Back to JourneyChapter 03
Chapter 03 · The Build · Midnight to Market

Built with curiosity.

A soldier, zero coding background, and a midnight grind that became Barood. The origin story.

May 2025
The hook: built an app as a non-coder
Slide 00

I built an app. As a non-coder. While serving full-time in the military. With zero coding background. And a lot of curiosity.

The origin: wanting to help Himel manage PCOS through fitness
Slide 01

The idea started with Himel. She was dealing with PCOS, and I wanted to build something that could genuinely help her manage it through fitness.

Freelancers quoted $11,000. So late one night, I thought: maybe AI could help me build this myself.

The grind: midnight coding sessions
Slide 02

Every night from 11 PM to 3 AM, I coded with Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI, and Grok.

Debugging. Designing. Discussing. With AI as my military buddy.

The learning curve: frontend and backend
Slide 03

I didn't even know what 'frontend' or 'backend' meant.

So I started following smart people on LinkedIn. Most of the time I didn't get it. But curiosity kept me moving.

The brand: Masud designs the logo
Slide 04

I compelled my friend Masud to design a logo.

He believed in me. He delivered a full brand guideline. That's how Barood was born.

The launch: Play Store closed testing
Slide 05

After 30–35 nights of midnight grind, Barood landed in closed testing on the Play Store.

Built by a non-coder. Powered by curiosity.

Takeaways: you don't need to understand everything to start
Slide 06

You don't need to understand everything to start.

Confusion is part of the process. Follow smart people. Every 'I don't get it' is a step toward 'I built it.'

Scaling up: adding features and training programs
Slide 07

A minimum viable product is just the beginning.

We kept shipping: workout programs, calorie tracking, trainer profiles. Each night's work stacked into something real.

The team: people who believed
Slide 08

You can't build alone. At some point, belief has to be shared.

A handful of people chose to show up: designers, developers, trainers. Every one of them chose Barood before it was proven.

The road ahead: Barood's mission continues
Slide 09

This is still the beginning.

Barood isn't done. The mission of accessible, evidence-led fitness for everyone is bigger than any single feature or launch.