Recently, I’ve been thinking about developing a product but was unsure how to start. After some online research, I discovered the concept of “Indie Hackers.”
As explained in the article “Rock On, Indie Hackers!”, “Indie Hackers” directly translates to “independent hackers,” referring to entrepreneurs who don’t take investor money and generate revenue solely from customers paying for products or services. Though the term ‘hackers’ might sound grandiose, it actually refers to individuals using technology to solve problems, regardless of the sophistication of the technology used. These entrepreneurs often fly under the radar due to their smaller scale, lacking the legendary stories of dorm-room startups like Mark Zuckerberg’s or epochal battles like Android vs. iOS, hence attracting less public attention.
This concept immediately appealed to me, as it felt like the media and public attention have been overly focused on “startup stars” in recent decades, almost mythologizing their entrepreneurial journeys as if they never make mistakes. For someone without any particular aura like me, such stories offer little practical value. What I need to know is, as a not-so-top-tier developer with no desire to engage with capital, how should I start? What’s the first step? What tools should I use? Where do I validate my ideas? How do I experiment and promote? And how do I make money? Questions like these that demand specific details.
I then came across the Indie Hackers website, which features many products developed by Indie Hackers, along with their thought processes, challenges faced, tools used, technology stacks, and advice for other Indie Hackers. Most importantly, it details how much money they’ve made. The narratives here are highly specific and practically valuable. Due to my limited English proficiency, I also found a site that translates the content from Indie Hackers:
sideidea.com | Profitable Product Case Sharing for Independent Developers & Remote Workers sideidea.com/
This site lists 49 projects (whose publication dates are generally quite old; for the latest, one must visit Indie Hackers). I’ve read through all of them and gained substantial insights.
Many of the projects featured here are mini-companies with one or two people, no funding, usually with an engineer as the founder, initially solving their own problems and then promoting when realizing others have similar needs. Interestingly, most projects are technically simple, some even without their own servers, resulting in zero server costs! For example, a mass email project (using Google’s free email API):
sideidea.com | Profitable Product Case Sharing for Independent Developers & Remote Workers sideidea.com/article/29
Yet, these projects are profitable, especially for individuals.
To apply what I learned, I summarized some common advice from these developers:
First: Use Your Own Product
A common theme is that these projects often start with solving a problem the developer themselves face, finding no satisfactory product on the market. This leads to developing their own solution, which then finds a broader audience. This logic is natural; if you’re using your product, you’re more likely to improve it continuously and better address user feedback. Thus, creating a product you would use yourself is crucial.
Second: Leverage Your Advantages
Most successful projects aren’t solely reliant on technical prowess; having a unique advantage is crucial. This could be unique content, decades of industry experience, unique channels, or distinctive design skills. Success often results from combining personal strengths with technology.
Third: Maintain Steady Motivation
To ensure motivation, several points are highlighted:
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Get user feedback (requiring a quick product launch; a project taking six months to develop might demotivate you).
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Start with simple tasks due to limited resources. High complexity can lead to abandonment.
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Earn money, preferably from the start, especially if the product is your full-time pursuit.
The gist is to reduce project difficulty while gaining positive feedback, be it from users or financially.
Fourth: Consider Finding a Partner
While many projects are solo ventures, having a complementary partner can accelerate product development, facilitate idea brainstorming, challenge assumptions, fill blind spots, and most importantly, provide companionship for persistence.
Fifth: Validate Product Viability
Given the 3-6 months or longer development time, it’s wasteful if the end product finds no users. Therefore, validate your idea before launching a full version. For example:
- Collect potential user data through surveys in your social circle.
- Create a simple landing page for user feedback (see what a landing page is here).
- Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) (More about MVP).
This approach minimizes costs while gathering user feedback.
Many foreign websites specialize in “testing new ideas for public feedback,” like the famous Product Hunt, often mentioned by projects on this site. For more about this site, see here:
Sixth: Launch Quickly
Products evolve. The final form of a product often emerges through ongoing user interaction. Aiming for perfection at launch is not only unnecessary but also impossible. Rapid release for user feedback is key to guiding product evolution.
Seventh: Master Promotion and Marketing
These projects highlight a common challenge for tech-oriented people: user acquisition. They summarize various effective marketing channels:
- Blogging for traffic.
- SEO.
- Promoting on sites like Product Hunt.
- Mass emailing.
- Word-of-mouth.
The effectiveness varies by channel. Generally, blogging and SEO are more successful, with word-of-mouth being the most effective.
Eighth: Communicate Extensively with Users
Frequent communication with users isn’t about fulfilling all their demands but about discovering product flaws from different perspectives, improving after-sales quality, and fostering word-of-mouth. It’s crucial to discern genuine feedback, as some might tell you what you want to hear, not the truth. Creating educational content and regularly publishing product plans are also vital communication strategies.
Ninth: Set Realistic Expectations for Your Product
Most projects take at least three years to see significant growth (which is considered short on Indie Hackers). Don’t expect immediate financial success post-launch. During the project, facing setbacks is normal; managing frustration and focusing on problem-solving is key.
Summary:
Overall, these projects differ significantly from the heavily financed startups often seen in the media. They are more grounded and seem more accessible. These projects don’t aim to solve industry-wide issues but focus on specific functional details. Many evolve organically without meticulous planning, but this happens under continuous experimentation and growth. Without taking the first step, many opportunities remain unseen, so it’s crucial to take action.
Below is a simple “Independent Development” flowchart based on these projects’ experiences, for reference:
“Independent Development” Process Chart
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