Why I Stopped Building Everything from Scratch
I used to build everything myself. Custom auth, hand-rolled ORMs, bespoke admin panels. After 8 years, I changed completely.
The Turning Point
I spent 3 months building an admin dashboard for a client. It was beautiful. It was also 3 months late.
Next project, I used a pre-built template. Deployed in 2 weeks. Client could not tell the difference.
What I Build vs. Buy Now
| Category | Build | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Core business logic | Yes | No |
| Auth/User management | No | Yes |
| Admin dashboards | No | Yes |
| Payment integration | No | Yes |
Where I Source Code
- GitHub for open-source foundations
- booan.com for commercial-grade source code
- Internal library for refined components
Advice
Build from scratch early to learn. Once you understand fundamentals, leverage existing solutions for speed.
Do you still build everything from scratch?