M10 Entrepreneurship Notes: Learning AI Hard, Burning Cash Daily (and Loving It)

In October, I took a trip to Thailand — and once I got back, I went right back to learning. Learning AI hard, and learning how to build Shopify apps hard.

1. Shopify apps: simpler than expected, but still not easy

App #1: Image optimization (AI for Alt Text)

It’s still under review, and most of the surrounding pieces are in place.

To be honest, the core functionality took about 3 days. The next 5–7 days were mostly polishing — then writing docs, preparing marketing materials, and dealing with review checklists and other infra work.

App #2: GMC feed (this one is much harder)

This one is honestly a bit over-ambitious. Mapping 80+ GMC fields is… a lot.

For every single field, I have to think deeply about what merchants actually need, how to maximize compatibility, and how to improve outcomes. And adding AI into the loop makes it even more complex.

There are plenty of apps in the market, but many of them only read Shopify’s default product fields — maybe a couple dozen.

I’m around 60% done right now. I’m grinding daily, but the most critical part is already solved. I still have a backlog of more than a dozen ideas, and every one of them gets me excited — slowly, step by step.

2. Reflections on being an indie builder

Even though I haven’t made a single dollar from it yet, I’m excited and energized every day.

1. Truly going from 0→1: being an indie builder feels similar to running an independent store, but it’s way more interesting than global selling e-commerce “reselling” for me — from build to launch to marketing, it’s all on me. With physical products, designing and manufacturing is a different beast (and not really my strength or interest), plus you end up negotiating with too many suppliers — and I hate that back-and-forth.
2. Everyone wants passive income and freedom. Aside from investing, building apps is one of the few paths that can realistically get you closer to that — and that’s the biggest reason I’m going deeper.
3. I still have a lot more to share. Starting next month, I’ll publish more frequently.

3. Community and content: back to “thinking and building” next month

I want to share this AI-related reflection. But pretending I’m not anxious would be a lie — it’s like betting a huge amount of time and energy. Honestly, in the past six months, I could’ve launched more small sites, taken more gigs, and shipped content daily to sell knowledge products, and I’d probably be doing fine.

I want to reset my mindset around community and content. Next month, I’m going back to thinking and building.

Let’s go.

FAQ