Ben Newton - Commerce Frontend Specialist
Building in public

I ship products in the open. Here is what that actually looks like.

Four products. Built solo with AI agents. Documented as I go. Not the highlight reel — the real decisions, the real mistakes, and the real lessons from shipping production software to real users.

30 years of engineering. Daily AI workflows. The products are the proof.

4 products shippedReal usersAI-built
4 products500+ usersAI-builtDocumented journey
The products

Not ideas. Shipped products.

Each one built with the same AI-augmented workflow I bring to consulting.

BlackOps Center

Live

Content intelligence platform. Multi-tenant SaaS with AI-powered content generation, monitoring, and analytics.

VitalWall

Live

Real-time website analytics and social proof. Used by 500+ websites.

VoiceCommit

Launched

Voice-first developer tool. Turn spoken ideas into GitHub issues and PRs.

SilverBullet

Building

AI-first commerce platform. Next-generation e-commerce in development.

Why I build in the open.

The process teaches more than the product.

The process is the portfolio

For a consultant, showing how you build is more valuable than showing what you built. Building in public demonstrates engineering judgment, decision-making, and AI workflows in real time.

Compounding knowledge

Every product teaches patterns that improve the next one. Multi-tenant architecture from BlackOps Center. Real-time systems from VitalWall. Voice interfaces from VoiceCommit. Each builds on the last.

Real user feedback

Shipping to real users teaches more than any amount of planning. VitalWall with 500+ users has shaped my thinking about analytics, onboarding, and product-market fit in ways theory never could.

AI workflow proof

Every product is proof that one senior engineer with AI agents can build at a team-level scale. Not a claim — a demonstrated fact, shipped and running.

Common questions

What people ask about building in public.

Why build in public?

Because the process is the product for a consultant. When I ship features, write about decisions, and share what works and what fails, I am demonstrating the engineering judgment and AI workflows I bring to client work. Building in public is my portfolio in real-time.

Do you really build all these products alone?

Yes. Every product is designed, built, and maintained by me with AI agents as core team members. Claude Code handles implementation. I handle architecture, product, and creative direction. It is a different operating model, not a shortcut.

How do you balance products with a full-time job?

Nights and weekends. AI agents make it possible — what used to take a weekend of coding now takes an evening with the right workflows. The day job provides enterprise experience. The products provide creative freedom and AI practice.

Are these real businesses or side projects?

Both, depending on the product. VitalWall has 500+ users and generates revenue. BlackOps Center is a full SaaS platform. VoiceCommit and SilverBullet are earlier stage. The line between side project and business is crossed when users start depending on it.

What have you learned from building in public?

That execution matters more than ideas. That AI changes the economics of solo development. That real users teach you more than any market research. And that documenting the journey creates opportunities you could not have planned.

Can I follow along?

Yes. The blog covers major milestones and decisions. Twitter/X has the day-to-day updates. The products themselves are the best proof — visit them, use them, and see what one engineer with AI agents can build.

Follow the build.

New features, new products, and the AI workflows behind them. The blog covers major milestones. The products speak for themselves.

30 years of engineering. 4 products in the open. More coming.

Read the Blog

Real products. Real process. Real lessons.

Building in Public — Products, Process, and the Real Story | Ben Newton