Blog

Thoughts & tutorials

Real-world lessons from building and shipping web and mobile apps.

·6 min

Why Every Restaurant Needs a Website in 2026 (And Why Most Restaurant Sites Are Terrible)

70% of diners check a restaurant's website before visiting. Most restaurant sites look like they were built in 2005. Here's what yours actually needs.

Web DevelopmentBusinessRestaurants
·7 min

How to Get Your First 5-Star Review on Upwork (When Nobody Will Hire You Without One)

The Catch-22 of freelancing: you need reviews to get hired, but you need to get hired to get reviews. Here's how to break the cycle.

FreelancingUpworkCareer
·7 min

Wise vs Payoneer vs Revolut — Which Bank Should a Freelancer Use in 2026?

I get paid in USD, EUR, and PHP. Without the right bank setup, I'd lose 5-10% on every transfer. Here's what I actually use and why.

FreelancingFinanceDigital Nomad
·5 min

The Digital Nomad Developer's Toolkit — What I Actually Pack and Use

I've worked from coffee shops in Davao, beaches in Palawan, and airports in Bangkok. Here's what I actually need to run a freelance dev business from anywhere.

Digital NomadFreelancingProductivity
·5 min

How to Win on Upwork — The 3 Proposals That Actually Get Responses

I stopped writing long proposals. My response rate went from 10% to 50%. Here's exactly what I send — and why most proposals get ignored.

FreelancingUpworkCareer
·7 min

I Left Poland to Become a Digital Nomad in the Philippines — Here's What Actually Happened

Three years ago I was in Poland. Now I'm writing this from Davao City. The honest reality of being a freelance developer in Southeast Asia.

FreelancingDigital NomadCareer
·4 min

How Much Can a Freelance Developer Actually Earn? (Real Numbers)

LinkedIn says $200K. Reality is more nuanced. Here are real earning ranges for freelance developers — not the Instagram version.

FreelancingCareerPricing
·5 min

How to Get Your First Freelance Client as a Developer (With No Portfolio)

You don't need a fancy portfolio to land your first client. You need proof you can build. Here's the step-by-step that actually works.

FreelancingCareerBeginners
·4 min

Upwork vs Fiverr vs Freelancer.com — Where Should a New Developer Start?

I'm on both Upwork and Fiverr right now. Here's where the money actually is, which platform to start with, and what most freelancers do wrong.

FreelancingUpworkFiverr
·4 min

How to Convert Your Website into a Mobile App (Without Rebuilding Everything)

Yes, you can turn your existing website into a mobile app. Here are the three approaches — from quick and cheap to proper and polished.

Web DevMobileReact Native
·4 min

How Much Does It Cost to Build an App in 2026? A Developer's Honest Breakdown

Most cost estimates online are from agencies padding their quotes. Here's a transparent breakdown from a solo developer who actually ships.

FreelancingPricingMobile
·3 min

Which Programming Language Should You Learn First in 2026?

Everyone asks this. The answer depends on what you want to build — not what Twitter says. A practical guide from a working developer.

BeginnersProgrammingCareer
·3 min

Why Hiring a Solo Developer Beats an Agency for Most Projects

Agencies aren't bad — they're just overkill for 80% of projects. Here's why a solo developer is usually the better choice.

FreelancingSolo DeveloperStartups
·3 min

I Shipped 2 iOS Apps with SwiftUI — Here's What the Tutorials Don't Tell You

Real-world lessons from shipping SwiftUI apps to the App Store. The things that broke in production, review rejections, and the toolchain that actually works.

SwiftUIiOSSwift
·3 min

Building an E-Commerce Site with Next.js and Stripe — The Parts Nobody Covers

Stripe's docs are great. The edge cases that break your checkout flow? Not documented. Real lessons from building an online store.

Next.jsStripeE-Commerce
·3 min

How to Get Your App into the App Store and Google Play

A step-by-step guide from someone who's done it multiple times. Developer accounts, certificates, screenshots, review rejections — the whole process.

iOSAndroidApp Store
·3 min

React Native vs Flutter — What I Learned Shipping Apps in Both

I've shipped production apps in both frameworks. Here's my honest take on performance, developer experience, and when to pick each one.

React NativeFlutterMobile