Maker success
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Maker success
The year 2022 was crazy.
I can't wrap my head around that:
All these things happened in a single year.
This is my promised public reflection for 2022:
I can't wrap my head around that:
All these things happened in a single year.
This is my promised public reflection for 2022:
Too many folks set the bar way too high with entrepreneurship. The next million dollar company. The next sexy startup.
Forget all that.
Why isnβt the goal to build something that pays you good $ every year and requires only a few hours of your time per week to make it happen?
Forget all that.
Why isnβt the goal to build something that pays you good $ every year and requires only a few hours of your time per week to make it happen?
Huy Fong's Sriracha hit revenue of $150m+ a year...with no sales team, no trademark and $0 in ad spend.
Its creator is Vietnamese-American David Tran, making the sauce's success a tale of immigrant hustle and a product that literally sells itself.
Here's the storyπ§΅ pic.twitter.com/siEoK6UeLs
Its creator is Vietnamese-American David Tran, making the sauce's success a tale of immigrant hustle and a product that literally sells itself.
Here's the storyπ§΅ pic.twitter.com/siEoK6UeLs

At my startup, @usefyi we have pivoted from a document search tool for everyone to a security product used by IT people. We've also changed our name to Nira (@niradotcom).
The pivot got kick-started when someone used our product in an unexpected way. Here's the storyβ¦
The pivot got kick-started when someone used our product in an unexpected way. Here's the storyβ¦
You Canβt build a $5B startup without a bias towards action.
&: Patience is a virtue but itβs one rarely associated with entrepreneurship.
@Olo CEO @nhglass recently shared some lessons about how *not* doing things, or sequencing them strategically, helped deliver success.
/π§΅
&: Patience is a virtue but itβs one rarely associated with entrepreneurship.
@Olo CEO @nhglass recently shared some lessons about how *not* doing things, or sequencing them strategically, helped deliver success.
/π§΅
Since selling his app business for a life-changing sum, Daniel Sim has monitored the Shopify app acquisition industry like no one else.
Here's what I learned from him about what going on right now π
Here's what I learned from him about what going on right now π
Every newsletter writer, or curator can and should create a map of their industry.
Not to see what there is.
Not to show what there is.
But to see the gaps.
And show what's not there.
And revel in what is yet to be.
Not to see what there is.
Not to show what there is.
But to see the gaps.
And show what's not there.
And revel in what is yet to be.
10 must-read articles for bootstrappers, indie hackers and solopreneurs π pic.twitter.com/zBY2G9PLtw

1/ Build once, sell twice.
Move from selling your time to storing your effort in digital assets that you can sell twice. pic.twitter.com/Gj6LMbB2Yh
Move from selling your time to storing your effort in digital assets that you can sell twice. pic.twitter.com/Gj6LMbB2Yh

To outperform, you need serious competitive advantages.
But contrary to what you have been told, most of them don't require talent.
10 competitive advantages that you can start developing today:
But contrary to what you have been told, most of them don't require talent.
10 competitive advantages that you can start developing today:
1/ π΅ Signals #11 - Low-Risk Businesses
Starting a business doesn't have to be risky. You can start small. Keep your job on the side. Try making $100 before reaching to $100K.
A thread with:
βοΈ 3 Actions
π¨ 10 Tools
π 4 Cases
π 3 Resources
π 1 Takeaway pic.twitter.com/j3ceZtIxQq
Starting a business doesn't have to be risky. You can start small. Keep your job on the side. Try making $100 before reaching to $100K.
A thread with:
βοΈ 3 Actions
π¨ 10 Tools
π 4 Cases
π 3 Resources
π 1 Takeaway pic.twitter.com/j3ceZtIxQq

A distillation of what @ljin18 and @shl said about the Creator Economy on Clubhouse yesterday:
Fair warning, this isnβt a fully processed thought, but this screen in @userlist shows an interesting stat weβve never had before:
For each product, what % of ALL customers (e.g. anybody who bought anything) have bought each product.
What can that tell us? Well⦠pic.twitter.com/DqbKH5USG2
For each product, what % of ALL customers (e.g. anybody who bought anything) have bought each product.
What can that tell us? Well⦠pic.twitter.com/DqbKH5USG2

How Loom grew from 0-500K users, and beyond:
[Part 1 of 2]
[Part 1 of 2]
I like the idea of "audience audition" mentioned by @arvidkahl in this podcast
- you follow accounts with big audiences
- you check their tweets
- you reply when you have something meaningful/relevant to say
- you audition in front of this new audience
how-i-built-my-audience.simplecast.com/episodes/kindnβ¦
- you follow accounts with big audiences
- you check their tweets
- you reply when you have something meaningful/relevant to say
- you audition in front of this new audience
how-i-built-my-audience.simplecast.com/episodes/kindnβ¦
Monster thread on Selling Side Projects!π€
πΈπ°I've sold 5+ side projects in 2 years, these include:
π€3 custom coded plugins, apps or bots
π₯1 digital download site
π¦1 physical product business
π1 subscription business built 100% no-code
+ lots of branded domains.
1/10
πΈπ°I've sold 5+ side projects in 2 years, these include:
π€3 custom coded plugins, apps or bots
π₯1 digital download site
π¦1 physical product business
π1 subscription business built 100% no-code
+ lots of branded domains.
1/10
Three maxims for thriving products, according to @bjfogg:
"Help people do what they already want to do."
"Help people feel successful (especially on their first use)."
"Simplicity changes behavior."
"Help people do what they already want to do."
"Help people feel successful (especially on their first use)."
"Simplicity changes behavior."
Things I learned after 3 years of building products.
alexwest.co/three_years pic.twitter.com/Benozrx2kI
alexwest.co/three_years pic.twitter.com/Benozrx2kI

π Everyone should have a launch strategy!
I've launched a bunch of products this year. Every launch thought me something.
Here are my personal 5 must-have tactics π pic.twitter.com/ORJ2ONWqCa
I've launched a bunch of products this year. Every launch thought me something.
Here are my personal 5 must-have tactics π pic.twitter.com/ORJ2ONWqCa

If you're a founder, "Demand Side Sales" is required reading (shoutout to @hnshah for the recommend!)
It gave me tons of clarity: it gathered all the loose product instincts I've gained from building @useFluent, and arranged them into a few simple, effective frameworks π§΅ππΎ
It gave me tons of clarity: it gathered all the loose product instincts I've gained from building @useFluent, and arranged them into a few simple, effective frameworks π§΅ππΎ
Prediction: The best indie hacker companies in 2021 will be building tools and platforms to support the creator economy β the millions of people moving online to make a living from writing, videos, podcasting, teaching, etc.
1 year ago I set a goal to grow my SaaS to $100k ARR in a year. I'm ending the year at $91k ARR, pretty happy with that! No secret recipe, I just got up every day and worked on product and marketing for 365 days.
bannerbear.com/open/
bannerbear.com/open/
@jasonfried Q: How do you discover and validate your ideas and how do you assess if an idea is worth executing? #askJF
- @hiasinho
A: pic.twitter.com/JsJpKKIEuO
- @hiasinho
A: pic.twitter.com/JsJpKKIEuO

Great products are built by saying no 99% of the time.
Great teams are built by saying no 99% of the time.
Great portfolios are built by saying no 99% of the time.
Great teams are built by saying no 99% of the time.
Great portfolios are built by saying no 99% of the time.
Not every small bet works. Last year I spent $500 and a few days benchmarking EC2 and S3 networking, and I tried to sell the results for $10 on Gumroad.
Only sold $50. Eventually refunded all, and released the results for free.
Later, 2 different bets made $110K in profit. twitter.com/dvassallo/statβ¦
Only sold $50. Eventually refunded all, and released the results for free.
Later, 2 different bets made $110K in profit. twitter.com/dvassallo/statβ¦
10 Concepts from Build Once, Sell Twice: (thread)
I had a chat with @thepatwalls yesterday.
It was our first time on a call - we've DM'd in the past but nothing crazy.
I wanted to highlight some of the topics that were brought up, because most of the conversation was about how hardly anyone talks about this stuff.
Thread π
It was our first time on a call - we've DM'd in the past but nothing crazy.
I wanted to highlight some of the topics that were brought up, because most of the conversation was about how hardly anyone talks about this stuff.
Thread π
This summer marked four years of working full-time on my own business, which is officially longer than I was a professional programmer working for other companies π€―
π‘ Here are some of the things I believe the most strongly about making a living as an independent maker...
π‘ Here are some of the things I believe the most strongly about making a living as an independent maker...