Building Magpie: How Building in Public and Focused Simplicity Shaped a Small Business Inventory App

I spent several years helping design and build an enterprise inventory platform from the ground up. I was involved from early planning and development through to a product that customers relied on every day. During that time, I learned that inventory management is really about giving people confidence that what the system says they have is actually what's on the shelf. I also watched the software become more powerful and more complex as it evolved. After I was laid off, I had the opportunity to decide what I wanted to build next. I kept coming back to one idea, small businesses shouldn't have to choose between spreadsheets and software built for large organizations. They needed something designed specifically for the way they work. I wanted to build an inventory app that was simple to learn, fast to use, and focused on the features people actually need instead of trying to be everything to everyone. That idea became Magpie.

The tactic that’s worked best for me has been sharing my journey publicly on LinkedIn. Instead of posting advertisements, I’ve written about software development, lessons learned while building Magpie, product design decisions, and the realities of building an independent SaaS product. Those posts have started genuine conversations with other founders and business owners and have brought people to the app who probably never would have discovered it through traditional advertising. The tactic that completely flopped was staying quiet for too long. Like many developers, I convinced myself the product needed to be "ready" before talking about it. I spent months polishing features that nobody had asked for instead of putting the app in front of people earlier. Looking back, I should have started sharing progress and collecting feedback much sooner. Building in public has taught me far more than building in private ever did, and it’s become a core part of how I plan to grow Magpie going forward.

Because Magpie is still early, most of my feedback has come from beta testers, early users, and people trying the app for the first time. The biggest theme has been making barcode scanning and adding new products as effortless as possible. If someone is standing in a stockroom counting inventory, every extra tap matters. I've spent a lot of time refining that experience by improving barcode recognition, making it clearer which barcode was selected, automatically looking up product information online when a barcode isn't recognized, and simplifying the screens so they're easier to understand. Rather than treating feedback as criticism, I see it as one of the most valuable parts of building an independent product. I can make improvements quickly and continue refining the experience based on how people actually use the app instead of how I imagined they would. Every release has been shaped by those real conversations and observations.

I think the biggest misconception is that small businesses want a scaled-down version of enterprise software. In my experience, that's not what they're looking for at all. Most independent retailers, boutiques, coffee shops, makers, and hobby stores don't wake up excited about inventory management. They simply want to know what they have, what they're running low on, and where to find it. Adding more dashboards, reports, and complicated workflows doesn't necessarily make the software more valuable. It often makes it harder to use. I believe simplicity is a feature, not a compromise. The challenge isn't removing functionality; it's carefully deciding what doesn't need to be there. My goal with Magpie has always been to build software that feels approachable while still being capable enough for real businesses that depend on accurate inventory every day. That's a very different philosophy from simply making enterprise software smaller. If the software gets out of the way and lets people get back to running their business, then I think it's doing its job well.

Over the next year, my focus is on continuing to improve the core inventory experience rather than chasing every possible feature request. I want barcode scanning, inventory counts, and product management to feel incredibly fast and intuitive. I'm also expanding reporting, purchase orders, widgets, and inventory workflows based on feedback from early users. My goal isn't to build the largest inventory platform on the market. It's to build the inventory app that small businesses enjoy using because it saves them time and stays out of their way. Every update is guided by that philosophy.

I wasn't starting from scratch. I've spent more than 20 years building software professionally across enterprise applications, mobile apps, and business systems. Before Magpie, I spent several years helping design and build an enterprise inventory platform, which gave me firsthand experience with inventory workflows, stock counting, and the operational challenges businesses face. I also led engineering teams and worked closely with customers to understand how software fits into their daily operations. Magpie combines that professional experience with the freedom to build something independently, focused specifically on the needs of small businesses rather than enterprise customers. That combination has shaped nearly every decision I've made while building the product.

My biggest mistake was waiting too long to launch. As a developer, it's easy to believe that just one more feature or one more improvement will make the product ready. In reality, software is never finished. I spent too much time polishing features before getting the app in front of people. Once I started sharing Magpie and talking to potential users, I realized those conversations were far more valuable than trying to predict what people wanted on my own. The experience changed how I think about product development. Now I believe it's better to release earlier, listen carefully, and improve continuously than to spend months building in isolation.