Bitcoin has already won as a store of value — but for it to become everyday money, spending it needs to be seamless. Right now, it’s not. Whether it’s high fees, slow transactions, or lack of merchant support, using Bitcoin for everyday payments is frustrating. I’m building a wallet designed to change that. As a solo founder, I’m tackling the technical and UX challenges to make Bitcoin spending effortless. Here’s how I’m doing it to build the MVP for Nummus. Nummus Quick Overview of The Problem Quick Overview of The Problem Despite Bitcoin’s origins as electronic cash, today’s wallets paradoxically prioritize storage over spending. This market is divided into four categories, each with spending limitations: custody solutions (like exchange wallets) offer familiar interfaces but lack transparency, self-custody wallets (like Electrum) favor technical users, hardware wallets require physical devices, and Lightning wallets introduce channel management complexity. Average people attempting to spend Bitcoin face significant pain points: confirmation times, unpredictable fees, confusing address formats, and transaction irreversibility. While the Lightning Network addresses some issues, it creates new complications with channel capacity, liquidity management, and connectivity that present substantial barriers for average users. These challenges explain the significant gap between Bitcoin ownership and actual spending usage. While over 106 million individuals globally own some amount of Bitcoin, only about 400k use it for daily transactions (0.377% of Bitcoin holders, which is still a great amount) [1]. Similarly, merchant adoption remains limited despite Bitcoin’s global recognition — approximately 15,000 merchants worldwide accept direct Bitcoin payments [2] compared to the 100+ million accepting Visa [3] or Mastercard [4]. The real-world impact of these limitations becomes clearest in countries attempting to adopt Bitcoin for everyday use. In El Salvador, despite Bitcoin’s legal tender status, a 2023 survey by the Chamber of Commerce found that only 14% of businesses regularly process Bitcoin transactions [5]. The primary barriers cited were complexity of implementation, user experience issues, and technical limitations rather than any inherent rejection of Bitcoin itself. What’s missing in the market is a wallet specifically designed to overcome these barriers — a solution that abstracts away the technical complexity of both on-chain and Lightning transactions while maintaining true self-custody. Current wallets typically treat spending as one feature among many rather than optimizing the entire experience around payment scenarios. My wallet focuses on spending, creating an experience that rivals traditional payment methods in simplicity while preserving Bitcoin’s fundamental advantages. This approach reflects a key insight about technology adoption: new systems gain mainstream acceptance not through technical superiority alone but through accessible user experiences. Just as email and the internet needed user-friendly interfaces before achieving mass adoption, Bitcoin requires spending solutions that mask complexity while leveraging its unique strengths. Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Existing Payment Infrastructure Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Existing Payment Infrastructure The challenge we face is clear: How do we make Bitcoin as intuitive as swiping a credit card while preserving its core benefits? Consumer payment habits have been shaped over five decades, and expecting mass behavioral change in the short term is unrealistic. Perhaps the most elegant solution is also the most pragmatic — why not integrate with existing payment rails rather than replace them entirely? By treating established networks like Visa and Mastercard as complementary systems or layer 2 rather than competitors, we can create a hybrid approach that offers the best of both worlds. These legacy payment processors already have the merchant relationships, consumer trust, and infrastructure that Bitcoin lacks. By building interoperability layers that connect Bitcoin’s security and sovereignty with Visa’s ubiquitous acceptance, we can accelerate adoption without requiring sudden behavioral shifts from either consumers or merchants. This approach acknowledges a fundamental truth about technological adoption: new systems gain traction not by demanding users abandon familiar tools but by seamlessly enhancing them. The path to hyperbitcoinization may not require reinventing the wheel but rather building better roads that connect to the existing infrastructure. connect to the existing infrastructure. From Concept to Creation From Concept to Creation I recognized both the challenge and the opportunity in this space, and instead of waiting for someone else to build the solution, I decided to take action myself. After six weeks of intense planning — defining the product vision, study, technical approach, and development roadmap — I began bootstrapping an MVP. My combination of technical background and industry experience from my last startup, BitEscrow, equipped me with the knowledge needed for this challenge. While I’m building independently, I’ve strategically assembled a small advisory board of industry experts who provide critical feedback and guidance when needed, ensuring I don’t miss important perspectives despite working solo. Working alone has also forced me to be ruthlessly efficient with feature prioritization. Every feature must justify its existence through direct user benefit rather than abstract “nice-to-haves.” This constraint-driven development approach has yielded a cleaner, more focused product than might have emerged from a team with more resources but less focus. That said, the greatest challenge of solo development isn’t technical — it’s psychological. The isolation and total responsibility can be overwhelming at times. To combat this, I’ve developed some strategies to help: Live-streaming on Twitch for accountability
Time blocking
Listening to video game OSTs to make building more fun and engaging
Implementing decision frameworks to prevent analysis paralysis
Talking to other Bitcoin developers to ask questions
Putting my health first to prevent burnout
Minimal software to manage my workflow Live-streaming on Twitch for accountability Twitch Time blocking Listening to video game OSTs to make building more fun and engaging Implementing decision frameworks to prevent analysis paralysis Talking to other Bitcoin developers to ask questions Putting my health first to prevent burnout Minimal software to manage my workflow The solo approach comes with limitations I’ll eventually need to address, but for now, the freedom to build without friction, the ability to make uncompromised decisions, and the direct connection to the product vision outweigh the challenges. Day in the Life Day in the Life My routine is built around maximizing focus and productivity while maintaining sustainable energy levels. Each day follows a deliberate structure that optimizes my performance. The first thing after waking, I take my supplements, followed by coffee and a focused five-minute Twitter session — not for doomscrolling but to scan for industry developments and news that might impact my work. After checking essential communications (email, Slack, messages), I sit down to plan my day and review my goals, todo.md, and company roadmap. By 10 AM, I’ve started deep work mode — a state of complete concentration that carries me through until 5 PM. This period always begins with dedicated learning time. For 90–120 minutes, I immerse myself in self-study, currently focusing on pure logic and mathematics as foundational skills. On alternate days, I dive into Bitcoin development, banking systems, or programming certifications. For my self-study textbooks, I am using material from publishers like O’Reilly for Bitcoin and programming, Wiley for banking and Finance, and the “Teach Yourself” series for maths — dense, comprehensive resources that don’t water down complex concepts. For my certifications, I am currently halfway through Boot.dev (great course) and plan to do more in the future. Throughout these study sessions, I maintain focus with minimal instrumental music, often the Factorio OST or my curated concentration playlists. After study time concludes, I transition to my dual operational roles: building and marketing. On development days, I livestream my coding sessions, which typically run for two to three hours. These public sessions create accountability and help build community around the project. After ending the stream, I often continue coding for another one to two hours to wrap up complex problems or implement solutions I’ve been contemplating. This separation allows me to balance the benefits of public development with the need for occasional deep concentration without an audience. livestream Marketing days follow a different rhythm but equal intensity. I write technical and educational content about Bitcoin’s potential as collateral, develop compelling product narratives, and strategically distribute this material across platforms where potential users gather. Rather than scattered posting, each piece of content serves a specific purpose in my acquisition funnel. Post-work, physical activity becomes essential — an hour at the gym resets my mind and prevents the physical deterioration that can come from intensive computer work. Upon returning home, I prepare a protein shake and do small chores: tidying my living space, meal prepping, running essential errands, and managing personal matters. Evenings involve light gaming, watching Primeagen on Twitch, or reading as mental cooldown activities. Weekends remain largely work-free unless absolutely necessary. My exceptions are limited to quick check-ins on analytics or responding to user questions — activities that don’t derail recovery time. Even during errands or commutes, I optimize for learning by consuming technical podcasts focused on development practices and programming innovations. All of this work is mentally demanding and requires sustained focus, so I’ve totally eliminated common cognitive drains from my life. Saying no to bad habits is arguably more important than saying yes to good habits; I avoid social media beyond my scheduled check-ins, having deleted apps from my phone to prevent idle scrolling. Processed foods, seed oils, alcohol, and recreational substances never enter my system — they create brain fog that can linger for days, turning potentially productive hours into wasted time. Digital hygiene is equally important. Blue light from screens disrupts sleep hormones, so I use blue light filters on all devices after sunset, have red lights throughout my space, and wear orange-tinted glasses starting at 11 am and red-tinted glasses after 7 pm. I’ve learned that even “minor” distractions like casual web browsing or YouTube can fracture attention for hours afterward. Sleep quality is non-negotiable, so screens disappear at least an hour before bed. This routine isn’t about performative discipline, Instagram morning routines, or Silicon Valley optimization culture — it’s a practical framework that serves my current needs as a solo founder. I’m not Patrick Bateman meticulously applying face masks, nor am I rubbing a banana peel on my face and waterboarding myself in overpriced ice water at 4 am. I still sleep in occasionally, take days off when needed, and work on personal projects that recharge me. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and sustainability matters more than perfection. What I’m aiming for is mental clarity, not some idealized productivity aesthetic for TikTok or Instagram. I’ve simply discovered that certain habits — limiting digital distractions, prioritizing sleep, avoiding substances that fog my thinking — directly improve the quality of my technical decisions and implementation. And when you’re building alone, those decisions compound dramatically. Each good choice moves the project forward; each suboptimal one creates technical debt I’ll have to address later. The difference between a clear mind and a foggy one isn’t trivial — it’s often the difference between shipping on schedule and endless delays. Tools of the Trade Tools of the Trade Obsidian serves as my second brain, housing my planning system, task management, internal documentation, and resource library. I’ve kept plugin use minimal to avoid complexity but have customized it with vim motions for efficient navigation. My vault follows the PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives), providing a clear organizational structure without needless hierarchical complexity. Obsidian Claude Desktop and Terminal have become indispensable thought partners in my workflow. Unlike more basic AI assistants, Claude helps me refine complex technical concepts, identify gaps in my reasoning, and explore alternative approaches to problems — essentially providing the benefits of a technical co-founder without the organizational overhead. Claude Desktop and Terminal Cursor + Ghostty form the backbone of my development environment. This IDE and terminal combination offers the perfect balance of modern features with minimal bloat. Cursor’s AI-assisted programming capabilities help maintain momentum during complex implementation challenges, while Ghostty’s performance means I never wait for my tools to catch up with my thinking. Cursor + Ghostty Zen Browser manages the inevitable explosion of reference tabs that accompanies deep research and development work. Rather than fighting the natural tendency to open multiple resources, this tool helps organize and contextualize them, creating separate workspaces for different aspects of the project. Zen Browser Figma handles all visual design work, from early wallet mockups to final UI implementations. Its collaborative features allow me to easily share designs with advisors and Twitter for feedback without cumbersome export processes. Figma Texts consolidate all messaging platforms, preventing the cognitive drain of context-switching between communication tools and keeping conversations organized by project rather than by platform. Texts Raycast + Mac keybinds + Vim motions form the foundation of my keyboard-centered workflow. I’ve methodically reduced mouse usage to near zero, inspired by Primeagen’s efficiency-obsessed approach. Every common action has a keyboard shortcut, and application launching happens through Raycast’s intelligent command system rather than visual browsing. Raycast + Mac keybinds + Vim motions This environment represents years of refinement, eliminating any tool that creates friction or distraction. The result is a workspace where technology amplifies thought rather than interrupting it, allowing me to maintain the sustained focus necessary to build. Screenshot of my obsidian vault. I use this every day for writing, planning, and storing. Screenshot of my obsidian vault. I use this every day for writing, planning, and storing. Roadmap Roadmap My path forward is in five main phases: Phase 1: Build an exceptional non-custodial Bitcoin wallet focused exclusively on what matters: intuitive interface, transaction speed, and self-custody. Phase 1: Phase 2: Launch and build our initial user community, personally engaging with early adopters in my community discord and implementing their feedback through rapid iterations to refine our core offering. Phase 2: my community discord Phase 3: Accelerate development and create a small team with specialized talent while maintaining our product vision. Phase 3: Phase 4: Remake the wallet, serving users who prioritize convenience over absolute control. More on this later. Phase 4: Phase 5: Make the credit card, loans, and beyond. Phase 5: Conclusion Conclusion As I approach the launch date for the Bitcoin Conference in Vegas, I’m more convinced than ever that we’re at a critical inflection point for Bitcoin adoption. The gap between Bitcoin’s usability as everyday money and its current implementation is one we can bridge — not through revolutionary disruption, but through thoughtful evolution that respects how people actually use money today so that the habits of tomorrow are easier to adopt. Technical challenges, regulatory questions, and market education all present significant hurdles. But the potential impact makes these challenges worth facing. Every person who moves from simply holding Bitcoin to actively using it strengthens the network, expands the ecosystem, and brings us one step closer to a more resilient, accessible financial system. If this vision resonates with you, I invite you to join the journey. Whether you’re a developer who wants to contribute code, a Bitcoin enthusiast willing to test early builds, or simply someone interested in following the project’s development, your involvement matters. Visit my community Discord to connect, provide feedback, and ask me anything — I am very active there. You can also follow my development livestreams on Twitch and Twitter to see the product evolve in real time. I also have a newsletter for my product development. my community Discord Twitch Twitter newsletter I’ll be unveiling the first version of that future at the Bitcoin Conference in Vegas. I hope you’ll join me there — or online — as we take this crucial step toward making Bitcoin not just something we hold but something we use every day. You can join the waitlist here to receive early access to the beta release and exclusive updates on development progress via a weekly newsletter. Stay tuned. join the waitlist here Sources Sources How Many People Own & Use Bitcoin? and How Many People Own Bitcoin?
15,000 Merchants accept Lightning Payments
Number and share of merchants who use Visa
Number and share of merchants who use Mastercard
14% of Salvadoran businesses have transacted in BTC How Many People Own & Use Bitcoin? and How Many People Own Bitcoin? How Many People Own & Use Bitcoin? How Many People Own Bitcoin? 15,000 Merchants accept Lightning Payments 15,000 Merchants accept Lightning Payments Number and share of merchants who use Visa Number and share of merchants who use Visa Number and share of merchants who use Mastercard Number and share of merchants who use Mastercard 14% of Salvadoran businesses have transacted in BTC 14% of Salvadoran businesses have transacted in BTC

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

This story contains AI-generated text. The author has used AI either for research, to generate outlines, or write the text itself. 

No Team, No Problem: How I’m Building a Bitcoin Wallet as a Solo Founder

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