I think startups sometimes treat community like decoration.
Like something you add after the “serious” things are done.
Product first.
Website first.
Content first.
Launch first.
Maybe community later, when there are enough people to gather.
I used to think like that, too.
Community felt like a place you build:
• A Slack group
• A Discord
• A WhatsApp group
• A newsletter audience
• A comment section
• A place where people “engage”
But I think that definition is too neat.
Because most communities already exist before the brand enters.
People are already talking in Reddit threads, WhatsApp groups, comment sections, niche forums, Quora answers, student circles, founder groups, customer reviews, DMs, and random conversations nobody is screenshotting into a strategy deck.
They are already saying:
💬 “This is confusing.”
💬 “I don’t trust this.”
💬 “Has anyone tried this?”
💬 “Is this worth paying for?”
💬 “Why is nobody solving this properly?”
💬 “I wish there was an easier way.”
💬 “This brand gets it.”
💬 “This one feels fake.”
That is the gold mine.
Not the engagement.
Not the follower count.
Not the cute community name.
The gold mine is the unfiltered language.
👉 The complaints
👉 The repeated questions
👉 The emotional hesitation
👉 The tiny phrases people use before they know they are in a buying journey
And this is where startups lose so much without realising it.
They build messaging from inside the company.
Then they wonder why the market does not immediately understand.
They write content from assumptions.
Then they wonder why it feels flat.
They build features from internal logic.
Then they wonder why adoption is slow.
They run campaigns to “create demand.”
But they skipped the place where demand was already whispering.
That is what I am unlearning.
Community marketing is not just about building a community.
It is about getting close enough to the market that your positioning no longer sounds invented.
👉 Your content starts sounding familiar.
👉 Your proof starts answering real doubts.
👉 Your product starts reflecting real behaviour.
👉 Your brand starts feeling less like a pitch and more like a place people recognise.
And eventually, that becomes loyalty.
Not because you forced people into a funnel.
But because they felt understood before they were sold to.
Field note:
A startup that ignores community is not just missing a marketing channel.
A logo is one thing. Giving it a whole personality is another. 👀
I picked a few of my branding projects to show what happens beyond the logo.
First, the logo on its own. Then, the full visual identity: colours, typography, graphic elements, patterns, packaging, and all the little details that make each brand feel like itself.
Because I don't want a logo to just look good sitting on a presentation slide. I want to see what it can become when it gets out into the real world.
Every project has a different story, personality, and visual direction. And that's probably my favourite part of brand design: figuring out how to turn one initial idea into a whole visual language.
Swipe through and meet the logos, then their bigger personalities. ;)
A logo is the starting point. The fun really begins after that.
I joined Contra a while ago without really knowing what to expect, and it’s been really nice to see it gradually become a place where I’ve met great clients and worked on projects I genuinely love.
I joined Contra a while ago without really knowing what to expect, and it’s been really nice to see it gradually become a place where I’ve met great clients and worked on projects I genuinely love.
Just about two weeks ago I wrote a short note to myself, as I am constantly writing notes for creative and tech concepts: "A tech ergo chair for vibe coders with relax mode and buttons on the side for simple commands to the ai coding agent."
To be honest, I originally thought of it as a funny idea, with commands like "Just solve it yourself" "Fix it and don't make mistakes" etc. But things moved on quickly to serious grounds that solve real issues and improve workflows for anything using AI agents.
Vibe coding is still understood by many as something to make fun of. But the reality is that AI technology has enabled very talented people (technical and non-technical) to achieve real outcomes and to continuously experiment and innovate at high speeds. Soon enough, a tag like this won't be needed. Professional vibe coders, in most cases, are embracing the new way of being serial entrepreneurs. But beyond that, the limits are scarce for people with high capacity of creativity, innovation and execution.
A person or a team with the right mindset, the right tools and a clear understanding of the current technological possibilities, will always find new ways to bring afloat, test and implement new solutions. Large corps, especially SaaS companies, understand this. They understand their moats are weaker then ever for the long run. The competitive markets for tools and digital products will only more complex. But there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who dream of launching new ventures, finding an audience to love their products and continuously evolving and growing stronger, by survival instinct and by a determined approach to keep moving forward and playing a role in the global tech landscape.
Going back to the ergo chair, I was simply looking to create a product concept and brand concept to continue to optimize my workflows when delivering client work via PromptlessDemo by Cinergetik (streamlined service for product marketing videos).
That was the plan. But a few days into it, Ergocode has its own branding, product video, and fully functional and compliant landing page ready to capture leads from people interested in the product idea. And not only that, I've added a way for investors and possible strategic partners to leave notes of interest as well. Because, who knows? If demand can be confirmed, maybe the idea is not so far fetched.
We are not living in a time where innovative ideas can be left in a notepad. For that reason, I am transforming my business, Cinergetik, into a creative innovation studio, beyond our offering of creative services, and will be launching our own brands, products and campaigns for diverse market opportunities, learning from every experience and constantly optimizing business strategy, creative content and marketing processes (the same skills we then use to support client work).
I haven't been detached from building with AI. As a matter of fact I have personally worked on multiple platforms and sites over the past few months, some of them continue to be developed and enhanced (for example, a competitive platform for university students) others are prototypes of larger projects I've been designing and strategizing for years, my video services platform (PromptlessDemo by Cinergetik) and now this landing page for ERGOCODE.
There is something interesting about the cycle of putting something online, its not a final step, but the beginning of constant improvement, learning and optimization.
Ergocode is still an early concept, and it might or might not remain like that. But there is currently no huge difference between being a concept or not when you can capture market interest and promote a brand that can be transformed into a startup of its own as soon as today (especially here in Estonia, I can literally do that).
What are your thoughts on the current vibe coding trends?
A landing page with a partner interest form before the product exists is a fair demand test now that building is cheap. The harder part is deciding up front what signup number would make you actually build it.