End of My Indie Hacking Journey - New Adventures 🚀

Hi everyone,

I have been publishing issues on my newsletter for almost 8 months and since then I shared 17 newsletters with you.

Now, I would like to share all the insights I have gained throughout my indie journey and keep you updated on my progress and new adventures.

To summarize:

• Over the past 8 months, my friend Zeydan and I have successfully launched 3 side projects under Nataminds. One of these projects has already been micro-acquired, while the other two are still generating traffic.

• I released a handbook on Gumroad, which has received nearly 1,000 downloads. The handbook focuses on audience building.

• I applied for project-based jobs on Upwork and this allowed me to earn in currency.

Indie Hacking and Nomad Living have become the newest trends, but they come with their fair share of challenges.

If you spend some time on Twitter and LinkedIn, it's evident that many indie hackers are earning substantial amounts by developing and exiting projects.

Moreover, most of the projects they share appear feasible for you. Consequently, you may find yourself thinking:

"I can do this too."
"I had this idea two years ago."
"What sets them apart from me?"
"I'm wasting time on trivial things in my daily job."

I completely understand where you're coming from because I had similar thoughts. Here are my thoughts on the matter:

• Having a high level of resilience is one of the key strengths of indie hackers. You must be willing to test, launch, publish, and even shut down multiple projects without becoming emotionally attached. In this space, many people are familiar with Pieter Levels, and here is a tweet from him regarding shipping projects.

• In addition, it would be beneficial for you to save some earnings before leaving your job and estimate your survival period. From what I've observed, there are different types of indie hackers.

  • Some start their projects while still employed and carefully choose the best time to resign, aiming to balance their earnings and expenses.

  • On the other hand, there is another type, which I find more courageous (perhaps this relates to my age as well). They leave their job without a clear idea of what they will focus on next, trusting that they will discover it along the way. For these individuals, patience and resilience are crucial, and it may be helpful for them to set limits on when to reassess their progress.
    

• It's important to be prepared for the ups and downs of this journey, as it won't always resemble the idealized posts and tweets on social media. I have been following the founder of Senja for some time, and he recently shared an email related to this topic. Senja is a bootstrapping company that has managed to earn more than $5K, but even that amount has proven insufficient. Here is the email he sent to a friend, which sheds light on his experiences.

• Lastly, it's essential not to compare yourself to others. Each person has their unique journey, and you can never truly know their inner thoughts and feelings since not everyone openly shares them. Therefore, try to listen to yourself and focus on what you genuinely want to do, rather than simply chasing trends.

Let’s Talk About You, Leo! What Are Your New Adventures?

When Zeydan and I initially ventured into indie-hacking, our goal was to quickly ship projects and achieve micro-exits, allowing us to sustain ourselves with the income generated from those projects. Recently, we successfully sold one of our projects and decided to wait for the right timing for the others.

However, on my part, I began to face difficulties in finding new project ideas and swiftly executing them to generate revenue. I grew increasingly bored and frustrated with our situation, prompting me to reconsider my approach.

As some of you may be aware, I have over 12 years of experience in growth, with a particular focus on the B2B sector for more than 5 years. Consequently, I started exploring opportunities with companies where I could make a significant impact and engage in full-time work. If all goes according to plan, I will commence full-time employment in the coming weeks.

In upcoming issues, I will provide more details about the specific job I will be undertaking. As for the future of this newsletter, I am unsure about its name and format, but I am genuinely committed to continuing to share my experiences and insights, even while working full-time.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any ideas or suggestions. Additionally, for further updates, you can follow me on LinkedIn.