Vibe Coding: Key Steps and Lessons Learned

September 9, 2025 · 12 min read · Originally published on Trainn.pro

Illustration of a founder coding on a laptop alongside an AI assistant and floating code windows

Back in May 2025, I kept seeing the term vibe coding pop up on LinkedIn and Facebook. I had a desire to build something, so I gave it a shot. After just one day, I was hooked. Watching my idea come to life on my screen in real time was thrilling—and empowering. It made me think: How far can I take this?

That's how Trainn got started. This post is for any founder or aspiring entrepreneur who wants to bring an idea to life using vibe coding. I'll share the 5 key steps that worked for me and 7 lessons I wish I had known earlier.

5 Steps to Bring an Idea to Life with Vibe Coding

1. Start with a real problem

Some people use AI to brainstorm ideas. For me, Trainn came from two personal pain points:

My 5-year-old wanted to play soccer, but we missed the league signup—and the season-long commitment felt tough with summer travel.
I wanted to try outdoor workouts at Dolores Park, but couldn't find a reliable schedule (and most weren't on ClassPass).

I designed Trainn to solve those challenges.

2. Pick the right platform

I started on Lovable, then switched to Replit and never looked back. Their Cloud Development Environment (CDE) bundles client (front end), server (back end), database, and deployment into one place. Their Agent is impressive, and they have made some useful feature updates even in the last 3 months. Check out Collin Matthew's post on Lenny's Blog to read a useful summary of some of the options available.

3. Write a Product Requirements Doc (PRD)

My neighbor, who is an AI PM, gave me this tip: draft your PRD in two AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT and Claude), then merge them. Break your work into phases so you don't overwhelm your CDE by trying to build everything at once.

4. Bring your PRD into the CDE

This is where the magic happens. Paste your PRD, and you'll quickly see a prototype take shape. Even with no engineering background, I had something clickable within minutes.

5. Test, troubleshoot, iterate

Your first version will have issues – that's normal. Follow one user flow at a time (like login → book class → payment) until each step works. I focused on functionality first, then circled back to polish layouts and styling.

As you build your working MVP, integrate APIs (I used Google Maps for class locations and Stripe for payments) and grab a domain. From there, you're off to the races.

7 Things I'd Do Differently

One change at a time – CDEs respond better, and you can deploy incrementally.
Think SEO early – Even basic optimization helps once you're ready for traffic.
Weekly feedback – Customer conversations are fuel.
Try premium models – On Replit, “extended thinking” and “high power” can save time (and money) compared to cheaper defaults.
Roll back often – Don't stack prompts on broken code. Reset and rebuild.
Use the agent as a thought partner – Especially before big features (like Trainn's promo codes and packages).
Be detailed – Reference database tables, fields, and expected outputs in your prompts.

Final Thought

Vibe coding won't replace traditional engineering, but it's a powerful way for non-technical founders to start. For me, it turned a vague idea into a live product in days.

If you're thinking about building something, my advice is simple: just start. The tools are better than ever, and the learning curve is less steep than you think.

And if you're in SF, check out Trainn. We're making it easier for people to find flexible fitness, creative, and sports classes for adults and kids, and in doing so, building stronger communities.