Notes on building.
Guides on mobile apps, web platforms and AI products. Cost breakdowns, stack comparisons and how we ship.
How to Build an HR Management and Payroll System in 2026
An HR and payroll platform looks like a standard SaaS until you try to implement the payroll engine. Then you discover why Gusto and Rippling raised nine figures. Here is a pragmatic blueprint for building without burning your budget.
How to build · Mar 6, 2026 · 13 min read
How to Build an AI-Powered Resume Builder and ATS in 2026
Every job seeker wants AI to write their resume. The problem is that generic AI writes generic resumes that get filtered out by ATS keyword matchers. Here is how to build one that actually gets interviews.
How to build · Mar 6, 2026 · 12 min read
How to Build a Language Learning App Like Duolingo in 2026
Duolingo made language learning look simple. It is not. Here is the real technical blueprint for shipping a language app people use longer than a weekend, from curriculum to FSRS to AI voice conversation.
How to build · Mar 5, 2026 · 14 min read
How to Build a Hotel Property Management System (PMS) in 2026
A hotel PMS is not one product, it is five products pretending to be one: reservations, front desk, channel manager, payments, and POS. Here is the technical blueprint for building one that independent hotels will actually buy.
How to build · Mar 5, 2026 · 14 min read
How to Build a Car Rental and Vehicle Sharing App in 2026
Turo and Getaround made peer-to-peer car rental look like a marketplace. It is actually an insurance product wrapped in a logistics product wrapped in an IoT product. Here is what it takes to build one.
How to build · Mar 5, 2026 · 13 min read
How to Build a Franchise Management Platform in 2026
Franchise software sits on top of the thorniest SaaS problem: one product with two distinct users (franchisor and franchisee) whose interests conflict. Here is how to build a platform both sides actually use.
How to build · Mar 5, 2026 · 12 min read
How to Build a Habit Tracking and Behavior Change App in 2026
Habit apps are easy to build and impossible to get right. The code is trivial. The behavior science is not. Here is how to build one that actually changes what users do.
How to build · Mar 5, 2026 · 12 min read
How to Build a Salon and Spa Booking App in 2026
Salon owners are drowning in no-shows, DMs, and a patchwork of spreadsheets. Here is how to build a booking app that actually reduces cancellations and grows revenue.
How to build · Mar 3, 2026 · 14 min read
How to Build a Crowdfunding Platform Like Kickstarter in 2026
Kickstarter clones are easy to sketch and brutally hard to ship. Here's how to actually build a crowdfunding platform that handles money, trust, and scale without blowing up.
How to build · Mar 3, 2026 · 15 min read
How to Build a Stock Trading and Brokerage App in 2026
Building a stock trading app is part engineering, part regulatory gauntlet. Here is how to pick the right brokerage partner, wire up market data, handle KYC, and ship something real without igniting the SEC's inbox.
How to build · Mar 3, 2026 · 15 min read
How to Build an Online Auction Platform Like eBay in 2026
Auction platforms look simple until a thousand bidders hammer your server in the last ten seconds. Here is how to build one that actually holds up when it matters.
How to build · Mar 3, 2026 · 14 min read
How to Build a Recipe and Meal Planning App in 2026
Recipe apps are a crowded space, but most of them are bad. Here is how to build one people actually open on a Tuesday night when they have no idea what to cook.
How to build · Mar 3, 2026 · 13 min read