Building in Public Definitive Guide 2023

Since first published in Feb 2021, this guide has been read by 10,000+ entrepreneurs. You're now reading an updated 2023 version.

So “Build in Public” or “Building in Public” is a movement or term that you’ve recently heard about. But what exactly is it and how can you also use this strategy to help you build your brand and business?

My name is Kevon and I’m going to show you all about it here so you can get started today!

I want to give you free access to this framework that has helped me a lot in my journey. You'll learn the following in this guide:

1. Why Building in Public is Entrepreneurship 2.0
2. How to leverage Building in Public in your business
3. How to set your Build in Public North Star
4. How to choose the correct channels and formats
5. The storytelling techniques to delight readers
6. The system, techniques, and mindset you need
7. The common struggles and how to handle them

Okay, that's obviously a lot! You might want to set aside 1-2 hours so you can read, take notes, and create an action plan for yourself.

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Before we dive into the first chapter, you might be wondering:

‍“Wait, who are you Kevon? Why are you writing about Building in Public?”

I want to take this chance to share a quick story of mine because my entire online presence and business is built through Building in Public.

What you’re reading right now is the most updated version, but actually, I first wrote this guide in early 2021. Okay, so let’s go back in time a little.

Near the end of 2020, I left the SaaS company I was leading because we didn’t get the growth we wanted. Instead of burning more money to dig a deeper hole, I thought it would be better to stop right there.

And then I went into a period of anxiety. When I looked at my entire career, I realized I could only talk about the experiences, but I had nothing to show for. If you were to google “Kevon Cheung” at that time, you would find nothing but a LinkedIn profile.

I was very frustrated and I felt like a nobody.

So as my wife and I were expecting our first child, I started exploring a new thing: writing online.

After writing about 10 standalone blog posts and getting 30-40 people to read each one, I figured it was not going to work if I continued to write freely. I needed a big project (or I like to call it a killer piece of content) that would make me stand out.

Then as I was looking up what’s happening on the Internet, I spotted “Building in Public”.

I was fascinated by how it represents my life principles: honesty, transparency, and helpfulness. It seemed like the best way to approach building a brand and a business. But wait, how come I couldn’t find any guide, instructions, or resources around it?

And when I asked myself, “Hey Kevon, if you’re going to learn everything and write about it, are you willing to talk about it for at least 20 years?” And my answer was a big Yes!

Then I decided to write this Building in Public Definitive Guide in public! Partly because I wanted to build up the momentum to get more readers. Partly because if I couldn’t even build something in public, how can I convince the other entrepreneurs to do the same?

And the strategy worked! After spending 2 months working closely with the people I gathered along the way, I launched the first version of this guide and this happened:

And “overnight”, I became one of the Build in Public guys.

This was out of my world and it reconfirmed that there are people (like you) out here who care about showing up in a genuine way, building things closely with the people around, and being open about the ups and downs of the journey.

If you’re reading this, I thank YOU for thinking about the long term, the long game. In our fast-moving world, it is very hard to find people who are willing to make a consistent effort to focus on the right things.

Since you’re here, I’m going to show you how to start Building in Public today. The rest of the chapters will be about you, so get your pen, notebook, and action hat ready!

How this guide is structured

• Chapter 1 - Why Building in Public is Entrepreneurship 2.0
• Chapter 2 - What is Building in Public?
• Chapter 3 - How Do You Start Today?
• Chapter 4 - Where Do You Build in Public?
• Chapter 5 - How Do You Tell Your Stories?
• Chapter 6 - What Should You Do on Top of Creating Content?
• Chapter 7 - The Common Struggles
• Chapter 8 - Traps to Avoid
• Helpful Resources

Who should read this?

I use the word “entrepreneurs” to represent a group of founders, creators, indie hackers, and anyone who is creating something valuable for others. And I use the word “products” to represent companies, products, or projects because you can build anything in public.

The examples I am going to show you come from diverse backgrounds. Building in Public doesn’t just work for one set of people. For example, you definitely don’t need a huge following (30k followers) or a business to get started.

Who are you now, Kevon?

Since writing this guide, I’ve dedicated my life to teaching and coaching entrepreneurs on Building in Public. I run a course called Build in Public Mastery. I am the author of a Twitter book, Find Joy in Chaos. I write a free newsletter on Public Lab. I host the Public Show.

I’ve taught and coached 100+ entrepreneurs closely with my Build in Public framework. Courier magazine by Mailchimp highlighted my work and I’m a columnist for Courier writing about audience building and growing an online business.

I’m very active on Twitter and in my email inbox, so if you want to say hi, I’d love to connect! People say I’m crazy replying to 100% of my emails. But hey, that’s my commitment to serving my people like you.

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