80+ downloads in a week. How building an audience can help!

I just wanted to joke about how most Indie Hacker titles are made these days.

But yes, I published a small side project a week ago that has received over 80 so far. Rather than brag about my success, this short article gathers some important lessons from running side projects in areas I'm not familiar with, and how I learned a new skill to create new opportunities, from scratch.

In January 2021, I decided to learn illustration design. I've launched 5 collections. As a side project, everything is going pretty well.

Change your mindset

Many indie producers are afraid to execute an idea, especially if they have an idea, but unfortunately in a territory that they are unfamiliar with. You don't want to risk money or seek help that ultimately destroys your expectations.

In my opinion, the most appropriate route is to learn. Not sure how to code? Learn. Scared of Marketing? Learn. Does your design suck? Learn. You might argue, I didn't.... opps stop it! We tend to make excuses and blame the idea for not being successful.

Honestly? What's stopping you from learning new skills? You don't have to force yourself to become a master in one day. There are tons of resources online and you can learn almost everything. The beauty? You can expand your horizons in community entries, talk to people on more topics, and potentially bring your ideas to life (closer)!

Hold on!!!!

But if you're impatient, things might change. We all know it takes time to learn a new skill, let alone in an area you are not confident and familiar with.

Now, set a goal. Break it down into small milestones, motivate yourself and gradually see yourself improving as you spend 15 minutes or more a day learning things you never thought possible.

I hope my snippets can help you get closer to your goals. Mostly common senses but we often missed out.

1/ Start a habit

Start small. Because I decided to learn illustration design from scratch. I draw random little things every day to expand the horizons of my knowledge in this area. I post my work and progress on social media and invite people to give feedback. I've committed to doing the same thing for at least 4 months and decided to do something more complicated every 2 days

2/ Find your source of learning

The Internet is full of wisdom. I have acquired a lot of skills just by reading, watching videos, or evaluating case studies. Make sure to self-assess, take notes, and bookmark all resources so you can revise them again in the future.

3/ Practice Practice Practice

This is one of the best ways to test your knowledge level. Learning design? Draw something. Learning copywriting? Write something. Be open to feedback and try not to ask for sugar coating.

4/ Monetize your work from day one

If you are confident in your work and you have confirmed that there is a price related demand. Monetize from day one will help you create more compelling perceived value.

That’s about it. Happy to discuss.

Back to work :)