1 year of being an Indie Founder ๐
Sveta Bay
29 replies
Hello there, Product Hunters ๐งก
It's been a year since we got our first payment notification for www.makerbox.club products and I want to share the story behind it.
That was a $9 customer from a waitlist for our first product - a collection of tools with great free plans for Indie Founders.
Not a SaaS, not revolutionary, and not solving humanity's greatest problems.
We built it with Airtable, made a no-code landing page with Typedream, accepted payments through Gumroad, and launched it on Product Hunt. What a tech stack ๐
But it was a product that the Indie Founders needed. Even though it was not a fancy tech solution, It saved time and money.
So, the biggest lesson โ focus on solving real problems and save either time or money (or bring people joy).
Here're 4 simple tips that helped us build products people need:
1. There's a high chance your first product will fail (sorry!).
So, don't start with brainstorming problems and solutions. Instead, start with choosing your target audience. Perfect scenario โ you're a part of this audience.
Even if your first product fails, your knowledge about this audience's problems will stay with you. And you'll already have some authority and connections.
2. Don't build SaaS before validating the idea.
Validating idea = getting $.
If you already have an audience, launch an early bird option.
If you don't have an audience, launch a coming soon page and collect emails. But don't expect high conversion to paying customers, it'll be around 10-20%.
3. Create a content product around the problem you want to solve.
If it's a successful launch, then start building SaaS. Here are a few ways to validate your SaaS idea with a content product:
๐น Challenge
๐น Checklist
๐น Swipe File
๐น Workbook
๐น Curated list
๐น Template
๐น Newsletter
๐น E-book
๐น Email course
๐น Closed community
๐น 1-person agency
4. Collect feedback and beta-test.
There's a high chance your product won't be perfect from the first iteration. And your landing page, too.
So, spend some time and find beta testers. They will help you fix the bugs and make your product better. Also, they will be the first testimonials for your product. Win-win, isn't it?
Here're some places where you can find beta testers:
๐น Product Hunt discussions
๐น Polywork
๐น Yesramen
๐น Indie Hackers
๐น #buildinpublic on Twitter
__________
Why am I sharing this?
Cause during 1 year of building Indie Products, I've seen a lot of people burning out. Most Founders I followed in the beginning abandoned building in public and gave up on their products.
Shiny idea -> building for 3-6 months -> zero paying customers -> the end.
I don't want it to be like that.
Replies
Ryan Morrison@rymorrison
Chatio.ai
Hey Sveta, loved reading your article and hearing about your journey with www.makerbox.club. It's amazing how sometimes the simplest solutions can have a big impact on people's lives. Your focus on solving real problems and saving time or money is spot on!
I totally agree with your tips, especially the one about starting with a target audience. Understanding their needs and challenges can give you a solid foundation for building a successful product, even if the first attempt doesn't work out. And validation is key! Getting that early feedback and securing those first few paying customers can make all the difference.
I'm curious, what's the most valuable lesson you've learned from your beta testers? Did their feedback significantly shape the direction of your product? Keep up the great work and keep sharing your journey!
Share
Wonderful journey and relevant insights. Yes, burning out is a very common issue and this post will definitely help those founders who are in verge of leaving. Thanks for sharing.
This post has all my heart. More power to you! And I agree with all your pointers, more or less. ๐๐ผ
Headliner
Congrats on the milestone! What an achievement.
I could not agree more with your points. Doing unbiased market research, although hard, is such an important step many people overlook.
PodcastGPT
Great list! Taking notes here!
Great journey. Lots of learning in this journey.
Awesome insights. Keep going, many more years to come.
Clustr
Congrats on your one-year anniversary! Thanks for sharing your lessons and tips!
Great journey and so fun to see this.
Zintlr
Congratulations, and thank you for such valuable insights!
Shopify NFT App
Well done on that journey and thanks for sharing that with us! All the best!
Congratulations on your founding! Establishing a new venture or organization is a significant accomplishment that showcases your vision, ambition, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Interesting! Found you there๐
Great Insights. Keep growing!