Loss Leaders of Innovation
pay for expensive intelligence to solve a problem you don't fully understand yet, then encode what you learn into something cheaper and faster.
builds
because ideas are meant to be built, finished, and put out there
Quote Mapping
Vendor quote PDFs in, bid comparison + POs out. Built with and for real estimators.
in production trial · a $200k/yr problem at enterprise scale
Ontology-Xtract
An AI agent that interviews you about your business, extracts your domain knowledge, and identifies the highest-ROI opportunities for AI.
Construction Industry Agent
Partnering with a Chicago-based fiber optics construction company to build an AI agent to automate the submittal package workflow (and beyond)
Your Own Font
I wanted to write a digital letter in my own handwriting, so I trained a tiny model that knows when my pen strokes are an 'r'
Surgent
Turning health data into daily confidence. An iOS app for understanding your body's running performance through objective progress over time — gradually, then suddenly all at once.
4,374+ users · $3.1k run-rate 11 days after launch · 38% D1 retention
“Declan was self-motivated to get to an outcome, which is perhaps the GREATEST skill a product person can have.”Director of Product Management, Client · sep 2023
Local Jarvis
Personal AI assistant that runs entirely on my MacBook using Ollama's OS model as a privacy-first alternative to Claude Code. It automatically indexes and updates my notes/memory using a local vector database for RAG-powered context.
Claude Story Writer
Create users stories in 20 mins instead of 2.5 hrs using Claude MCPs (internal tool v3)
Interactive Personalized Digital Letter
HR couldn't give me addresses for the real thing, so I made the next best thing
Divvy Bike Business Case Review
Which divvy bike station in Chicago needs another rack?
Mac ScreenCam Recorder
I wanted to record my product demos and store them locally (alt to Screen Studio)
Chitrack
The most elegant way to track your Chicago morning commute
Website Blocker
A chrome extension that blocks websites on your Mac without tracking your browsing activity (because I spent too much time on X)
Sunlit Sips Chicago
Find the outdoor spaces at Chicago bars & cafes that are currently under sunlight
PS Connect
GenAI staffing tool that redefined employee engagement to win firm's global hackathon
“During your presentation, you mentioned being young and naive, but let me tell you—that doesn't stop you from already being a rockstar.”Senior Product Manager · jan 2025
psPRD.ai
Prototype for our firm's missing internal AI tool for product management (internal tool v2)
“+1 really appreciate you putting yourself out there Declan”EVP, Product Management · jan 2025
Automated PRD Generator
Convert unstructured PowerPoint slides into a structured PRD (internal tool v1)
Grade Final Boss
A better rogerhub with personality
Strava Personality Test
What do your Strava posts say about you?
Validate Idea
Validate your idea before building it using a starter-kit based on product principles
Race Time Calculator
The only IOS app that can predict your race time based on your apple health running data
2,790+ users · 48k+ predictions
Meet or Not
Generative AI tool to ensure your next meeting is productive
Magic Record Player
Play the soundtrack of your photo memories
Locations Map Redesign for Retail Client
Led a 12-person team, shipped 27 features in 15 months, achieved #1 usability score across a site serving 400k weekly sessions and reduced customer support calls by 30%
“Given he is a self-starter, we often just counted on him figuring things out (which he did).”Head of Product, Client · nov 2023
Recruiting Company Website Redesign
Increased website traffic by 88% and converted 12% more visitors into leads
RC Tank
Arduino controller with 3D printed parts for fun
Next Level Lawn Care
Started my first business when I was 12. Made 60+ new friends and $30k.
“Dec, for the past several years you have been providing lawn mowing services for our front yard in a timely and quality manner, and have received many compliments regarding our yard.”First Customer, Next Level Lawn Care · feb 2013
writes
written thoughts on a few things to think deeper. applied AI, products, and life.
Articulation of Intent - The Durable Human-Owned Layer
Articulation helps us discover our intent.
Encoding and Automating Implicit Knowledge
an operator's guide to turning expert judgement into compounding data
Building a Self-Improving Agent Loop for AI Quote Extraction
learnings from applying autoresearch to product development and why it matters
How to start an Applied AI consulting business
if i started today, i would...
What I Learned Building AI for a Real Business
reflections on the last two months building so I can learn
Which Scaffolding Are You Building?
fighting the technical scaffolding is a losing battle. so what do we actually build now?
On Coding with AI
a few things I learned using AI to code
Holiday Tinker Time
Having fun, building, and learning.
Two Stars and Chaos Down Below
no road, no problem?
First Day of Preschool
sunny on a cloudy day
Why do things?
An exploration of why we do things when we don't have to
Visual Haptics
A Merry Christmas
How I'm Improving My Design Sense
it's time to be more deliberate
Garpple Thesis
the problem, why i care, and what im doing about it to win
Why I’m Excited for the Future of Work
and what i think it will look like, based on my building experience
My Design Capabilities
Thoughts on design and how I (currently) do it.
How to improve a product: Apple Watch Ultra 2
my perspective on one of my favorite products
ChiTrack: why i built it and what i learned
simple is not easy
Which Divvy bike station needs another rack?
a curious question leads to a fun data investigation
On the Future of Products
why i believe hardware will differentiate
On the future of (software) apps
friday thoughts in light of recent news
Meaning-Making: Finishing My Thoughts
confronting a hard truth
PM POV: Capital One
if I were the PM, how would I improve three Capital One products?
On-demand software
making human moments more meaningful
2:5X:XX
some raw thoughts after achieving a goal
Why ‘Deep Research’ is My AGI
me = has questions. internet = has answers. right?
A Writing Challenge: When Pain Isn't Painful Enough
why do we do what we do?
How To Build Your First Full Code Prototype As A Product Manager
a guide to build your first prototype
Shipuary 2025
shipping 3 new products by the end of february
Crazy does: Consistency, Decisions & Execution
ideas are easy. execution is hard.
Luck
is luck real?
Coffee shop to nowhere
so when i first wanted to start writing, as i do with most things, i wrote out the steps i think i'd take to make it happen. it went like this:
Why Blog?
my first blog post