One founder, many products
Pieter Levels ships small products quickly and keeps the winners. What the portfolio approach teaches about picking ideas.
Instead of betting years on one idea, some founders ship many small products fast, watch what gets traction and keep investing only in the winners. Pieter Levels is the best-known example, and his products are a useful case study.
Patterns worth copying
- Start from your own life. Nomad List and Remote OK came from his own life as a remote worker.
- Ship ugly, fast. Early versions are simple and often built with plain, boring technology.
- Build in public. Sharing progress and revenue openly brings an audience that becomes the first customers of the next product.
- Ride new technology early. Photo AI and Interior AI launched as image models became good enough to be useful.
The trade-off
A portfolio spreads attention. It works best when each product can run with little maintenance.