Build in Public Blog Examples: Real People, Real Numbers, No BS
I started my first affiliate site three years ago without telling anyone. Built it in secret, launched it in secret, watched it make $0 a month in secret. Then I realized something: I was ashamed because I had nothing to show for my work.
So I flipped the script. Started jims.one, started writing about the actual numbers—good months and brutal months—and suddenly people started paying attention. Not because I'm special, but because I stopped pretending.
That's what building in public is really about. And if you're thinking about it, here are some real examples of people doing it right.
What "Build in Public" Actually Means
Build in public doesn't mean oversharing every thought that crosses your brain. It means documenting your actual progress—revenue, failures, lessons—as you build something real. No guru script. No filtered version. Just you, a project, and the internet watching.
The best examples share three things: transparency about money, honesty about struggle, and consistency. They show up week after week, month after month, with updates that matter.
Example 1: The Affiliate Site That Actually Breaks Down Revenue
I know a guy named Mark who started a niche blog about camping gear. Every month, he publishes his earnings breakdown: affiliate commissions, ad revenue, exact traffic numbers. Not "I made $5K passively." More like: "1,200 visitors, 34 affiliate clicks, $287 in commissions, $12 in AdSense."
It's unglamorous. Some months his numbers dip. But people trust him because they can actually see what works. That's the power of a real build-in-public blog—it becomes a case study worth following.
Example 2: The Founder Documenting a SaaS From Zero
Then there's the SaaS guy everyone talks about. Started with a problem, built a tool, tweeted about it weekly. His blog posts weren't polished marketing copy—they were raw notes about customer conversations, refund requests, bugs that kept him up at night. He hit $10K MRR in two years.
People followed along because it felt real. He didn't hide the losing months or the months where he questioned everything. [INTERNAL LINK: how to start an affiliate site from scratch]
Example 3: The Content Creator With Brutal Honesty
I follow this one content creator who publishes her YouTube analytics every quarter. Views per video, average watch time, AdSense payouts. Last quarter she made $3,200 from 50,000 views. Not impressive by viral standards, but she breaks down what worked (consistency), what didn't (thumbnails), and what she's testing next.
The comments are gold because her audience knows they're getting real feedback, not the survivorship bias you see everywhere else.
Why These Examples Work (And Why Most Don't)
Here's what separates the good ones from the fake ones: the good ones show failures. Not in a cute, humble-brag way. Actually show the months when nothing worked. When they lost money. When they almost quit.
The fake ones cherry-pick wins and frame every setback as a "learning opportunity" that somehow led to more profit. That's not building in public—that's marketing.
How to Start Your Own Build-in-Public Blog
If you want to try this yourself, start small. Pick a real project—an affiliate site, a landing page, a small online business. Pick a platform: a blog, Twitter, a weekly email, whatever. Then commit to showing the real numbers monthly.
Don't wait until month three to publish. Start from day one, even if the numbers are embarrassing. Especially then. That's what people actually want to see.
I check my Uber earnings, my affiliate commissions, my site traffic. Some days I'm up $50 toward that $100 goal. Some days I'm down. But I write about it anyway because someone out there needs to know they're not alone.
The build-in-public blogs that actually matter aren't the ones with the best stories. They're the ones with the most honest numbers.
Watch the real numbers at jims.one — I'm not pretending this is easy.