1 year of being an Indie Founder ๐ŸŽ‰

Sveta Bay
29 replies
Hello there, Product Hunters ๐Ÿงก 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 ๐Ÿ˜„ 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: ๐Ÿ”น Challenge ๐Ÿ”น Checklist ๐Ÿ”น Swipe File ๐Ÿ”น Workbook ๐Ÿ”น Curated list ๐Ÿ”น Template ๐Ÿ”น Newsletter ๐Ÿ”น E-book ๐Ÿ”น Email course ๐Ÿ”น Closed community ๐Ÿ”น 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: ๐Ÿ”น Product Hunt discussions ๐Ÿ”น Polywork ๐Ÿ”น Yesramen ๐Ÿ”น Indie Hackers ๐Ÿ”น #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
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!
Swapratim Roy
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. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ
Hana Park
Congrats on 1 year milestone, @basv! Your posting is so insightful. May I share with our team?
Yash
Olly - Your AI Social Media Co-Pilot
Olly - Your AI Social Media Co-Pilot
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Elissa Craig
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.
Luke Skyward
Great list! Taking notes here!
Jai Sahu
Congratulations Sveta. It looks like a wonderful journey.
Hema Sati
Great journey. Lots of learning in this journey.
Bina Gupta
Awesome insights. Keep going, many more years to come.
Congrats on your one-year anniversary! Thanks for sharing your lessons and tips!
Mei
Great journey and so fun to see this.
Nacho Franchini
hey @basv, thanks for sharing this, it's inspiring! Already a year, wow! Cheers for more to come!
Congratulations, and thank you for such valuable insights!
Kevin Rogers
You have some good insights, Keep it up ! @basv
Kavita
Roast My Meal by Hoku
Roast My Meal by Hoku
Some solid advice here! Thank you for sharing. With the content products, have you found some which worked for you better than others?
Unknown User
Well done on that journey and thanks for sharing that with us! All the best!
Sadie Scott
Congratulations on your founding! Establishing a new venture or organization is a significant accomplishment that showcases your vision, ambition, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Deluar Hosain
Interesting! Found you there๐Ÿ˜…
Sabari Raj A
Great Insights. Keep growing!