Sometimes the biggest opportunities start small, awkward, and easy for other people to ignore.
That is one of the biggest reasons I believe in building in public.
A lot of people think building in public is just about posting updates, sharing wins, or making noise online. For me, it means something deeper. It is about showing your work before people fully believe in you. It is about continuing even when the numbers are low, the support is small, and some people think what you are doing is cringe.
A lot of good builders do not fail because they lack skill. They fail because they stop too early, stay hidden too long, or let small beginnings make them doubt themselves.
How bossROD TV started
I started my bossROD TV YouTube journey on January 5, 2020.
At the start, almost nobody was watching. I was getting around 10 views, and I only had around 10 subscribers. To be honest, around 8 of those were probably relatives and friends.
Some people also found my programming videos corny or cringe. That part was not easy, especially when you are trying to put yourself out there and share something you genuinely care about.
But I still kept going.
I did not continue because the results already looked promising. I continued because I really wanted to share knowledge with fellow Filipino programmers, especially those who struggled with English like I did. I wanted to explain programming in a way that felt simpler, more relatable, and easier to understand.
That is the reason bossROD TV started.
Why I kept showing up
At the time, I did not even think of it as "building in public." I was simply sharing what I knew, documenting what I was learning, and putting my work out there even if the audience was still very small. Looking back, that decision changed a lot.
When you keep showing up, people slowly begin to notice. A few people appreciate the work, then more people find it, and over time that consistency starts opening doors you could not see at the beginning.
That is why building in public matters so much. It gives your work a chance to be discovered while you are still growing.
The power of compounding
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that small efforts repeated consistently can lead to results that feel impossible when you are just starting.
When I uploaded those early videos, I had no idea that bossROD TV would eventually grow to:
- 17,000 followers on YouTube
- almost 90k followers on Facebook
- 13,000 followers on TikTok
And now, that journey is continuing with a new venture: The bossROD Podcast on Spotify.
That is why I am genuinely thankful I started when things were still small. If I had waited until I felt more polished, more confident, or more ready, there is a big chance none of this would have happened.
Building in public helps people trust you
A lot of people wait until everything looks polished before they share anything. They want better branding, better content, better confidence, or better timing.
But most of the time, what really matters is simply starting.
Building in public is not about trying to look impressive. It is about letting people see the real process behind what you are doing. When people can see your progress, your effort, and your consistency, trust starts to build naturally.
That trust is powerful. It can attract the right audience, create real opportunities, and give your work momentum long before things look "big."
Ignore the negativity and keep going
Negative comments are part of the journey, especially in the beginning.
Some people will misunderstand what you are trying to do. Some will laugh at the way you speak, the way you teach, or the kind of content you make. That is hard, but it is also normal.
What matters is whether your reason for doing the work is strong enough to keep you going.
For me, the reason was clear. I wanted to help Filipino programmers learn in a way that felt more accessible and more relatable. That mattered more to me than the negativity.
Over time, I realized that the people you help matter more than the people who mock you early on.
What building in public can do
Building in public does more than grow an audience.
It helps people discover your work.
It gives others a reason to trust you.
It creates momentum over time.
And it allows small efforts to compound into something much bigger.
What starts with a few views and a few supporters can slowly grow into a real community. Sometimes the thing that looks small at the start becomes the foundation for something far bigger than you expected.
Final thought
Looking back, I am very thankful that I started and even more thankful that I kept going.
The beginning usually feels small. Progress can feel slow, and sometimes it feels like nobody cares yet. But that does not mean what you are doing does not matter.
A lot of meaningful work looks small before it starts compounding.
That is why I believe in building in public. It gives your work a chance to be seen, your story a chance to connect, and your consistency a chance to pay off over time.
What could happen if you stopped hiding your work and gave it enough time to compound?