We’ve all the time had teammates who’ve facet initiatives along with working at Buffer. Engaged on new initiatives, constructing, experimenting, and self-improvement are constructed into our DNA as an organization. So it is fairly widespread to be talking with somebody solely to seek out out they personal a small enterprise outdoors of Buffer that began as a facet challenge. We even have a number of printed authors and plenty of apps constructed by Buffer teammates.
We imagine this entrepreneurial spirit and artistic drive not solely enhances our particular person development but additionally enriches our tradition at Buffer. These passionate pursuits outdoors of labor convey contemporary views, progressive pondering, and numerous ability units again to our staff.
Within the spirit of celebrating these endeavors, we have compiled the blogs, companies, books, and apps created by Buffer teammates. We hope they encourage you as a lot as they encourage us.
The 35 facet initiatives the Buffer staff is engaged on
Right here’s what our staff works on outdoors of labor. Hopefully you may spot some cool facet challenge concepts for your self, or take a look at among the issues our staff works on.
Apps
Andy: Alpenglow, F1 Calendar, Starglow
Alpenglow: An app to test dawn, sundown and golden hour instances in addition to high quality predictions. Additionally sends out notification reminders and with Alpenglow Professional will notify you if the subsequent forecast is trying good in comparison with your required threshold. The app may be doing on each iOS and Android, usually featured by Apple and consists of over 35+ localizations.F1 Calendar: Taking up the event from just a few mates, I rebuilt F1 Calendar as a straightforward method to test Components 1 Session instances in your timezone in addition to making the information obtainable by way of Calendar subscriptions. The location has been going for 14 years and we now have further websites for F1 Academy, F2, F3, Components E, IndyCar, MotoGP.Starglow: Primarily Alpenglow however for viewing the night time sky. It’s been requested fairly a bit from customers and mates. It shows climate parameters for every hour, targeted totally on cloud protection and visibility that are key to view the night time sky clearly. The app is presently on the App Retailer for pre order, aiming to launch it in April.
David: ContainContain is a browser-based, accessibility-first design software. Present UI design instruments like Figma and Sketch are nice for visible explorations however develop into cumbersome with responsive design, parts, animations, and person interactions. Web site builder instruments push an excessive amount of complexity on customers, and generate bloated, inaccessible code. Include solves this by dwelling within the browser, that means the whole lot you design is constructed with accessible HTML and CSS. This brings the design course of into the ultimate medium, making responsive design, container queries, and person interactions potential whereas chopping a lot of the waste from the design course of.
Eric: PlayCraftPlatform for everybody to create internet video games and share it to their mates in seconds! We’ve constructed our personal modular framework to create video games actually rapidly for PixelBrawlGames. With right this moment’s AI capabilities, we’re utilizing this similar framework to create new video games with a single immediate.
Martin: Palabreja, Voices.ink
Palabreja: A NYTimes Spelling Bee Sport clone in Spanish.Voices.ink: Voices.ink is a cutting-edge utility that streamlines the note-taking course of by utilizing AI to file, transcribe, and analyse audio, summarizing it on to your Notion account. It identifies key factors and actionable gadgets, guaranteeing detailed but concise notes.
Mike: CarpetaCarpeta is a project-management software for inside designers, architects, and industrial designers to assist them centralize all their conversations, budgets, and recordsdata, and higher handle their time whereas managing their initiatives.
Freelance
Karinna: Pilates InstructorKarinna is a licensed Pilates & Lagree Teacher, and teaches courses in her spare time.
Martin: Two EmotionsStreet & Journey Pictures
Mitra: Social media supervisor for The Used, Thrice, Dustin Kensrue, and robbietheusedMitra is the social media supervisor for bands/artists The Used, Story of the Yr, Thrice, Dustin Kensrue, and robbietheused. She’s been working with these bands since 2017.
Mitra: Mitra Mehvar PhotographyMitra does reside music pictures, primarily for rock bands.
Music
Brandon: Child Lightbulbs Brandon writes, produces & releases music beneath the identify Child Lightbulbs from his small dwelling studio. He’s launched 3 albums beneath this identify, the newest being RUINED CASTLE in December 2024.
Nonprofits
Amanda: SheSharp Amanda runs SheSharp: a non-profit basis primarily based in The Netherlands that makes it simpler for all ladies and non-binary folks to enter, keep, and develop within the tech trade. We host occasions, facilitate mentorship programmes and provides out funding by scholarships, and a plethora of different initiatives.
Kateryna: TallinnJSIt is a technical group for JavaScript builders in Tallinn
Sofia: Nosotras Hablamos DesignNosotras Hablamos Design is a group the place Spanish-speaking ladies come collectively to observe English and discover the world of design by partaking conversations and workshops.
Small Companies
Andy: Woof WarehouseAndy works on a Shopify retailer that sells canine bandanas and equipment. He focuses totally on the tech facet of issues, customizing the shop, plugins, and branding, whereas additionally caring for and photographing the cute pups.
Mike S: Otter, WTC
Otter: Mike co-founded Otter. Based mostly in Spain, Otter helps folks make customized furnishings by connecting them to native carpenter’s that go well with their wants.WTC: A hat model 🧢 with statements designed for creatives, entrepreneurs, and people who embrace a lifetime of pondering and doing enterprise with goal – extra designs coming quickly!
Mitra: The Torshi DoughMitra bakes sourdough bread at her dwelling cottage bakery
Nathan: RiftgateNathan runs a brick-and-mortar retailer at 5412 S 900 E Murray, UT 84107.
Podcasts & Writing
Andy: Private blogAndy retains a private weblog the place he is written about App Clips in Alpenglow and plans to share extra clear updates about Alpenglow sooner or later.
Diego: Pink and Her CastDiego and his accomplice launched this guide, which his accomplice wrote and illustrated himself. Diego did the enhancing, formatting, and canopy design (+ translation for the reason that guide additionally exists in Spanish). They wished to create a guide with a invaluable lesson for kids: That typically life will throw curve-balls our means, and that regardless that we would really feel like we’re the one ones going by it, we’re not alone, and others may truly be feeling the identical means or going by comparable conditions. Enjoyable reality: Their 8-year-old nephew did the Title and seems within the credit.
Hailley: Private weblog & weekly newsletterHailley writes a weekly e-newsletter concerning the methods she makes use of in work and life; she additionally writes items for her private weblog, the place she shares extra in-depth seems at these methods and her profession development recommendation.
Jess: Pinecone PapersA weblog about mindfully journal and observe signs when you’ve gotten a persistent sickness. Engaged on a downloadable printable journal that shall be out later this yr.
Joe: Sensible Jetpack Compose, CI/CD for Android with GitHub Actions, Sensible KMP
Sensible Jetpack Compose: A guide to show Android Builders construct apps utilizing Jetpack Compose, Googles new UI framework for Android!CI/CD for Android with GitHub Actions: A guide to show Android builders automate their testing and launch course of utilizing GitHub Actions.Sensible KMP: A guide to to show builders construct apps utilizing Kotlin Multiplatform, the framework from Jetbrains that permits for code sharing between Android & iOS!
Joel: Publication On occasion, Joel sends out a e-newsletter with hyperlinks he is saved, what he highlights in books, new and noteworthy at Buffer, one thing that is been on his thoughts, and a common replace.
Kirsti: SA Tech Entrepreneurs Podcast and CommunityThe South Africa Tech Marketer’s podcast goals to assist highlight unbelievable expertise we’ve in South Africa, and the group is ready as much as assist us join and develop. It’s sponsored by an organization known as The World Expertise Co, which is successfully a recruitment company for SA advertising and marketing expertise. They assist South Africans get distant jobs — it’s neat. 😄
Lexi: The Burden of JoyLexi’s debut novel is obtainable from Rejection Letters, an indie press.
Mike: Constructing BetterA weekly podcast the place we replicate on constructing higher companies and relationships contained in the hectic startup and digital enterprise world.
Nate: Nearly HereticalA podcast by Nate (a former pastor) and his spouse Shelby (a Bible scholar). They reimagine and revisit the Bible for these deconstructing Christianity.
Tami: Content material-as-a-CareerContent-as-a-Profession is a e-newsletter that shares tips about develop a private model that may safe international alternatives, together with a jobs board to related Advertising and Inventive roles. Shared on Fridays.
YouTube Channel
David: Construct UXBuild UX is a YouTube channel on targeted on accessible design and improvement. Previous collection have targeted on constructing out design concepts from Dribble in Figma and code to be accessible, performant, and responsive. Present movies concentrate on shorter accessibility tutorials that span design and improvement, in addition to test-driven improvement (TDD) methods used to construct resilient person interfaces.
Honorable point out: facet initiatives that turned full-time
You may be questioning if these facet initiatives ever flip into full-time companies – they do! We have had a number of teammates begin a facet challenge at Buffer solely to depart to pursue it full-time. When this occurs, we’re past excited for that individual. It is immensely gratifying to look at somebody construct one thing and see it succeed.
So, listed here are former Buffer teammates who left to pursue their facet initiatives turned companies, give them a observe or some help!
Over to You
We’d love to listen to from you! Are you engaged on any facet initiatives? Be happy to drop a hyperlink within the feedback! If you’re, how do you find time for them and keep motivated, are you engaged on a couple of?
