Month 1 Recap: Building 4 Projects in 90 Days

I set myself a challenge: build 4 projects to meaningful traction in 90 days. One month in, it's time for an honest assessment of where things stand.

The Projects

1. 1Toolmansion - 29 privacy-focused browser tools
2. 2AbroadCost - Study abroad cost calculator and guides
3. 3Botsquash - AI automation agency
4. 4RomanAdvices - This website (personal brand/consulting)

The Numbers

Let's start with the honest numbers:

Not exactly viral growth, but that's okay. Here's why.

What Went Well

Consistency

I've published content every single day:

• 1 AbroadCost guide per week
• 3 LinkedIn posts per week
• Daily progress updates

This consistency is building a foundation that compounds over time.

Technical Foundation

All 4 projects now have:

• Proper SEO structure
• Analytics configured
• Fast loading times
• Mobile optimization

The technical debt is minimal, which means future growth won't be hampered by infrastructure issues.

Learning Velocity

I'm learning faster than ever:

• SEO best practices
• Content strategy
• Conversion optimization
• System design

Each project teaches me something that applies to the others.

What Didn't Go Well

LinkForge

I abandoned LinkForge after 2 weeks. It was a distraction from the core 4 projects. Lesson learned: focus beats diversification in the early stages.

Traffic Expectations

I expected some organic traffic by now. Reality check: SEO takes 2-4 months minimum to show results. I knew this intellectually, but emotionally I wanted faster validation.

Perfectionism

I spent too long on this website redesign. The old design was fine; I should have shipped improvements incrementally instead of rebuilding from scratch.

Lessons Learned

Lesson 1: Patience is a Strategy

Building in public requires stomach for slow initial growth. The compound effect kicks in later, not immediately.

Lesson 2: Systems Beat Goals

Instead of "publish 20 articles," I built a system: write for 2 hours every morning. The system produces the results automatically.

Lesson 3: Document Everything

Writing about the journey serves two purposes: content for the audience and clarity for myself. This recap itself is valuable.

Lesson 4: Kill Distractions Fast

LinkForge was interesting but off-strategy. I should have killed it sooner.

Adjustments for Month 2

Double Down on Content

Month 1 was about foundation. Month 2 is about volume:

• 2 AbroadCost guides per week
• Daily LinkedIn presence
• Weekly newsletter

Build Distribution Systems

Content without distribution is just a journal. I'm building:

• Email capture on all sites
• Social media automation
• Partnership outreach

Measure Leading Indicators

Instead of just tracking users, I'm now tracking:

• Content pieces published
• Search rankings
• Email subscribers
• Inbound inquiries

These lead to the lagging indicators (users, revenue).

The Mental Game

Building in public is psychologically challenging:

The Comparison Trap

It's easy to compare my Day 30 to someone else's Day 300. I'm learning to focus on my own trajectory.

The Authenticity Balance

How honest should I be about struggles? Too positive seems fake; too negative seems incompetent. I'm aiming for "optimistic but realistic."

The Consistency Commitment

Showing up every day is harder than it sounds. I've built accountability systems: public commitments, daily check-ins, a community of builders.

What's Next

Week 5-8 Priorities

1. 1Content Velocity: 16 new pieces across all projects
2. 2Email Growth: 200 subscribers combined
3. 3First Revenue: Close first Botsquash client
4. 4SEO Results: First page rankings for 3+ keywords

Long-term Vision

By Day 90, I want:

• 1,000+ monthly visitors across all projects
• $5,000/month revenue
• 500+ email subscribers
• Clear winner to double down on

Final Thoughts

Month 1 wasn't glamorous. It was mostly writing, configuring, and waiting. But that's what building looks like in the early days.

The magic happens in Month 2 and 3 when the foundation meets consistency. That's when I'll know if this approach works.

Thanks for following along. If you're building something too, I'd love to hear about your journey.

Onward to Month 2.