THE SPARK

Building My First Media Buying Software: A 24-Hour Journey into Context Engineering

2025-07-18ENTREPRENEURSHIPCarla Sparks

From concept to production in 24 hours. Here's what happens when you decide to build the tools you need instead of settling for what exists.

Building My First Media Buying Software: A 24-Hour Journey into Context Engineering

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Building My First Media Buying Software: A 24-Hour Journey into Rapid Development

Media Buying, Software Development, Entrepreneurship, Custom Solutions, Rapid Development

So here's the thing: I started Sparks Media Studios less than two months ago, launched this website this week, and began building my media buying software less than 24 hours ago.

And yes, this is my first blog post.

Why Build When You Can Buy?

Most people would tell you to use existing tools. Zapier this, Airtable that, "just make it work with what's out there." But here's what I've learned in my short time as a Workflow Intelligence Architect: sometimes the best tool for the job is the one you build yourself.

Especially when you're dealing with media buying—a world where every campaign has its own personality, every client has their own quirks, and every platform has its own... let's call them "unique features."

The 48-Hour Sprint

Two months ago: Started Sparks Media Studios
This week: Built and launched this website
Yesterday: Decided to build my own media buying software
Today: Writing this blog post while the code compiles

It's been a whirlwind, and honestly? I'm loving every minute of it.

What I'm Building (And Why)

I'm building a tool to manage my media buying campaigns because honestly? Nothing out there works for media buying teams. It's like R&D was completely ignored or the only feedback they got came from individuals who don't actually do media buying.

I'm creating integrations between existing platforms to make my overwhelmed life easier. Because right now, managing campaigns across multiple platforms means juggling spreadsheets, switching between dashboards, and hoping nothing falls through the cracks.

The existing tools were built for people who approve budgets, not for people who actually execute campaigns. I need something that works the way media buying actually works - fast, messy, and constantly changing.

The Rapid Development Philosophy

I'm embracing rapid development - using modern development tools to build code quickly and focus on the "what" rather than the "how." It's about rapid iteration, embracing efficient workflows, and staying focused on the overall direction rather than getting lost in implementation details.

For me, that means using modern development approaches to build this media buying software faster than I could engineer it from scratch. I'm focusing on what I need the system to do and learning how every line of code works together to create my vision. It's development with vision.

The beauty of this approach is that it lets you build the tools you need without getting stuck in the weeds of syntax and optimization. You can focus on solving real problems instead of reinventing basic functionality.

What's Next?

I'm not sure yet. That's the beauty of building your own tools—you get to discover what you actually need as you build it. Maybe it'll be a complete media buying platform. Maybe it'll be a collection of smart integrations. Maybe it'll be something entirely different.

But here's what I know: I'm building something that works for me, and if it works for me, it might work for other people who think like me.

The Adventure Begins

This is just the beginning. I'll be sharing updates, lessons learned, and probably a few "what was I thinking?" moments along the way. Because building software is like building anything else—it's messy, it's iterative, and it's absolutely worth it.

If you're someone who's ever thought "I could build this better myself," you're my people. Let's see where this journey takes us.


Published: July 18, 2025
Author: Carla Sparks
Category: Entrepreneurship, Software Development, Media Buying
Tags: #MediaBuying #SoftwareDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #CustomSolutions #VibeCoding