Indie hackers should...

• start small
• do things that don't scale
• solve your own problem
• research the problem before a solution
• talk to your customers
• charge more
• live a healthy, balanced life
• build energy loops that spiral upwards
• surround themselves with likeminded people
• take their next step, not a thought leaders certified step
• leverage what you can do well
• leverage what you already have
• enjoy the journey
• keep going
• start with a small niche, then expand later
• embrace failure
• ask for forgiveness, not permission
• sell first, build second
• send cold emails
• break these rules as needed because everybody’s journey is different.
• watch this talk once a month
• go B2B
• build community before anything else!
• build your audience as you are talking to your customers
• share what you learn openly
• be an active member of the community (give more than you take)
• seek clarity
• have a growth-mindset
• don't let money be the only motivation
• connect with fellow makers
• ask the community for help
• make free things
• stay humble
• talk to people about what they are working on
• make sure it’s a long term, consistent problem you’re solving.
• find an audience, research their most critical problem, and THEN think of an "idea"
• work on solving a problem, not an idea
• treat every customer like gold
• have a presence everywhere customers are
• read The Mom Test or listen to this podcast.
• Don't write a single line of (no)code until you have 5 people committed to pay or have spoken to at least 20-25 people and have a VERY strong understanding of the problem/market
• understand the importance of good docs and customer support
• ship MVPs to validate demand
• not compare your work to big competitors
• understand that they are nimble compared to big competitors
• get away from screens, often
• write down your goals and values
• do things by hand, then automate
• learn something along the way
• have fun, enjoy the journey
• take actions that yield long term results
• build products, not features
• focus on the now
• remember that world class design can wait
• avoid the cult of fake g rowth.
• just build something if you are stuck for ideas, building things brings ideas and surfaces problems
• just get started
• stop building productivity apps.
• start charging from day one
• have patience
• have fun, enjoy the journey!
• don't let this list overwhelm you! 😊

This list is inspired and copied from this IH Tweet. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that.

👇 Please feel free to add more suggestions in the comments below! 👇