# I created my own platform

> What is it, and why, and what next?

## _You did what now?_

Oh hi. Thanks for asking.

So when you start a business you use these 3rd party services. You sell PDFs via Gumroad and courses via Thinkific and Life Admin Systems via Shopify, and it's great, because you can get started really quickly.

But then 2 years later you've got user accounts all over the place, no cohesive view of your customers, _they_ have 3 different places to sign in, and you don't really _control_ any of it.

And updating your existing products is really hard. The Life Admin System was a zip file that is just a beast to change. I mean, essentially impossible. The Workbook is a PDF, and if you edit a PDF and the pagination is off then Lucy looks really sad. And we can't have that. So small edits become a big job.

## _And a 'platform' solves this how?_

When you build your own thing, you have total control. The Life Admin System can be generated on-the-fly. So we change something this morning, you download it an hour later, and you get those updates.

The Workbook can be presented as a bunch of web pages. Which means that it can dynamically link to the Workshop, which it accompanies. And the Workshop is now under my direct control! No more videos hosted on a 'training platform' which, frankly, I always hated.

## _Where is it?_

We've called it **JDHQ** and it's at [jdhq.johnnydecimal.com](/).

## _Do your existing customers get this?_

Of course! They'll all get an email soon enough.

## _What next then?_

New things! All new things that, until now, just haven't been possible. Hopefully people [tell me](mailto:hello@johnnydecimal.com) what they need, and we can build it for them.

It'd also be nice if people told their friends. Maybe if they have a blog or a social media they can mention it there? ;-)

## _I dare say you'll take the rest of the day off?_

We might just, yeah.