2025 in Review: Growth, Grit, and Gratitude

As 2025 winds down, I’m struck by how fast it went. The year flew by in what felt like a blink—but what a blink it was. So much happened. So much growth, so many lessons, challenges that stretched me, and opportunities I never saw coming.

Looking back now, I’m grateful. Grateful for what got built, for what got learned, and for the people who showed up along the way.

This is my 2025 year in review.

Building and Launching LendPoint

The biggest milestone? Launching my first-ever SaaS product: Lendpoint Africa—a microfinance platform built to revolutionize financing for local MFIs across the continent.

What started as an idea slowly became a real, working product. I juggled tools and technologies, wrestled with DevOps, dealt with infrastructure nightmares, and learned more about security than I ever thought I’d need to know. The journey wasn’t smooth. But it was deeply rewarding.

Launching Lendpoint taught me things you can’t learn from tutorials: real-world tradeoffs, production bugs at 2 AM, scaling concerns, and the importance of building secure, reliable systems from day one.

I also shipped an M-Pesa Pro WooCommerce plugin—a project aimed at fellow WordPress nerds looking to integrate mobile payments seamlessly.

Another step forward in the product-building journey.

Stepping Into Speaking

Public speaking was never on my radar. I didn’t chase it. But 2025 had other plans.

I spoke at:

• Google GDG DevFest Pwani
• DevOps Africa Summit in Nairobi

I was also invited to speak at PyCon Africa (SA). Logistics got in the way, and I couldn’t make it—but the invitation alone meant more to me than I can put into words. It was a reminder of how far this journey has come.

Standing on those stages, sharing what I’ve learned, connecting with other developers—it was humbling. And energizing.

Giving Back to the Community

Giving back became a central theme this year.

I committed to releasing weekly Django videos on YouTube, sharing practical knowledge and real-world lessons. I wanted to make learning easier for others coming up behind me.

And I became an individual member of the Django Software Foundation. That one’s personal. It’s my way of supporting an ecosystem that has given me so much.

I also wrote my first ebook: Django Tenants Made Easy—a beginner-friendly guide on building multi-tenant SaaS products using Django and Next.js. The goal was simple: make SaaS development less intimidating and more approachable.

Learning, Reading, and Personal Growth

Outside of code and building, I made reading a priority. I read 12 books this year.

Two that stuck with me:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

Both changed how I think about consistency, growth, and long-term vision.

In 2026, I’m doubling that number. 24 books. I’m also planning to start a book club—so if you’re interested, reach out.

Lessons From the Journey

2025 taught me a few things:

• Building real products is the fastest way to grow as an engineer.
• DevOps, security, and deployment matter just as much as writing clean code.
• Opportunities show up when you least expect them—if you’re willing to say yes.
• Community matters. Teaching, speaking, contributing—it all comes back.

It wasn’t an easy year. But it was a meaningful one.

Looking Ahead

As I step into the next chapter, the direction is clear:

• More guest conversations on the DevCircle Podcast
• Collaborations with Python and Django creators
• Deeper, more honest discussions around building, scaling, and sustaining software products

Thank you to everyone who followed along this year. Whether you watched a video, read an article, bought the ebook, or just had a conversation with me—thank you. You made this journey worth it.

Here’s to growth. Here’s to learning. Here’s to building—again and again.

Cheers to 2026. 🚀