From Gut-Feeling to Logic: Building SIOKI (and saying Hi!)
Hey Product Hunt community! 👋
I’m Abhijeet. For a long time, I lived behind a title.
I’ve spent the last 8 years (including a pivot to NYU for my MSIS) as a Product Manager in the US tech sector. I’ve navigated high-stakes roadmaps and spent thousands of hours justifying decisions to stakeholders.
But honestly? I felt like a "ghost" in the machine. I was building success for others, but I didn't have a single thing that was truly mine.
I started writing "secondfurther" on Substack and Medium just to clear my head—to document the messy, gut-wrenching logic of why products fail or fly. That writing became my sanctuary. It was where I stopped being a "corporate PM" and started being a thinker.
Now, I’m taking the ultimate leap. I’ve turned those years of writing and observation into SIOKI (Ship It or Kill It).
It’s more than an app—it’s the culmination of my journey from a resume to a maker. I’m 2 weeks from launch, and I’m simultaneously putting my minimalist digital portfolio out there.
I’m terrified. I’m a "Senior PM" on paper, but here, I’m just a guy with a laptop and a dream.
To the makers who left the safety of a 9-to-5 to build solo: How did you find the courage to finally hit 'Publish' on your own identity?
I’d love to hear your stories.
Replies
For me I had the point of "If I don't do it, then will anyone else?" I started publishing something I called "The Technicians MBA" which was designed to help technical people understand the business side which was overlooked as I realised no one else was talking to techy people like me. I wanted to make it easier for others.
I was always afraid of "what if I get hate comments" or "someone doesn't like what I post" - and my wife convinced me that it is always a risk of doing this, then shortly after I made a post about "Agile not being the perfect solution to everything" and that toughened my skin 😂
It wasn't courage per se, I'm still nervous every time I publish or comment - I just stopped getting in my own way.
For me, hitting Publish became easier when I shifted the goal. it wasn’t to impress anyone, it was to test my ideas and share what I actually care about. That mindset turns fear into fuel.