Francois Lanthier Nadeau hits a million a year with Snipcart (and learns patience)

A million bucks a year. That's the dream. But it didn't happen overnight. Here's how @thefln of Snipcart kept grinding for seven long years:

My ego was too involved with my work in the beginning, but it actually helped me. I really wanted to prove myself. I wanted recognition and validation. And I used that to drive positive business results. It was a slow grind, though. I had to respect our bootstrapped pace, but patience didn't come naturally to me as a 23-year-old kid.

As the business and I matured, my motivation for showing up changed a bit. It became less about satisfying my ego and more about stepping up for my partners and our team members. The unspoken accountability of 'we're all in this together' and the ties forged through long years of grinding — they became the forces that pushed me towards shipping great work.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much tied to ego. Most of us are. But I try to minimize it and give more room to better motivation drivers, like curiosity and empathy.

As for the patience, it took seven years to get here. And I've actually found that when I'm going slow, the milestones feel much more meaningful. It creates a contrast that helps me appreciate each new luxury.

Subscribe to peak behind the curtain of the latest milestones 👇

The Boot's Trap 🪤

Learn from indie hackers who are in the thick of it

Subscribe