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After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

indiehackers.com

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Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#11

Post by mbdesign »

tomc1985 wrote: post #5

I wish there was a better support framework in the US for people who want to quit their jobs and work on ideas. I really, really hate working for other people but the things I would like to work on instead are time-consuming and the core work is not easily farmed out. I'm currently saving up to do just that and its like, "I could buy a house with this money" or "I could go on sabbatical with this money", or "I could…

Would a co-founder in that case be beneficial? Assuming you both take the risk, it's less hard on you if it fails. Obviously pros and cons with this.

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#12

Post by blunte »

Not that this helps the author, but some of the most successful people failed many times before succeeding. In fact, those who fail before becoming successful seem to be better able to repeat success than those who win on the first try.

There is a big element of luck in success, so multiple attempts may be necessary even if funding is available.

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#14

Post by camphero »

switch11 wrote: post #3

This is a difficult post to respond to Firstly, your issue doesn't seem to be anything other than social anxiety If you have to 'lose sleep' after contacting someone on LinkedIn about your product, then you are just not suited to doing a startup Secondly, there is nothing to feel bad about Vast majority of people are not suited to starting a company or working in a small startup Lots of good jobs in middle and large…

> Firstly, your issue doesn't seem to be anything other than social anxiety

And your issue doesn’t seem to be anything other than inability to empathize with someone that is legitimately venting how freelancing can be a nearly impossible hurdle for some. Anxiety is not the same experience for all.

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#15

Post by geophile »

I can relate to this, in a number of ways, including the complete inability to self-promote. Many years ago, I had an idea for some software, so I left my job and worked on it. (My wife was understanding and supportive.) I did not have a business idea, I had a technical idea. I worked with a "business guy", who turned out to be worthless. Every time I had to leave my desk, where I was having a blast programming, my stomach knotted. I just could not stand any activity related to marketing/selling.

I was finally acquhired (to use a term invented later) by a local startup that needed what I was doing, for a signing bonus, decent salary, and a big chunk of equity. (This was in the late 80s. My "plan", such as it was, would not work now, because software is basically given away.)

I guess the lesson is this: know your limitations, and work around them. If you hate doing X, then don't force yourself to do X, because you will suck at it compared to the many people who love doing X. And you will be miserable. Find a situation where you can do what you enjoy, and are good at, and somebody else does X.

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#16

Post by melvinroest »

Thank you for writing this. It is making me see what's at stake, which is basically this:

> So the real cost is more than the money I lost. I made my girlfriend stay home for a year, we didn't do anything, we didn't buy clothes and ate the cheapest food, etc.

---

> I got much more from the articles that I wrote here on Indie Hackers than from any of my projects. And I did those in a couple of hours.

I know you don't like that it only took a couple of hours. But if you got more from them, why not go further into that? 80/20 etc.

> Every time that I want to promote something, my stomach hurts. If I share an article on Reddit I feel anxious for a week. When I go to a Facebook Group to suggest my apps, I feel sick. If I send a private message on Twitter or Linkedin, I can't sleep. All the time I think people are going to hate me, tell me that I am an idiot, a con maker, that my ideas are terrible, that I suck. And they did many times, and I can't handle that while making $0. So, I quit.

That sucks. I'll be on the lookout for these signals as well. If I have them, then I either try to find a growth hacker type of person, or quit as well.

> I always wanted to write more. I love it. But I felt that I couldn't write if I wasn't successful. But I guess there are no rules.

Indeed, there aren't. When you write, you get to set the frame and tone of your message.

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#17

Post by tomc1985 »

mbdesign wrote: post #11
tomc1985 wrote: post #5

I wish there was a better support framework in the US for people who want to quit their jobs and work on ideas. I really, really hate working for other people but the things I would like to work on instead are time-consuming and the core work is not easily farmed out. I'm currently saving up to do just that and its like, "I could buy a house with this money" or "I could go on sabbatical with this money", or "I could…

Would a co-founder in that case be beneficial? Assuming you both take the risk, it's less hard on you if it fails. Obviously pros and cons with this.

Maybe, but I don't know anyone I would trust with that kind of thing

Honestly the safest option seems to be relocating to a third-world country where the labor and the cost of living is cheap, so that said money can be stretched out over a few years. Or waiting til that pile of money gets a bit larger and living off ramen for a while

Re: After losing my savings as an indie hacker, I can't do it anymore. I quit.

#18

Post by radicalriddler »

crispyporkbites wrote: post #13

This is the side project in question: http://nomadmail.io/

His landing page has a number of grammar issues.

> nomadmail is made for normal people: writers, authors, content creators. People who want to write newsletters to another people.

If he wanted to have another shot, that's an easy problem to solve to get the ball rolling. Run your copy through a service like "Grammarly" or hemingway, and get it fixed.

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