Hey 👋
This newsletter is for independent creators, expression-minded solopreneurs, and makers who want to build meaningful work without losing heart in the process.
This week was still going deeper into AI space.
I connected AI to Figma and watched it design landing pages from a conversation. I built two web apps from scratch. I finished recording my digital course, set up ads, and signed a new client. And now I'm writing this from an airport, about to fly to a Vietnamese island for a few days off. Let's start.
🧠 Reflection of the week
Here's something I've been thinking about a lot this week.
AI is getting scary good at execution. This week alone, I watched Claude Code design layouts in Figma, build a full client portal from scratch, and generate 18 ad creatives. All in conversations. No Photoshop. No templates. No hiring.
So if AI can do all of that, what's the point of choosing work based on money or productivity alone? That logic breaks down fast. Because if the machine can do the work, there needs to be a different reason why YOU show up.
I think that reason is heart.
Not in a woo-woo way. In a very practical way. The energy that makes you want to wake up and do the thing. The pull that keeps you going when nobody's watching and the results aren't there yet.
I caught myself this week admitting something I didn't expect. My heart is not just in DJing. It's also in tech. In building systems. In the thrill of watching AI create a Figma design from a conversation. And I realized I'd been telling myself a story for years that "computer work drains me." That's not true. Pixel-pushing drains me. But building, talking to clients, creating with AI? That gives me flow.
I think the question for all of us is getting simpler. Not "what pays well" or "what's productive." But "what do I actually want to do when the machine can do the rest?"
💡 Inspiration of the week
I connected a Figma Write MCP server to Claude Code this week.
If you don't know what that means, here's the short version: I can now talk to AI and it creates designs directly in Figma. Shapes, text, layouts, sections. In real time.
I used it to design a landing page for a client. I had the copy in a Google Doc. I told Claude what to build. It built it. Section by section. In Figma.
This changes everything for me as an agency owner. Projects that used to take two to three weeks of design and development? I can now do them in days. Maybe faster.
The bottleneck is no longer execution. It's pipeline. It's getting clients in the door. And that shift is massive.
My honest reaction when I saw it working? "I can charge 10k for a project. Maybe 20k. And deliver it 5x faster." Not because the quality drops. Because the process is fundamentally different now.
If you run any kind of service business, this is the wave. Connect your tools to AI. Let it do the heavy lifting. Focus on relationships and sales.
🔧 Tool of the week
Two things I built this week that I'm proud of.
1. Roast My Website (roast.bartbakowski.com)
You enter a URL. AI analyzes your website and gives you a brutally honest roast. Design, copy, UX, everything. You get a teaser for free. Full report lands in your inbox after you drop your email.
It's a lead gen tool for my agency. People get value. I get their email. Everyone wins.
Stack: Next.js, Vercel, Resend, AI analysis.
2. Client Portal (clients.bartbakowski.com)
I needed a proper onboarding system for my agency clients. Google Forms felt cheap. Notion was too complex for non-tech people. So I built my own.
New client gets a magic link via email. They click it. They see a 9-section questionnaire about their business, brand, goals, competitors, content, and timeline. Auto-save. File uploads. Progress tracking.
But here's the killer feature. Before the client even opens the form, AI reads my previous emails and meeting transcripts with them (Gmail + Fireflies MCP) and pre-fills about 80% of the fields. The client opens the form and it already knows their company name, brand colors, target audience, and project goals. From our actual conversations.
Total build time: 3.5 hours with Claude Code. Monthly cost: $0.
Stack: Next.js 16, Supabase (auth + database + storage), Vercel, Resend, Claude Code with MCP (Gmail, Fireflies, GitHub).
📈 Business development
I finished recording my digital product, it's update of my digital course from last year. It's a 5-day challenge called "Build Your Website with AI." Five video lessons. You go from zero to a live, good-looking website using AI tools. No coding. No design skills.
Price: 49 PLN (about $12). With an upsell for a 30-minute 1-on-1 consultation.
Landing page is live. EasyCart checkout is live. I generated 18 ad creatives using kie.ai (a tool that generates images and videos for half price, works great for Polish copy). Campaign plan is ready. Meta Ads go live this weekend.
The margins are tiny but the point isn't the 49 PLN. It's the funnel. Challenge buyers (hopefully!) become consulting clients. Consulting clients become agency clients.
Small front door. Big back end.
🎧 DJ Journey 🌏
Writing this from the airport. I'm flying to Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese island, for a few days of mini vacation. First time on an island here.
Zero new DJ sets unfortunately ;(
But still I was listening to these amazing two guys AWARË
DJ sets - will be more soon!
💬 Any thoughts or reflections? Text me back!
Thanks for being here.
Have a good week and see yaa next Sunday ✌️
Bart
