Deciding to not build a VC-backed company, near death experience, and world tour continues!

Welcome many new subscribers to Grace Pace! I’m Grace and I started this newsletter to document my life after retiring from the corporate world in my mid-20’s and building the world’s largest design community. I’ll be sharing my learnings in creativity and business. Also interviewing designers who are also content creators and founders, focusing on everything outside of the 9-5!

Since I sent my first edition last week, many things happened: Decided to go bootstrapped instead of VC-backed in FluffleAI, almost fell off Half Dome, recorded the first episode of my podcast, and planned more trips around the world.

Going bootstrapped instead of venture-backed

I started Design Buddies 4 years ago when I was 22. I had no idea what I was doing, but wanted to learn from other designers and have fun. Today, we have 150,000 total members and helped many designers land jobs. We’ve also hosted events all over the world. Design Buddies has taken me all over the world and helped me quit my corporate job this year.

I met my co-founder, Leon Zhang, officially, in the beginning of 2024. We started working together on our first product, an AI interview prep tool (leetcode for UX interviews). We realized from testing that people were not landing interviews in the first place, so we pivoted to FluffleAI. Fluffle is your personalized design career roadmap.

We found out YC applications were still open in May and decided to shoot out shot. I’m grateful for all my friends who went through YC who gave us lots of feedback on our application, we pivoted a lot, and wanted to build a venture-scale business.

I burnt out pretty bad in June. This year has been a lot (moved to SF, started a new company, quit my job, hosted a conference, traveled around the world, hosted 20+ events, and more). I ended up extending my 2 week vacation in Europe for an entire month.

As I returned late July, I reflected a lot on what I really want to do in life. I don’t enjoy working long hours. I strive for complete time and location freedom. I love building communities, creating content, and entertaining others.

I felt a lot of imposter syndrome as a founder because many founders in SF seem to live and breathe their product. Meanwhile, I like doing so many things.

I don’t think building a venture scale business and having investors and board breathing down your neck aligns with what I really want to do in life.

Leon and I decided to merge our two businesses, UXGO and Design Buddies. I’m so excited because now we have education + community, and a more organized approach to helping designers get job ready, and land jobs! It aligns with my goals of making design education and jobs more accessible. We have enough so we don’t need any investors. Now we get complete ownership!

We’re also throwing an epic launch party on my real birthday in Seattle on Wed night, Aug 28. Would love to see you here!

Near death experience at Half Dome

I also went on a spontaneous camping trip to Yosemite, we called it the AI Yosemite Summit. It was my friends Ashcon and Iris’s birthday trip! We stayed in an RV and I much preferred that then a tent. I decided to join Iris and Jeson in the Half Dome Hike last Saturday the night before.

I was underprepared, almost fell off the cliff 30 times, but we did it! We even called 911, finished in pitch black, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Check out my reel for how it went!

World tour continues!

Reach out if you'd like to hang out / host events here! I’m also going to keep up training for a marathon as I travel. [email protected] 

• Vancouver, Canada: Aug 20-24, speaking at the UX x UX conference!

• Seattle: Aug 24-29, hosting an epic launch party!

• Back home in San Francisco: Aug 29-Sep 15

• Seoul: Sep 16-22

• Singapore: Sep 22-30

• Bali: Oct 1-30 (running a founder/creator house - email me if interested)

• Maybe Thailand after before going back to SF

• South America & Antarctica: December

Tonight, I’m also hosting our birthday party at my SF house, Bunny House, Hop Bunny Summer, celebrating mine and my bf’s birthdays, both happening in the summer. I’ve drew our banner on the plane! Here, you see Long Bunny, Strong Bunny, Fluffle, and Beanzo. Long Bunny is the goddess of AI. More on these characters on a future entry 😄 

I’m writing this newsletter as I’ve finished most of our party set up and about to go take some more meetings and buy some drinks to make bunny juice~!

Thanks for reading all the way here! Would love to stay connected and hear what you’re up to~ I will keep up these weekly recaps!

I’m Grace Ling, a designer, founder, and content creator. I founded Design Buddies, and have been yelling on the internet since 2014. These days, I share about design, community, and lifestyle. I’ve been to almost 40 countries and travel around the world to speak at conferences and throw parties. I’m trying to get back into competitive running. I quit my former dream UX design job to have time and location freedom. I have no idea what I’m doing with my life but I love that freedom. I’m enjoying every day and living in the moment.

I hope you slay your day! Feel free to also keep up on socials: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter.