Hello Builders 👋🏼

First, I know it’s been a long while, but I took a roundtrip to LinkedIn newsletters. And yes, the newsletter here got a rebrand. So let’s go…

Who’s that girl Sarah everyone’s talking about?

Someone actually posted something like this when Sarahah was trending around 2017. Looking back, those days feel like a different lifetime. As I’ve been building Wallble and other products after Sarahah, I’ve been struck by how much the startup world has changed.

The playbook I used then isn’t the playbook I need now.

Product Building: Moats Became Speed Traps

The Sarahah MVP took me about a month. Despite its simplicity, I had to wrestle with bugs, hosting configurations, and the nightmare of email delivery. My primary source of help was the now literally defunct Stack Overflow.

Today, AI handles almost all of that. But back then, the difficulty of building was actually an advantage. It was a natural moat. Techies like me had a massive edge, which probably explains the collective denial many of us felt when AI coding assistants first arrived.

To show you how much things have changed: users had been asking for photo memories in Wallble for a while, but it felt like a distant milestone. I shipped it in a single day and even added a voice notes option just because I could.

The Danger: This speed can backfire. When you build everything instantly, you risk overflowing your customers. If you play all your feature cards on day one, what’s left to keep them excited? Moving too fast can ruin your marketing beats and exhaust your audience.

Follower Counts No Longer Count

During Sarahah’s rise, if someone shared a link, their friends actually saw it. Regular users with small followings mattered. People who built a massive following by sharing quality content were a treasure, and their followers genuinely trusted their recommendations.

Today, algorithms are the gatekeepers. Going viral now often requires “the dance”, ridiculous hooks, and manufactured outrage. As someone who isn’t comfortable marketing that way, it’s a real challenge. Many of the connections I built during Sarahah can no longer help me spread the word for Wallble by simply sharing a link. The algorithm buries their content.

People Are Downloading Fewer Apps

Trending on the App Store used to be every builder’s dream. People actually browsed the charts just to find what’s “hot”.

Not anymore. According to TechCrunch, global app downloads have declined for five consecutive years, dropping from 135 billion at their peak to 106.9 billion in 2025. Interestingly, consumer spending surged to $155.8 billion in that same period.

The Insight: People are spending more money, but they are doing it inside fewer apps. They’ve picked their favorites and they aren’t looking for new ones.

I Lost My Entrepreneurial Innocence

This one might surprise you.

You’d think my experience with Sarahah made me a better entrepreneur. In some ways, it did. But it also robbed me of my “entrepreneurial innocence”. After Sarahah, I felt a heavy pressure to follow “startup best practices.” I focused on analytics, funnels, and conversion tracking way too early. That level of optimization only makes sense at scale, where a 3% bump equals millions of dollars. For a small startup, it’s often just a massive distraction.

I miss the days when my focus was keeping my users happy, and product market fit was measured by customer complaints of a slow website, not by accessing Mixpanel.

What’s More Valid Today

You don’t need to leave your job. I was a big advocate for this even before AI. Today, it’s undeniable. When building your product essentially costs you $100 and you can dedicate your free time to marketing, there is zero reason to risk it just to see if your idea has legs.

So, who is Sarah?

I’ve built Wallble‘s marketing around an imaginary employee named Sarah, whom coworkers say goodbye to (the similarity to “Sarahah” was truly accidental).

The thing is, building for Sarah is vastly different from building Sarahah. In many ways, I’m having to unlearn just as much as I’m learning. But the core mission hasn’t changed: skip the noise, skip the theater, and build something that delivers value to people.

Keep building.

— Zain

Have you enjoyed reading this? please comment, like, or restack :)

In a conversation, before you reply to someone, take a breath.

No, not a deep breath that makes the person mistake it for boring you, but a small breath enough to break your usual hastened response.

Our fast-paced life has affected how we talk with those around us. We expect that we need to jump in right when the person speaking takes the slightest pause. In fact, we start “formulating” the response much before that.

This extra moment gives your brain some room for a more thoughtful response.

Try it this weekend and see how it affects your conversations…

Years ago, I read about a strange phenomenon: you plan a trip with huge excitement, but the moment you arrive, you get a weird sad feeling (you'll read many explanations, such as a dip in adrenaline and dopamine).

What I didn't realize was how important it is for product builders to be aware of this, and how much it has affected me as an entrepreneur.

Lately, I noticed myself bouncing between many projects, here’s how it goes:

Idea thrill —> Product development thrill —> Launch —> Depression! —> thrill of a new idea. Even Gemini got used to it and calls it "your excitement cycle."

I remember a comment from a dear friend when I first told him about the Sarahah idea: "You started a new project only to stop it?!"
Turns out, my problem goes way back 😆

Maybe I'm more susceptible to this as I'm someone who feeds on excitement; I’m extroverted to a harmful degree.
But remember, as an entrepreneur, your role is different from a project manager who hands over their project to another department, or a contractor who delivers it to a client. You need to keep going…

It's true that, unlike what my friend expected, I kept going with Sarahah, but the rapid growth (and drama) kept feeding the excitement...
Today, the market is different, and it's rare to get such growth, especially since the last widely adopted social network (TikTok) is over 8 years old!

A final thought: this might explain why dev teams (especially students or fresh graduates) seem down and ask for new tasks after a product launch or, even worse, look for new job opportunities!
The thrill is over, and they’re having post-launch blues...

It's been a while… Today I’m back with something different. One topic that is essential in your personal and professional growth is the ability to make changes that stick…

Whether it's starting a new habit or changing a process in your business, we all struggle with making changes stick.

I recently read a super-helpful book that digs into this: "How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be" by Katy Milkman. It's packed with research-backed strategies, and I wanted to share some of the most impactful ideas with you.

Here are a few key takeaways from the book:

1. Use "Fresh Starts" to Your Advantage

Ever notice how it feels easier to start a new diet at the beginning of a month, or set goals for your new job? That's the "Fresh Start Effect." Moments that feel like new beginnings (start of a week, month, year, after a holiday, moving) give us a sense of a clean slate.

Put it to work
Schedule your change efforts to begin at one of these psychologically significant times.

2. Lock Yourself in with Commitment Devices

We often make plans we don't follow through on. Commitment devices are tools that help your present self constrain your future self, making it harder to bail.

Put it to work
Make a commitment to someone you respect or, for products, build in public

3. Bundle Temptations

This is a fun one! Link something you should do (but maybe don't love) with something you want to do).

Put it to work
Only allow yourself to listen to your favorite podcast while you're exercising. Only watch that show while you're doing household chores.

4. Make it Easy (and Hard to Do the Opposite)

Our environment plays a huge role. Reduce the friction for the behavior you want, and increase the friction for the behavior you don't want.

Put it to work
Lay out your running clothes the night before. Keep healthy snacks front and center. Delete social media apps from your phone and only access them from the browser.

5. Don't Forget the Power of Small Wins & Social Support

Big changes are built on small steps. Tracking progress builds confidence. And we're heavily influenced by the people around us.

Put it to work
Break down your goal into tiny actions you can tick off. Celebrate those small wins! Find a friend, colleague, or community (like the Okoul community 😁) to share your journey with and get support.

The big lesson from "How to Change" is that by understanding the predictable ways our minds resist change, we can design smarter strategies to achieve our goals.

I hope these ideas spark some thoughts for you, whether you're trying to build a new personal habit or make a change in your business or product.

Best,
Zain

Have you tried to make big changes? tell us about your experience

I always meet people who have “great ideas”, and I usually convince myself that my ideas are great too! But are they really as we think? Let’s start with a short story…

Omar and Pete arrived at a café but the parking space was full. Their class would start in 10 minutes, when Omar protested: “I’m not leaving without my coffee!” At that moment, he also said his famous phrase: “I wish there was a coffee pickup app where the barista delivers to my car!”
Daydreaming in his class, Omar thought: this could be a thing, the next DoorDash! we’d also join the “Dropout” squad, as he and Pete already have a dismissal warning :)

Before you start, here are some questions:

Does your idea solve a problem? 😬

Great startups usually solve a problem. For example, most employees resort to ordering lunch from delivery apps during work hours because these apps solve several problems:

• Not having enough time to go out and return to the office

• Hot temperatures in summer

• Fear of losing their parking spot

Does the problem happen often? 🔁

Your idea might be great, but the problem doesn’t occur frequently enough for users. For example, an A.I. product that predicts a person’s age from their photo spread a few years ago. This product is not expected to be reused as users will likely try it once. Similar ideas may experience rapid growth but soon lose their users or, in entrepreneurship jargon, have low retention.

What if it doesn’t happen often but it’s big?

“My app helps people buy a house. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s a big deal.”
I agree, but make sure you have a strong business model so that you get a large amount with each purchase.

Does it fit the current market? 🕗

Let’s imagine that 20 years from now, most employees will be working from home. Is the idea of restaurant delivery during work hours effective? I don’t think so, as eating home-cooked food is cheaper and healthier.
What about communication apps like Zoom? it’s “the right time”

Are there enough users? 👥

Sometimes the idea is unique, but the market is small. Although I used to look for cafés that offer decaffeinated coffee, it’s a small market where I live. as specialty cafes are packed after midnight. This may be a problem for many people somewhere else but not in my area.

Does the target audience have high purchasing power? 💰

Some apps have a large user base, but they fail to generate enough revenue due to the low purchasing power of their users.

Omar’s Idea

Does it solve a problem?
Yes, many specialty coffee shops have limited parking, and time is usually tight on the way to university/work.

Does it fit the market now?
Absolutely, with the spread of specialty coffee shops and the coffee culture in our society.

Does the problem happen often?
Yes, it happens every day for many people, and it might be used several times a day.

Does the target audience have high purchasing power?
Definitely, as specialty coffee prices are high.

Is the idea great? 🤔 Yes, I think so :)

Finally
You are not required to abandon your idea if it doesn’t answer these questions, but it is a great opportunity to reshape your idea, by simplifying it or changing the target audience, for example. As is the case in many stages of entrepreneurship, you need to make continuous changes.

All the best with your great idea 🙂

Omar: I want to hear your opinion on my idea, but don’t share it with anyone
Zain: sure 🙄
Omar: an app that delivers to student dorms using motorbikes since cars are banned and we have to take the bus
Zain: wait, are you sure motorbikes are allowed on the bus route?!
Omar: you know, I didn’t ask…
…Two days later…
Omar: forget it, they said it’s not allowed 😔
*not a real story

Hello there 👋🏼

Your enthusiasm for launching your idea at the start of your journey is intense, and it’s a powerful driver for you and your team. However, the challenge lies in clinging to the idea instead of addressing the problem. As happened with Omar, unexpected bumps can kill your project early on. Viewing the idea as one solution to the problem means you’re open to changing it to another idea that solves the same problem. This opens many paths for you to continue the journey.

Another benefit of this approach is enhancing your creative skills because you’ll train your mind to always think of multiple and innovative solutions to the challenges you face.

This approach also means looking for partners who care about solving the problem rather than focusing on those who admire your idea, and linking your company’s vision to solving a problem. Here are some examples from famous companies and how they can achieve the same vision with a different idea:

• Tesla: Accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy
  Alternative idea: Manufacturing high-efficiency electric car batteries and selling them to well-known car companies

• Slack: Making work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive
  Alternative idea: Building a task management app

You might say: These are imaginary ideas that haven’t been implemented!
But let me introduce you to a Danish carpenter who started a wooden toy company that inspires and educates children…

After World War II, the founder found it difficult to get wood of suitable quality. He didn’t cling to the idea and his beautiful wooden trains despite being a carpenter. The company completely stopped using wood after the factory burned down, and here we are decades later benefiting from the many fields opened by LEGO’s shift to plastic bricks :)

The benefit in product development

Before implementing the idea requested by customers, make sure to understand the problem they are facing and look for multiple solutions to the same problem.
For example: Someone requesting a comment feature might actually be facing a problem of not feeling engaged with others. There are other solutions such as a Like or aReaction feature.

But… how do I come up with new ideas? (Interactive exercise)

1. Set your phone timer for two minutes.

2. Write this question on a piece of paper: How can we increase internship opportunities for university students?

3. For two minutes: Write down any idea that comes to mind without judging it, the focus now is quantity, not quality.

4. After the time is up, divide the number of ideas by 2 to get your ideaflow1 (e.g., 6/2 = 3 ideas per minute).

Try this exercise every morning to solve a different problem aiming to increase your ideaflow ← share your experience please😊

Omar’s idea 👨🏽

Don’t worry about Omar, he found another idea to solve the same problem and now owns the FoodScoot delivery app which uses scooters. The university agreed because scooters use the sidewalk instead of bus routes.
And guess what… he got significant support and media coverage because it’s an eco-friendly solution 🍃

Start right by focusing on solving a problem instead of clinging to the idea.

Regards 🫶🏼