shipping · in the margins

I'm a dad building with AI in the margins of real life.

I'm not an engineer. I've got a full-time job, little kids, and the same 24 hours you do — and I use AI to build real products in the margins. Here's exactly how, so you can too.

Read my story See what I'm building

100+
On the email list: 140+
followers.store users: 4,500+
Threads followers

Pencil-sketch illustration of Ant at his desk, seen from behind

My story

Real dad. Full plate. Building anyway.

I'm not an engineer, and I don't have a team. I've got a full-time job, two little kids, and the same 24 hours you do. What I do have is a way of working: point AI at a clear idea, bring the taste and the testing myself, and ship in the 30-minute windows most people scroll through. This is the honest version of how that's gone.

Built in the margins
Early mornings, nap times, the quiet after bedtime. 30-minute windows are all I get — AI is what makes them count.
Not technical? Neither am I
followers.store is entirely vibe-coded — AI writes the code, I bring the taste, the testing, and the version control.
Discipline over hype
Tiny commits, small releases, show up daily. The boring habits are the actual cheat code.

The journey

How it's gone so far

The decision

Stopped watching, started building

I'd spent months reading build-in-public threads. No CS degree, no team — I decided to become one of the people actually shipping.

First build

Let AI write the code

AI handled the code; I brought the product taste, smart testing, and version control. Turns out you can ship without being an engineer.

Launch

followers.store goes live

My first real product — designed, built, and shipped entirely solo, in 30-minute windows around work and the kids.

Building in public

0 → 4,500+ on Threads

Started posting the honest journey. Six months later, a 4,500-strong community of people building the same way.

It's working

Small, real, and growing

Four months in: 140+ users, $130+ MRR, 100+ on the email list. Proof that the margins add up.

What I'm building

One real product, shipped solo.

followers.storeLive

My first real product — dreamed up, designed, and shipped entirely on my own. No engineering background, no co-founder. Just AI, a clear idea, and the discipline to build it 30 minutes at a time.

140+

users

$130+

MRR

4 mo

live

Solo

built

Visit followers.store

AI-builtIndie SaaSBootstrapped

followers.store screenshot

(drop a product shot here)

</> built in the margins

Vibe-coded

AI writes the code; I direct it with product judgment and taste.

Tested & versioned

Real testing and git discipline — not vibes all the way down.

Shipped in small bets

Tiny iterations, released often, improved with real user feedback.

The proof

Not bad for a dad who "can't code."

4,500+

Threads followers

0 → 4.5k in 6 months

140+

followers.store users

in the first 4 months

$130+

Monthly recurring revenue

and climbing

100+

Email subscribers

driven by the product

Full-time job. Two little kids. The same 24 hours you've got. If I can build this in the margins — you can too.

I'm a dad building with AI in the { margins }margins of real life.