Building Smarter: A CEO’s Guide to AI-Powered Product Development & Pre-Marketing

 

🚀 How I Set Up My Workflow for Building a Product

Starting a project can feel overwhelming, but breaking it down into steps makes everything manageable. Here’s a detailed walkthrough of my current process for setting up a product, from ideas to tasks. 💡

Step 1: Brain Dump Your Features 📝

The first thing I do is write down all the features I want in my product. Don’t worry about order or feasibility—just get it all out. This creates a foundation for everything else.

Step 2: Generate a PRD Using AI 🤖

Next, I take those features and generate a Product Requirements Document (PRD). This is a structured, technical document that gives clear instructions for building the product. Tools I use include Cursor and AI prompt templates to structure the document properly.

Step 3: Break the PRD into Tasks 🛠️

Once the PRD is ready, I feed it into Taskmaster.ai to break the project down into actionable tasks. I also set up rules to guide task generation. This requires an MPP server and keys for Anthropic and Perplexity. ⚙️

Step 4: Budget and Resource Planning 💰

I keep track of my spending and available budget. For instance, I have around $700 to invest in this project over the next week, making sure rent and other essentials are covered. This helps me manage resources while experimenting with AI tools.

Step 5: Building and Testing 🚧

This weekend is fully dedicated to setting up the environment, building the initial version, testing it, and preparing for launch. Focus is key—no distractions. 🔑

Step 6: Marketing Prep 📣

Before launching, I start thinking about outreach: email lists, Facebook groups, Reddit, YouTube, and blogging. Communities like Discord might not work for contractors, so I focus on channels where the target audience actually spends time.

Step 7: Document and Iterate 📚

Finally, I make sure to document my process. This allows me to review, rethink, and expand ideas without repeating the same mental work. Think, document, review, iterate—it’s the workflow that keeps progress consistent. 🔄

Conclusion ✅

Breaking a project into clear steps, documenting everything, and using AI tools to organize tasks makes the process manageable and actionable. By focusing on building first and marketing second, I can ensure steady progress while maintaining clarity. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and let your workflow guide you. 💪