Build Fast, Validate Faster
“Build small. Launch fast. See if people actually pay.”
- Don’t overthink. Create a minimum viable product (MVP) in days or weeks, not months.
- Validate ideas by charging money, not collecting likes or signups.
- Don’t overthink. Create a minimum viable product (MVP) in days or weeks, not months.
Constraints > Freedom
“Freedom without constraints makes you lost.”
- Too much freedom (like endless travel or options) can cause anxiety.
- Self-imposed constraints like time limits, small projects, limited tools breed creativity and focus.
- Routine and goals give life structure and meaning.
Work Is Therapy
“When you’re down, build something.”
- Hard, focused work (even physical labour) clears mental fog.
- Creation like coding, designing, building is a form of healing.
- Progress, even small, restores purpose.
Ship Publicly, Learn Openly
“I build in the open – share success and failures.”
- Share what you’re working on, even before it’s finished.
- Transparency builds community, trust, and accountability.
- Building in public attracts feedback, users, and collaborators.
Profitability Over Funding
“I don’t raise VC money. I just make things people pay for.”
- Keep ownership – don’t trade freedom for investor approval.
- Focus on cash flow, not valuations.
- Build profitable and sustainable businesses that you can control.
Simplicity Beats Complexity
“I still use PHP and jQuery. It just works.”
- Avoid hype-driven tech stacks.
- Use tools you understand deeply and can deploy fast.
- Complexity slows progress; simplicity compounds output.
Solve Real Problems
“Every start-up I build starts from a problem in my own life.”
- Observe frustrations in your life and others
- Build things that make life easier, not things that sound smart.
- Simplicity + usefulness = traction.
Curiosity Over Credentials
“I’m self-taught. I just learn by doing.”
- You don’t need permission or degrees to create.
- Curiosity, experimentation, and persistence trump formal training.
- Internet + open tools = infinite opportunity.
Build for the Global Individual
“I made Nomad List because I was lonely.”
- The world is full of people living online-first lives.
- Create platforms that connect, empower, and enable independence.
- Products that make people feel less lonely always matter.
Stay Small, Stay Human
“Big startups stop being fun. They become management.”
- Growth should serve your life, not consume it.
- Don’t build something so big you lose touch with why you started.
- “Fun, freedom, and fulfilment” are worth more than scale.
Be Ethical with AI
“AI models often learn from bad data – You have to prompt out the naked stuff.”
- Understand the moral and social weight of the tools you build.
- Always use filters, safety checks, and ethical design.
- Tech should always empower, not exploit.
Keep Rebuilding Yourself
“I never stop. I finish one project and start another.”
- Creativity is a lifelong practice, not a one-time event.
- Every project teaches you something for the next one.
- The point isn’t to finish , it’s to keep evolving.
What special about Pieter levels:
- Most people wait for permission. Pieter doesn’t.
- He didn’t pitch investors.
- He didn’t hire a team.
- He didn’t write a business plan.
- He just made something then made another, and another.
That’s the hallmark quality of a creator.
“The world doesn’t reward the one with the biggest dreams. It rewards the one who shows up.”