# DaQuan Louden

> I taught myself to build software, then shipped it.

Two years ago I had no technical background. Since then I've built and launched production web apps on my own: auth, payments, backend, design, SEO, the lot. I'm looking for my first full-time role in tech.

Open to roles across tech, from support, IT and data to QA and engineering. Remote, or on site in Michigan.

- Email: dclouwork@gmail.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/dqstartupbuild
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlouden/
- Resume: https://daquanlouden.com/resume (Markdown: https://daquanlouden.com/resume.md, PDF: https://daquanlouden.com/DaQuan-Louden-Resume.pdf)
- Location: Michigan

## Work

### Guppy

A workout tracker for the web. Status: Live, taking payments. https://guppyfitness.com

Build a workout or import one from a TikTok, Instagram or YouTube video, log every set in seconds, and watch your training add up. I designed and built the whole thing: the marketing site, the app, the backend and the billing.

What I built:

- The web app: workouts, logging, progressions and progress history, with account data export and deletion.
- A video import pipeline that turns a public workout video into an editable workout, with jobs you can cancel and resume.
- Subscriptions with Stripe through RevenueCat Web Billing, and sign-in with Clerk.
- Ten free search-driven tools (calisthenics level test, pull-up readiness check, home workout generator, calculators) plus a blog, Markdown versions of every page and an llms.txt for AI search.

Stack: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind, Convex, Clerk, Stripe, RevenueCat, Vercel.

### Bloomin

Goal-based savings that lock your money until you reach the goal. Status: Design stage, waitlist open. https://bloominapp.com

For people who keep touching their savings before they reach the goal. You pick what you're saving for, contribute toward it, and either finish or pay to quit early. The product concept, the app flow and the marketing site are mine.

What I built:

- A clickable prototype of the full app flow: onboarding, goals, locking, progress.
- A Next.js marketing site with a waitlist, written to rank: organic search impressions grew to about 4,000 in its first few weeks.
- The product design system, mascot direction and copy.

Stack: Next.js, TypeScript, Convex, Vercel.

## What I work with

- **Web:** Next.js, React, TypeScript, JavaScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui
- **Backend:** Convex, Supabase, Stripe, RevenueCat, Resend, Inngest, Cloudflare R2, Google Cloud
- **Shipping:** Vercel, GitHub, PostHog, SEO and AI search
- **Working with AI:** Claude, Codex, Cursor: agent workflows, reusable instructions, persistent project context

## How I work

### I ship end to end

Every product above was one person: idea, design, frontend, backend, payments, launch and the search pages that bring people in. I'm comfortable owning a feature from a rough idea to something a customer pays for.

### I build with AI agents, deliberately

Most of my code is written with coding agents, and I've learned what makes them reliable: clear written specs, repo-level instructions, design tokens they can't drift from, and reviewing the output as if I'd written it. That's how a self-taught builder got to production quality in two years. I'm also working through freeCodeCamp's Certified Full Stack Developer curriculum, so that I can write and reason about the code myself, not only direct an agent.

### I care how it feels

Fewer steps, fewer screens, plain language that says what a feature does and what happens next. I dislike interfaces that feel like unrelated parts bolted together, and I'll push for the simpler version.

## Work history

Since 2024 I've run FollowUs AI, the one-person software company behind Guppy and Bloomin. Before that I spent eight years managing restaurants and doing high-volume sales. That's where I learned to run a floor on a bad night, train people, read a P&L and keep calling after the fiftieth no.

- Founder and Developer, FollowUs AI (2024 to present)
- Assistant Manager, Tavern Hospitality Group (2023 to 2024)
- General Manager, Lefty's Cheesesteaks (2021 to 2023)
- Pre-Sales Representative, EverQuote (2020 to 2021)
- Assistant Manager, Taco Bell (2017 to 2020)

---
Updated 2026-10-24. HTML version: https://daquanlouden.com/