DEV Community: Mohd Anas

Why Builders.to Exists — And Why Solo Founders Actually Need It

Mohd Anas — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:56:59 +0000

You Have the Skills. So Why Aren't You Shipping?

You know how to code. You have ideas. You've read all the startup advice.

And yet — the week disappears. The Notion doc is full of plans that never became features. You open your codebase, tweak something small, close the laptop, and tell yourself you'll do the real work tomorrow.

Sound familiar?

This isn't a skill problem. It's not even a motivation problem.

It's an isolation problem.

Solo founders don't fail because they're not smart enough. They fail because building alone — with no one asking "what did you ship today?" — makes it too easy to stall. Silently. For weeks.

That's exactly why Builders.to was built.

What Is Builders.to?

Builders.to is an accountability and community platform built specifically for solo SaaS founders.

Not a Discord server. Not another Twitter community. Not a productivity app with streaks and badges.

It's a structured system that gives solo founders what they actually need:

A daily place to log what they shipped
People who notice when they go quiet
Weekly check-ins to report wins and blockers honestly
Monthly 1-on-1 coaching to cut through noise and pick the next move

The platform was built by Ben Spak — a full-stack developer and founder who understood the problem from the inside. He's not a "startup coach" who talks about shipping. He's someone who has shipped — real products, real code, real SEO work — and built Builders.to because the gap was obvious.

Right now, 707+ builders are active on the platform. Over 292 projects have been posted. And the community is growing.

The Real Problem: Building Alone Is Hard in a Way Nobody Talks About

There's a well-known stat in the startup world: most solo founders take 3x longer to reach milestones compared to founding teams.

The reason isn't usually technical. It's psychological.

When you work in a team, there's natural accountability. Standups. Shared deadlines. Someone who asks "did you finish that?"

When you build alone, there's none of that. You are the only one who knows when you skipped a day. You are the only one tracking your own progress. And your brain — being a very good rationalizer — will always have a reason why today isn't the right day to do hard things.

This is the trap. And it's invisible until you're deep in it.

What Makes Builders.to Different

There are already places where indie founders hang out. Indie Hackers. Product Hunt. Various Slack groups. Twitter/X threads.

So what does Builders.to do differently?

It gives you structure, not just community.

Here's the difference:

Most communities are reactive. You post when you feel like it. You get replies if someone notices. It's passive. There's no rhythm.

Builders.to is proactive. There's a daily check-in rhythm. There's a weekly Sit Rep where you actually have to say what shipped and what's next. There's a monthly coaching call. The system is designed so that not showing up is noticeable.

One builder on the platform described it well:

"The daily check-ins changed how I work. I stopped disappearing for two weeks at a time — someone actually notices when I'm quiet."

That's the whole point. Someone notices.

The Founder's Circle: The Inner Layer

The core of Builders.to is called the Founder's Circle — a premium accountability tier for solo founders who need real structure.

Here's what you get:

Daily check-ins via chat — A simple but powerful habit. You log what you worked on every day. No vanity metrics. No fluff. Just honest progress.

Weekly Sit Reps over Zoom — Every week, you report your wins, your blockers, and your one big bet for the next week. This is the thing most solo founders never do for themselves — and it makes a huge difference.

Monthly 1-on-1 coaching calls — One focused call per month with Ben to cut through your own noise. Most founders leave these with one clear next move instead of twelve half-started ideas.

Private founder channel — A space separate from the public feed, where the real conversations happen.

The price is $50/month (intro pricing) or $500/year.

For context: one wasted month of stalling costs more than a year of accountability.

The Builder Feed: Public Proof You're Moving

Even outside the Founder's Circle, Builders.to has a public feed where builders log their daily progress.

This is different from Twitter threads or LinkedIn posts. It's not a highlight reel. It's a daily log — messy, honest, and real.

You can see builders like oscargaske posting things like:

"day 26 of 433 — got a lot of feedback from my first paying customer today, and spent about 4 hours making those changes. then I started doing cold outreach..."

That's what building actually looks like. Not a viral thread about how someone hit $10K MRR. Real daily work. Logged in public.

This kind of transparency does something important: it normalizes the process. It reminds you that everyone is figuring it out as they go.

Projects, Community Map, and More

Beyond accountability, Builders.to has a full ecosystem:

Projects — You can list your SaaS project on the platform. Your project page ties to your daily activity, so when you launch something, it has context. People can see your arc — not just a cold product page.

Builder Map — A global map showing where builders are. You can find fellow founders near you.

Communities — Join or create communities around shared interests or goals.

Leaderboard — See who's shipping the most. A little healthy competition doesn't hurt.

Services — Offer your skills or hire fellow builders for your project.

It's designed to be a full workspace for solo founders — not just a place to lurk.

Who Is Builders.to For?

If you're any of these, Builders.to was built for you:

You're a solo founder building a SaaS product without a team
You're an indie hacker with multiple ideas and not enough execution
You're a developer who has a product but keeps getting distracted
You've been saying "I'll ship this month" for three months in a row
You want a community that's about moving forward, not just talking about it

It is not for people who just want a place to post announcements. It's for people who want to do the actual work.

Why This Matters in 2025 and Beyond

The solo founder path has never been more possible. AI tools cut development time drastically. Distribution channels are everywhere. You can build a real product alone.

But the psychological challenge hasn't changed. Isolation is still isolation. Stalling is still stalling.

If anything, the abundance of tools makes it easier to stay busy without actually moving forward. You can spend a week picking the perfect stack, writing a README nobody will read, or redesigning your landing page for the fourth time.

Builders.to exists to interrupt that pattern. To create a system where you have to show up, say what you did, and actually be honest about where you're stuck.

It's the accountability layer most solo founders are missing.

A Note from the Community

Here are a few real things builders have said about being on the platform:

"Weekly Sit Reps force me to name what shipped and what's stuck. It's the closest thing to a cofounder without giving up equity."

"The monthly coaching call cuts through my own BS. I leave with one clear next move instead of twelve half-started ideas."

"This is a cool community. I check daily to see what people are building there." — @mdanassaif on X

That last one matters. Not because it's praise, but because it says something simple: people actually come back every day. Not to scroll. To build.

Getting Started

Getting onto Builders.to is simple:

Go to builders.to
Create a free account and explore the feed
Try Pro free for 7 days (starts after you're in the app)
If you want the full accountability structure — daily check-ins, weekly Sit Reps, monthly coaching — join the Founder's Circle for $50/month

You don't have to be at a certain stage to join. Whether you have zero users or a few hundred, the system works because the problem is the same at every stage: you need to keep moving.

Final Thought

Most productivity systems ask you to be disciplined by yourself. Track your own habits. Hold yourself accountable. Be consistent.

That's hard. That's really hard when you're the only one in the room.

Builders.to doesn't ask you to be a different kind of person. It builds a structure around you — daily, weekly, monthly — so that showing up becomes the default, not the exception.

If you're building something alone, you don't have to build it in silence.

Check out Builders.to at builders.to — the accountability layer solo founders are missing.

MarketingDB

Mohd Anas — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:04:10 +0000

Backlinks helped a lot with Marketing DB’s growth, and the idea is actually very simple. Instead of sounding like an SEO textbook, think of backlinks as other sites vouching for your project in public

What a backlink really is

A backlink is just one website linking to another website, nothing fancy.

When someone links to your project page, they’re telling both their users and Google, “this is useful”.

Why developers should care

Good backlinks help your site rank higher on Google, so people can discover your project without ads.

They also send direct traffic from people who are already interested in your niche, which usually means better engagement and signups.

What changed for Marketing DB

On Marketing DB, there are now 40+ projects listed, and backlinks are a big reason traffic keeps growing.

When projects share their Marketing DB listing on X, blogs, and portfolios, each of those links becomes a backlink to the site.

Over time, this helped the directory show up more often for long-tail searches like “marketing tools for founders” or “tool directories for indie hackers”.

Why it works well for a directory

A directory like Marketing DB is a natural backlink magnet.

Every new project listed has a reason to link back: “Find us on Marketing DB,” “Featured on Marketing DB,” etc..

As more builders link to their listings, the whole site’s authority grows, which lifts all projects on the platform in search as well.

MarketingDB listed 40+ projects and more ahead
-> https://marketingdb.live

Inspect and edit any website 3x faster and export changes effortlessly

Mohd Anas — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 06:13:49 +0000

Hey developer or designer,

You know how crucial it is to move fast and be efficient. SuperDev Pro to do exactly that—it's a 14-in-1 browser extension that puts a whole toolkit right in your hands, so you can inspect and edit any website 3x faster and export your work effortlessly.

This extension helps you cut down on the time-consuming back-and-forth between your code editor and the browser. No matter what framework, library, or theme a site is built with, SuperDev Pro just works.

The 14 Essential Tools of SuperDev Pro

CSS Inspector

What it does: Easily inspect and edit CSS properties on any element. You can tweak colors, fonts, margins, and more, and see the changes live on the page. It's like having the DevTools inspector, but with a more streamlined interface.

Live Text Editor

What it does: Edit any text on a webpage in real-time. This is perfect for testing out new headlines, descriptions, or content, letting you see how it fits before you ever touch the code.

Fonts Changer

What it does: Instantly switch the font of any element. You can browse from a huge library of Google Fonts and even your local fonts to find the perfect typography for your design.

List All Fonts

What it does: Curious what fonts a site is using? This tool lists every font on the page, along with its size, weight, and style. It's a quick way to understand a site's typography.

Color Picker

What it does: Grab any color from anywhere on the webpage, even from images or videos. This gives you the exact hex code or RGB value you need for your design.

Color Palette

What it does: Unveil the entire color palette of a website with a single click. This is a great tool for getting a quick overview of a site's design language.

Move Element

What it does: Drag and drop elements on the page to a new position. This lets you experiment with different layouts and arrangements without writing any code.

Delete Element

What it does: Instantly remove or hide any element from the page. This is great for decluttering, cleaning up screenshots, or focusing on a specific part of a design.

Export Element

What it does: Love a specific UI component on a site? This tool lets you export the HTML and CSS of any element directly to CodePen or as a local HTML file.

Extract Images

What it does: Pull all the images from a webpage with a single click. You can then download them individually or as a single zip file.

Page Ruler

What it does: Get pixel-perfect measurements between any two points on a webpage. This is an essential tool for ensuring your designs are precise.

Page Outliner

What it does: Visualize the HTML structure of a website with color-coded outlines. This helps you quickly understand the layout and hierarchy of any page.

Image Replacer

What it does: Quickly replace any image on a website with a local image from your computer. This is a fast way to see how a new image would look in a design.

Take Screenshot

What it does: Capture screenshots in a snap. You can take a screenshot of the visible area, a custom selected area, or even a full-page screenshot.

SuperDevPro confident that this tool will resonate with your audience and help them save hours of tedious work every week. SuperDevPro looking forward to sharing the GIFs and videos that demonstrate each feature in action.

You can learn more and checkout here: https://superdevpro.com/

Thank you for giving time to read, I hope SuperDevPro can save your 2-7 hours weekly, Good Luck.

my coding adventure

Mohd Anas — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 05:23:10 +0000

From Chemistry Graduate to Passionate Coder Building Tools That Get Real Traffic

Today I'm 22 years, 0 months, and 28 days old.

It's wild to think about how much has changed since I graduated with a chemistry degree and randomly chose MCA. That gap between BSc and MCA? That's when I got my first laptop — and everything clicked.

I learned, I built, and boom!

The feeling of creating something from nothing is incredible. I'm hungry for more learning, more building, more experimenting. That’s how SVG Icons and Brugrow Tools were born — out of pure curiosity and the need to solve real problems.

Why I Built Brugrow Tools

Brugrow Tools started as a simple idea:

What if I could create tools that actually help people?

Tools that get real traffic because they solve real problems.

It was never about being a professional coder (I'm not, and that’s okay).

It was about building something useful.

Then Came Free SVG Icons

A side project I started with my brother.

We got a domain, I contributed code, and we built something together.

The beauty of coding?

You don’t need to be an expert to create value.

You just need to start.

What I’ve Learned

✅ Start small — but start
✅ Don’t wait to be perfect
✅ Chemistry taught me systematic thinking
✅ Coding taught me to embrace imperfection and iterate fast

I’m always hungry to help others and save them from the mistakes I made.

You can check out my projects and social medias here:

👉 mdanassaif.xyz

Thanks for reading.

Vibe Coding: Making Building Fun Again

Mohd Anas — Sat, 31 May 2025 07:28:42 +0000

Remember when coding felt like a job? All those tough rules, strange errors, and long hours fixing things. Well, those days are fading fast, thanks to something many are calling "vibe coding." It's not just about making coding easier; it's about making it truly enjoyable, almost like playing a game.

Why We Love It

It might sound odd to be hooked on a simple text screen for building things, but it's true. Lots of people are spending their free time using tools like Cursor, v0, and their favorite AI chat friends (like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini) to bring their ideas to life. And it's not just for people who code for a living; designers, product managers, business starters, and marketers are all trying it.

So, what's the big secret? It feels like coding as a game. And we're not talking about just getting points or being on a scoreboard. This is something deeper.

The Feeling of Play

Vibe coding taps into the same good feeling you get when you're really into a game. Think about it:

Clear Starts, Fun Twists: You begin with a clear goal (build something!), but how you get there is wonderfully open.
Pushing Your Limits: You might be new to a complicated system, just one command away from messing everything up. But you keep going because you know you can always "fix it." Your AI helpers are there to catch you if you fall, ready to give you that important piece of code when you're stuck.
Just Right: Vibe coding isn't too hard and not too easy. It's just right, giving even average coders enough belief to build things. Are you great at making websites but bad with databases? No problem—your AI friend can set up the data and security for you.

Easy to Use, Learn as You Go

For many, especially designers, normal coding has always felt confusing. Vibe coding changes that:

Instant Results: You see what your commands do right away, making it easy to try new things.
Learning from Mistakes: Even when your command doesn't work, you learn what not to do, helping you get better at giving instructions to the AI.
Focus on What You Want: The main idea shifts from remembering tricky rules to simply getting the result you want. It feels like talking to a smart friend, even if that friend is an AI.

This new way of building is bringing back the pure fun of making things by yourself for many. And honestly, for some of us, it means not having to ask our always-busy software engineer partners for help anymore!

What do you think about vibe coding? Has it changed how you build things?

2024 was beginning of my real coding journey

Mohd Anas — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:14:10 +0000

This is a submission for the 2025 New Year Writing challenge: Retro’ing and Debugging 2024.

First off, thank you, 2024, for being the best year of my life so far!

Looking back, I realize how much time I spent tinkering with HTML, CSS, and a little JavaScript, creating basic web pages with minimal functionality. It never occurred to me to explore frameworks or libraries. After completing my bachelor's degree, I returned home, where my father and brother surprised me with my dream laptop—a brand-new one!

From there, I dove deep into the world of tech. Platforms like Twitter, Product Hunt, and other indie maker communities opened my eyes to real-world projects. They inspired me to take my skills to the next level.

I started with the basics of JavaScript:

DOM manipulation
Functions
Objects
Destructuring
Template literals
Ternary operators
Import/export syntax

Then, I discovered React.js. FreeCodeCamp videos and John Smilga’s tutorials became my go-to learning resources. John’s detailed explanations made every concept click for me.

With practice, I ventured into Next.js, aiming to bridge the gap between frontend and backend. A quick Google search told me that Next.js could handle both, and that sounded perfect for the projects I envisioned. Around the same time, I learned TailwindCSS, a true lifesaver! Writing CSS in just a few utility classes instead of 20+ lines felt like magic.
I also discovered Supabase, which became my go-to tool for backend management. It simplified setting up databases and authentication for my projects, giving me a powerful, open-source alternative to Firebase.

May-July: The Dream Phase

I built exciting projects like:

A Live Group Chat App
A Logo Builder
A Music Player
A Resume Builder
An ErrorsMan Community

Each commit on GitHub became a moment of pride, a testament to my growth in 2024.

However, challenges weren’t far behind. Learning TypeScript tested my patience. The endless type errors were frustrating, yet strangely rewarding. They taught me how to debug calmly and strengthened my understanding of coding principles.

2024 was a year of exploration, growth, and accomplishments.

It taught me to embrace challenges, experiment fearlessly, and enjoy the process.

I can’t wait to see where the next year takes me!

Errors Man | A tech community | Debug Together, Grow Together

Mohd Anas — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 07:00:14 +0000

Welcome to Errors Man – a tech community built for anyone passionate about technology and solving errors. Here, we believe that debugging isn’t just a process; it’s an opportunity to grow, learn, and connect with others.

Link : https://errors-man.vercel.app/

At Errors Man, our motto is simple: Debug Together, Grow Together. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, Errors Man is here to support you. You’ll find people ready to help with your toughest tech problems, share useful resources, and celebrate your wins.

Join our community to:

• Get help on debugging and troubleshooting.
• Share your knowledge with others.
• Learn from experts and grow your skills.

Errors Man isn’t just about fixing bugs; it’s about building connections, developing your expertise, and being part of something bigger.

Subscribe and join us today at Errors Man – where we’re stronger together, one error at a time.

FreeSVGIcons: Your Ultimate Source for Free SVG Icons

Mohd Anas — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:36:04 +0000

Icons are a vital part of modern design, whether for websites, apps, or graphic design projects. If you're looking for a massive collection of free icons without the hassle of licensing issues, Free SVG Icons is the go-to solution. The site offers over 200,000+ open-source SVG icons that are free for personal and commercial use.

What Does FreeSVGIcons Offer?

FreeSVGIcons is designed to provide users with easy access to icons in a variety of styles and categories. Here's what makes the platform stand out:

Vast Icon Library: With more than 200,000 icons, FreeSVGIcons covers nearly every design need. Whether you're designing a website, working on an app, or creating presentations, there's an icon for it.
Download & Copy Functionality: Instead of complex tools, FreeSVGIcons keeps things simple. You can search for icons, then either download them in SVG format or copy the code directly into your project.
Free for Commercial Use: The best part is that all the icons are open-source, which means they are available for both personal and commercial projects, saving you time and money on licensing fees.

How to Use FreeSVGIcons

Search: The site features a robust search bar to quickly find icons based on your project's requirements.
Download: Once you find an icon, you can download it in SVG format for easy integration into design or development projects.
Copy the Code: If you're a developer, you can copy the icon's code and paste it directly into your HTML or CSS for seamless use.

Why FreeSVGIcons is Perfect for Designers and Developers

The simplicity of this site is ideal for professionals and beginners alike. Designers appreciate the ease of downloading SVGs for their mockups, while developers can quickly integrate the icons into their web projects using clean SVG code.

Although the platform does not offer direct customization on the website, you can easily adjust icon properties like color, size, and stroke directly in your design software or code editor after downloading the SVG.

Conclusion

https://freesvgicons.com is an invaluable resource for anyone in need of icons. Its extensive collection, free and open-source nature, and simplicity of use make it a top choice for designers and developers. With just a few clicks, you can find, download, and use high-quality SVG icons in any project.

The Frontend Challenge: Cricket League

Mohd Anas — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 04:32:36 +0000

This is a submission for Frontend Challenge v24.07.24, Glam Up My Markup: Recreation

What I Built

I transformed a basic HTML template for the New York Recreational Cricket League into a visually appealing and interactive webpage. My focus was on enhancing the existing design without altering the original HTML structure. I applied CSS for styling and JavaScript to introduce interactive features, creating a more engaging user experience.

Demo

Journey

In this project, my goal was to elevate the aesthetics and interactivity of the webpage. I delved into CSS and JavaScript to add animations and interactive elements. This process was a valuable learning experience, and I'm pleased with how the enhancements have improved the overall user experience.

A Note of Thanks to the Dev Team

Thank you for organizing this challenge. It has been a fantastic experience, and we're thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate. Your efforts in creating these challenges truly inspire and motivate us.

Understanding How APIs Make AI Work

Mohd Anas — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 04:51:03 +0000

This is a submission for DEV Computer Science Challenge v24.06.12: One Byte Explainer.

What is an API?

An API is like a train ticket for data. It's as if there's a train running between two places, and a girl named Luna uses a special ticket (API) to move smoothly between them, carrying messages and things (data) back and forth.

How does AI work with APIs?

Imagine you’re using a voice assistant like Siri. When you ask a question, Siri uses an API to understand your speech. This API sends your voice data to a server that processes it and turns it into text. Then, another API helps Siri search the internet or a database for the answer. Finally, an API sends the answer back to your device, and Siri tells you what it found.

I tried Frontend Challenge: June Edition

Mohd Anas — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 17:12:56 +0000

This is a submission for Frontend Challenge v24.04.17, CSS Art: June.

Inspiration
I'm highlighting simple, clean geometric shapes. I wanted to create something that looks both simple and beautiful.

Demo

Here is my CSS Art:

You can see the full code on GitHub and live demo here.

Journey

I am from India and was curious to participate in this dev challenge. My designing is not the best, but I always try to make it better.

I started by drawing some ideas on paper. Then I used CSS to make it real. I played around with properties like clip-path, transform, and animation.

I learned a lot about how powerful CSS can be. I'm proud of the animations I added. Next, I want to learn more about CSS Grid and Flexbox for more complex designs.

What I Feel After Participating in This Challenge

This is the first time I completed a challenge, and it’s really an amazing feeling to submit this. I learned a lot. Thanks, DEV, for these types of challenges!

Free Your Design: The Ultimate Guide to Iconbuddy

Mohd Anas — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:52:48 +0000

Have you ever spent hours scouring the internet for the perfect icon, only to come up empty-handed or face a paywall blocking your path? We've all been there. But fret no more, fellow designers and developers, because there's a new hero in town: IconBuddy.

Iconbuddy isn't your average icon library. Think of it as a treasure trove overflowing with over 200,000 free, open-source SVG icons. That's right, free as in "no credit card required" and open-source as in "modify and customize to your heart's content!"

Here's what makes Iconbuddy stand out from the crowd:

An Icon Odyssey:
Iconbuddy boasts a mind-boggling collection of icons, covering everything from basic shapes and social media icons to niche categories like science, healthcare, and even weather. No more Frankenstein-ing different icon styles together – Iconbuddy has a unified aesthetic that elevates your project.
From Stock to Bespoke:
Found an icon that's almost perfect, but the color throws off your whole vibe? No problem! Iconbuddy lets you download and customize any icon with ease. Change the colors, tweak the size, and make it truly your own.
Beyond the Basics:
Iconbuddy 2.0 goes beyond a simple icon library. It offers additional features like a logo maker to help you craft a stunning brand identity and SVG conversion tools to ensure your icons are compatible across platforms.
A Community that Grows:
The best part? Iconbuddy is part of a thriving open-source community. This means new icons and updates are constantly being added, keeping your design arsenal fresh and ever-expanding.

Iconbuddy is more than just an icon library; it's a game-changer. Stop wasting time hunting for the perfect icon and unleash your creativity with Iconbuddy. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to https://iconbuddy.app and start building something amazing!