In this episode of Root Cause we sit down with Orel Zilberman, the solo builder behind WriteStack, the biggest tool out there for Substack creators. Orel spent 599 days shipping around ten products that made zero dollars, then picked one thing, stuck with it for six months, and turned it into a six-figure business. He has lived three versions of solo building in three years: before the current AI tooling, as it arrived, and now. We get to the root cause of what AI actually changed for one-person companies and what it didn't. Building got faster, but knowing what to build, and sticking with it long enough to find out if it works, is exactly as hard as it always was. Honest and unfiltered, including the messy parts most "become an entrepreneur" content leaves out.
00:00 Introduction to Root Cause and Solo Building
04:57 The Journey of Building WriteStack
06:42 What is SubStack and WriteStack?
09:28 "Why Bother" if the platform / big players will replace you
13:14 "Why bother" if AI will replace all SaaS
14:46 Knowing WHAT to Build and How to Distribute
18:30 Finding the Right Idea to Stick With
23:22 Learning from Opportunities and Failures
26:10 Navigating the Cold Start Problem
28:10 Leveraging AI Tools for Productivity
30:49 The Future of Software Engineering in the Age of AI
33:53 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
37:20 Being Better Than Most
38:49 Book Recommendations and Lifelong Learning
41:04 Reflections on Education and Career Choices
Find Orel at:
• His product - https://www.writestack.io/
• His journey - https://theindiepreneur.substack.com/
• Substack notes analysis - https://thewritingedge.substack.com/
• Substack profile - https://substack.com/@orelzilberman
Find me (Nune) at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nisabek/
Substack: https://www.thoughtfultechnologist.com/
