Hey Reader,

Yesterday marked exactly one year since I signed the paperwork to buy back BestSelf. In 48 hours, I went from casually exploring options to becoming a solo founder (again) – this time with no team, half the revenue, but a completely different vision for what was possible.

After a year of rebuilding, experimenting with AI, and bringing new ideas to life, I've finally published my 2024 Annual Review.

If you’re new here I've been publishing these reviews publicly for over 10+ years. While they primarily serve as a personal record of my life, I thoroughly enjoy reading others so I share mine too.

The TLDR Summary:

• Bought back BestSelf in January, rebuilding it with half the revenue but 4x better profit margins
• Leveraged AI to transform operations, including custom GPTs and automation
• Balanced solo founder life with parenting a 'princess-loving' daughter
• Faced challenges with reactive hiring, work-life integration, and personal setbacks

This year forced me to completely reimagine how to run a business. The most surprising part? It wasn't about going back to what worked before - it was about embracing tools that didn't even exist when I first built BestSelf.

As an architect turned product entrepreneur, I've always understood how to bring physical ideas to life. Give me a manufacturer and some CAD files, and I can turn concepts into tangible products. But digital products, specifically apps? That felt like a whole different world.

For years, I've had ideas for tools and apps I wished existed, but there was always this massive barrier: "Learn to code first."

Want to build an app? Better get comfortable with programming languages, system architecture, and a million other technical things first. Or pay someone a bunch of $$$.

It reminds me of my childhood piano lessons. I never cared about music theory or technical exercises – I just wanted to play music. But back then, you had to master all the "proper" fundamentals first. The joy of creating music took a backseat to checking boxes for a university application. Sound familiar? That's exactly how building software has felt for years.

I don't actually care about coding itself – I care about bringing ideas to life.

I tried the traditional route first. Spent countless hours setting up development environments, debugging configuration issues, and getting lost in technical documentation – all before writing a single line of meaningful code. It was exhausting and frustrating. Every time I thought I was making progress, I'd hit another wall of technical requirements that had nothing to do with the actual tool I wanted to build.

But something has fundamentally changed. With AI tools, I can focus on what matters – creating things that solve real problems. I don't need to be a developer. I just need to know what I want to build. The AI handles the technical heavy lifting, letting me focus on the creative part.

And you know what? It works. I've already built two simple tools and deployed them within a couple of hours.

1. ​YearAudit.com: After a decade of writing annual reviews (like the one I just published), I created a tool to make this powerful reflection process accessible to everyone.
2. ​Unfiltered.page: A distraction-free writing app born from my own need for a space to think clearly. No formatting, no editing – just pure, unfiltered thoughts.

These aren't just apps – they're proof that with the right tools, you can finally build the things you've been dreaming about. They're not perfect (by a stretch), but they're real and they work!

The breakthrough came when my friend Nat released his course on coding with AI using Cursor. I had a folder full of half-started projects and ideas that I'd never finished because I'd get stuck on the technical stuff. Even after starting with AI coding tools I would hit a roadbump of the AI stuck in a loop that I couldn’t get out of. His course changed that – it showed me how to focus on building rather than getting lost in the technical weeds.

(If you're curious about the course, you can check it out here: Build Your Own Apps. It's perfect if you're like me – someone who wants to build things but doesn't want to become a developer.)

What's Next? 👀

Remember how I started this email talking about buying back BestSelf with no team and half the revenue? That constraint turned out to be a gift – it forced me to think differently about everything, including how to build new things. Sometimes having less means creating more.

Here's what I'm focusing on in 2025:

• Building more tools (I have a folder full of ideas for things I wish existed!)
• Writing more consistently on the blog. Recent articles:
• ​How I Run a 7-Figure Business with AI Assistants​
• ​Ultraspeaking Review: Why I Joined at the Worst Possible Time​

Check out the full 2024 review here and let me know what resonates with you, I love hearing your thoughts!

Best,

Cathryn

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2028 E Ben White Blvd #240-5675, Austin, Texas 78741
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