A life measured in
miles, deals, and pages.
Triathlete. Man of faith. Avid reader. NYC broker since 2009 — my own firm since 2014. Now I design, code, and ship software in the open. The journey, documented daily.
How I got here
- 2009 Licensed in New York. Manhattan residential — cold calls, open houses, a market learned block by block.
- 2014 Founded my own firm. Broker to broker-owner. The business taught discipline; the books taught the rest.
- Daily Swim. Bike. Run. Triathlon keeps everything honest. Every session on Strava, live, below.
- Always Faith and the library. Scripture, biographies, craft — where the miles and deals get their meaning.
- Now Shipping software. Vibe coder, designer, data architect — building this platform with AI, in public.
In the feed
Such a blessed Thanksgiving, one we’ll never forget! First hosting at my parents in some t
Elon Musk’s Secret Texas Empire Will Shock You 🤯 #ElonMusk #Texas #Tesla #SpaceX #Starbas
Jay-Z Just Lost BILLIONS to a Guy Voting From Zoom Hashtags: #JayZ #NYC #Casino #Queens #M
LA Just Spent $3 BILLION on This Right Before the Olympics 😳 #LA #LosAngeles #Olympics #C
We discuss the recent acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate by Compass for $1.6 billion in a
Attendees came for the kitchen or love island…
If you’ve got a backpack and dreams… pick one.
My bike wants closure and quads know this isn’t Zwift.
Live & long-form
2:29:17
Day 53 - Vibe Coding Apps & SaaS Sites + Sober Day 29
1:38:37
Day 52 - Vibe Coding A Community Of Builders (Fable 5) + Sober Day 25
2:47:56
Day 51 - Vibe Coding A Community Of Builders | Sober Day 22
1:53:16
Day 50 - Vibe Coding A Community (Opus 4.8 High) + Sober Day 15
2:42:23
Day 49 - Vibe Coding A Community (Opus 4.8 High) + Sober Day 12
2:28:23
Day 48 - Vibe Coding A Community (Opus 4.8 High) + Sober Day 8
In your ears
Vibe coder. Designer.
Data architect.
This site, its writing engine, the training feeds — designed and built by me, pairing with AI. The business side lives at Botensten, where builders learn to own their software instead of renting it.
The writing, always growing
New essays on health, money, faith, and habits publish here continuously. Free to read, no funnel.
New book: Shipping With AI: How Solo Founders Build Production Software With …
Shipping With AI: How Solo Founders Build Production Software With ... — Treat coding agents like a junior teammate, and ship. just landed in the Books app.
You've watched developers spin up features in an afternoon and wondered why your own AI experiments keep collapsing into half-broken prototypes. The gap isn't talent or budget—it's method. This book gives you the operating discipline that turns a coding agent from an impressive demo into a reliable teammate who ships real software. You'll learn to onboard an agent, hand it work in tight iterations, verify everything it claims, and catch failures before they reach production. You'll build review gates, telemetry, and layered defenses that let you move fast without moving recklessly. Written for people who need working software, not a computer science degree, it treats you as a founder managing a capable-but-junior hire. By the end you'll ship production code alone—and trust what you shipped.
Articles
See all
How Do I Get My First Customers? A Founder's Playbook
Get your first customers by combining referrals (60-90% conversion), content marketing, and email (3800% ROI). Here's the step-by-step playbook.
The Best One-Person Business Ideas to Start Solo
The best one-person business ideas: online coaching, freelance writing, design, programming, consulting, and digital products. Start solo, earn $100k+.
SaaS Onboarding Best Practices: A Practical Playbook
The best SaaS onboarding practices guide new users to value fast, personalize the first session, and can lift retention by up to 25%.
How Founders Grow an Audience by Building in Public
Founders who prioritize personal branding are 50% more likely to secure funding. Learn how to grow an audience by building in public.
How to Stay Motivated to Achieve Your Goals: A System
Stay motivated with systems, not willpower: write goals down (42% more likely to succeed), track progress, and use an accountability partner (+65%).
How to Recover From Burnout: A Science-Backed Guide
Recover from burnout with rest, boundaries, and repair. Sleep 7-9 hours, move daily, and use mindfulness (MBSR cut burnout 30% in one study).
How to Practice Gratitude Daily: A Simple Guide
Learn how to practice gratitude daily with simple steps, journaling, and exercises. Research shows gratitude can raise happiness by 25%.
Botensten · Venture Studio
Ideas, built fast.
The studio behind BPI, iCharles, Todd & the AI council — idea to clickable prototype in ~5 minutes.
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Building in public — AI, real estate, triathlon, faith. One dispatch when something ships.
Follow the journey.
Training, deals, faith, building — documented daily. Pick a channel.