matching people based on shared passions ("desert island lists"). However, the project had hit a wall.

• Deadlock: The previous design and development team had stalled due to rigid disagreements on direction.
• Founder Psychology: The founder, while visionary, was initially resistant to the "Lean Startup" methodology, viewing testing as a threat to his core idea rather than a validation tool.
• The Trap: As a non-technical first-time founder, he risked building a complex solution without validating the problem first.

Managing the "Art of Stubbornness"

My role went beyond writing code; it required managing the delicate psychology of a founder attached to their vision.

• Strategic Patience: I adopted a management style of "pushing, then backing off," allowing the founder time to process hard truths without feeling attacked.
• The Turning Point: To break the resistance to testing, I proposed a specific, low-stakes experiment: "over-the-shoulder" observations of first-time users recruited from Upwork.
• The Epiphany: Watching real users struggle with the concept was a lightbulb moment for the client. It shifted his mindset from "building a dream" to "testing a hypothesis," eventually leading to a pivot toward Likemind Team (a B2B tool for remote/hybrid workplaces).

Speed, Quality, and Agility

Once the deadlock was broken, I took over the technical leadership to deliver a high-quality product.

• Rapid Delivery: We rebuilt the team and delivered a fully functional, effective product in just 9–11 months.
• Design-Led Development: The client described the final build as "beautiful," emphasizing our team's ability to translate complex requirements into a polished user experience.
• Complex Systems: We navigated the complexity of a social graph system, proving that small, high-caliber teams can outpace larger, bureaucratic ones.

Although the project was eventually paused due to go-to-market challenges, the engagement data and technical delivery were exceptional.

• High Engagement: Initial ad tests on Facebook and Instagram yielded "extraordinary" engagement and signups, validating the quality of the build.
• Founder Transformation: The client transitioned from a skeptic to a "fist-banging promoter" of the Lean Startup methodology, crediting our collaboration for teaching him how to test hypotheses quickly.
• Valuable Learning: The project served as a "masterclass" in product management for the founder, saving him from the slower, more expensive failure of building in a vacuum.