2023 Recap: My learning from one-year of Indie-Hacking

At the beginning of the last year 2023, I left my well-paying job to start my full-time indie hacking journey. Given my love for building things, I thought it would be both fun and lucrative. However, that's not how it is - at least not yet. I'm still finding my way.🤷🏽‍♂️

I have enjoyed the freedom to take a day off without asking anyone, to travel anywhere I want. I have stayed away from those daily scrum calls, or random calls at odd hours (Can we connect for 5 mins? requests). I have also had fun building my own stuff, however; financial returns have been modest (to put it mildly😛). The bulk of my income came from consulting gigs, helping startups with their back-end systems or MVPs. Additionally, freelance writing unexpectedly became a (not-so-modest) source of revenue - something I had not considered before.

I did manage to earn my first few dollars from my own tool (Portfolio Maker) as well, but not significant enough. I decided to pull the plug on the pro version to better focus on my AI tools. I'm grateful to my friends who supported and paid for it.🙏🏽

Reflecting on it now, I recognize that my biggest mistake was not shipping quickly and often - largely due to my own apprehensions.🤦🏽‍♂️

A lesson learned! 🎗️

And this is the most crucial realization of the year: This will NOT be a mere one-year experiment. It might take 2-3 years, or perhaps even longer, to figure out and establish independent, sustainable income sources. I'm actively working towards that goal - striving for a higher degree of freedom and steering clear of the confines of a cubicledom.😇

I've now embraced my own "WHY" of moving away from "The Rote" - I'm in it for the freedom that I seek. I'm in it so that I can live life on my own terms, nurturing those parts of me untethered to work or money, so that they don't just wither away.🌱

I've managed to stay afloat. So, here is to 2024: more experiments, more fun, greater resilience, and, most importantly, shipping more! 🚀

The journey continues...👣