Now I really want to know what you were selling and for how much. I want to know if the product was bad or just unlucky.
I am done. I give up
41–50 of 1001 posts
Re: I am done. I give up
#42Why do "indiehackers" want attention from and create products for other "indiehackers"? As a group they seem the people with the least amount of money to spend on products, and are some of the most cheapskate people on the planet. Here's some advice: if you want to make money selling a software product, sell to people who are able and willing to spend money on it.
that's because people that usually become indie hacker don't have much expertise outside of development and a few very saturated markets. Everything related to indie hackers, statups, etc are super crowded because it's easier for a newcomer to enter the market and build something familiar to them.
Most people that have expertise on agriculture, oil drilling, saw-milling etc where there are real opportunities don't know much about startups or know how to build an app.
Re: I am done. I give up
#43Having seen various projects go well, and go badly. The trend I've seen is that "quality" is massively overrated. All about knowing the right people that can further spread your network and reach.
Re: I am done. I give up
#44Since the late 90s, the fastest way to make money by doing very little is selling 'internet marketing' strategies. These strategies do work if you have a large following. They mostly do not work, at all, if you do not. So if you have a mailing list with engaged users (not bought), 100k+ twitter followers etc.
The tips / books these people sell are usually actually from their own experience and they usually indeed made 100k overnight, however, these strategies were usually just luck/chance in their case and now they can do anything because they have the following and the fanbase.
The worst thing you can do is believe them as some magic shortcut.
But indeed, after all this time (search for 'warriorforum' to see a community that's entirely made out of this type of thing), the thing that can make you $100k+/year from the beach is still writing a book about you got $100k+/year by writing+selling that book.
You probably read a few or followed a few of these internet marketers; they can make you feel very bad as they just send out something and make money immediately; that's because their followers are dreamers, not doers and they'll do anything for a quick fix.
Re: I am done. I give up
#45My current advice, which seems to be working well so far, is to do small tasks for huge government corporations and organizations for FREE, no questions asked. Don't know how well this could work in the American context, but this has worked for 3 places I've lived in (UK, UAE, India). You don't earn cash but you will earn an INSANE amount of goodwill and connections. The next time, they need a tech solution, they'll get in touch with you, or you could sell to them much easier. Oh yeah, when shooting, shoot for the top of the pecking order.
Selling to wantepreneurs, indie hackers and SMB owners is the worst. The market is super fragmented, and you'll have to do a ton of marketing to a bunch of people who won't even pay, what I like to call the Firebase problem.
Re: I am done. I give up
#46A big fact of the entrepreneur world is that it is hugely based on luck. Luck of finding the right idea, the right market, the right timing, the right connections, the right customers, the right employees, the right financing. The basic fact is that most startups and most entrepreneurial dreams fail or get consumed by another for their talent/clients. And as an entrepreneur you fight against all odds. Most will fail…
It's true that luck is a big factor. Every time you try something difficult, you're rolling the dice, and most outcomes are failure. However, there is a strategy you can apply to maximize your odds of success: position yourself so you can keep rolling the dice.
Re: I am done. I give up
#47Thank you for sharing what you learned. Take a break, but don't burn any bridges, who know what the future will bring?!
Re: I am done. I give up
#48In general don't take the advise of ANY influencer. They are paid to dump a paid message into your brain.
Re: I am done. I give up
#49You got to know yourself better. Honest self discovery is not defeat, now you know for sure what you want and you can pursue it without regrets. Many of us needed to go this path down to realize many dreams are not worth pursing, sometimes minor intensity dreams are the actual call and the actual happiness is in them, we just need to discover that first, and it is not a free journey.
And all that said, you are also right about digital nomad lifestyle sellers. At least we are not in the 70s-90s when the popular call was "stay safe". We got the chance to try which lifestyle we want, desire, can live with.
Take some time to pull yourself together, all things you did made you a better person, and this set of skills will be available for you in all sorts of situations.
You got to know yourself better: honest self discovery is not defeat.
Re: I am done. I give up
#50What have you been building?