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76 Comments

I've launched 37 products in 5 years and not doing that again

After launching 37 different products over the last few years, I’ve had one go viral and almost all the others struggle to get any traction at all.

Like many indie makers, I used to think the best strategy was to just keep launching, make more bets, and hope one finally catches fire.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

  • Virality is rare and nearly impossible to predict

  • Most of my launches that failed didn’t actually fail, they just grew much slower than I expected

  • My current project, Refgrow, took over 6 months to get the first paying customer, but now it’s growing slowly and steadily with almost no marketing budget

  • Sticking with one project and improving it, even when growth is painfully slow, seems to produce more consistent results than chasing the next hit

I’m curious, for those of you who have been building for a while:

Did you find success by focusing on one project and giving it time, or by making lots of new bets?

Has "slow growth" ever paid off for you?

If you had to start over, would you pick patience or a high volume of launches?

Would love to hear stories, lessons, or any advice from other indie founders in the same boat.

on July 21, 2025
  1. 4

    I don't think you can "count on" virality most of the time. I agree that it's hard to predict. On the main idea though... I think so many people start something looking for the "big exit"... what people don't realize is that failure is the status quo. Statistically, almost all products never make a cent, and companies go under. Building a product is hard, building a company around a product is also hard, and different. And you cannot predict the future.

    One of the best random aha! learnings I remember came from a good friend that ended up building a product I guarantee you're using today. He said that you have to just accept that you don't know what your product does. You need to take your idea and get it to users as quickly as possible so you can learn from what they do. You need to adapt so you can figure out what you're product is going to do and how it's going to work.

  2. 3

    damn, this hits hard, i used to do the same — launch after launch, hoping one would take off. ended up w/ a bunch of half-finished projects and burnout. Recently decided to stick w/ one thing. growth's been super slow (like, a few new users a month lol), but i’m finally starting to understand my users + what they really need. feels more solid long-term, even if it’s not flashy.
    really appreciate you sharing this, alex. def gave me a boost to keep going !!!

    1. 2

      I'm launching something at the moment and have just opened it up to Beta users. I'm definitely learning a lot by watching different people interact with it - super interesting, seeing what people choose to focus on

    2. 2

      And thank you for sharing your story!

  3. 3

    Hey Alex, really loved this write-up (so much so that I created an account here).

    I'm 2 years in to indie hacking, and I resonate 110% with everything you've written here. I think the initial Thrashing About Trying Every Idea phase felt painful but also landed me on the project that I've been really excitedly working on for the past few months. So, it's hard for me to say that high volume wasn't helpful for me at the start, but I do agree that once you've experienced all that - Slow Growth makes a lot of sense. I think even bigger indies who still advocate for high volume are also slowly embracing Slow Growth (e.g. Marc Lou and DataFast).

    The app I'm working on is a reading app (EPUBs and PDFs). Very low monetization opportunity, incredibly Slow Growth, but also super rewarding for me personally given that I love reading and helping people read.

    Refgrow looks really exciting and I hope it goes well! All the best.
    -Walter

    1. 1

      Thank you for registering and sharing your experience!

  4. 3

    I’m the kind of person who’d rather do one project a year than a dozen, or spend a year in one country instead of hopping to a new one every month—so I totally get your decision to focus on one product. Just don’t let that choice hold you back if things change down the line.

    1. 2

      Thank you, I will do everything for this

  5. 1

    37 launches is crazy to me! I used to bounce between ideas too. Focusing on one product and iterating, even through is seem sluggish, has been more rewarding. How do you decide which idea to stick with now?

  6. 2

    I’m trying to launch my first product. Thank you for the insight.

  7. 2

    Totally relate to this, slow growth can feel frustrating, but it often builds something real and lasting. I’ve found more success sticking with one project and improving it over time than chasing the next shiny idea. Patience really does pay off.

  8. 2

    I feel so much better after looking over that image that lays out your products and their revenue. Things move so slow when you are ONE person doing everything (and juggling work to pay the bills in the meantime). It honestly gave me a literal sigh of relief. Hope in one image. THANK YOU. It is nice not to feel alone

  9. 2

    Really appreciate you sharing this - it resonates a lot.
    I have been in the "launch fast, launch often" mindset too, hoping one would click. But over time, I’ve realized that some products just need time and iteration to find their groove.

    1. 2

      And now this epiphany has reached me :)

  10. 1

    Slow and Steady > Overnight Launches (from someone who exited a $2M/yr business the boring way)

    Hey AlexBelogubov,
    Had to jump in, your candor about launching 37 products in 5 years felt like a gut punch (in a good way). Here’s my slice of humble pie: I just exited a “dull” non-tech company after 3 years and steady-as-a-tortoise growth. No viral hacks. No awards. Just showing up, learning copy, sweating finance, and getting punched in the gut by management and tech. Truth is, slow and steady still wins.

    So I’m pivoting into tech now.
    My reason? Helping the “do the work” crowd. No fancy quick wins. Just solving problems, shipping simple, and listening so hard my users’ voices echo in my sleep. Because what people buy is often not what you expect, or build first.

    I launched my tech journey last month with what I thought was a “must-have” boilerplate. Turns out, there’s a Google’s worth of those. My earliest users? Wanted help selling and marketing instead. Good, because that’s where I bleed expertise: copy, cold outreach, paid ads, dragging products into the wild.

    My first product idea? Totally miss.
    Listening, pivoting, and serving up what people actually need to win, step-by-step, day-by-day marketing plans, straight from AI, for folks (maybe like us) who want a roadmap, not just more tools.

    If you’re more “slow grind” than “overnight launch,” hit reply.
    Would love to swap war stories or beta test my next swing.

    PS : Congrats on making it, battle scars and all.

  11. 1

    Slow growth can be frustrating, but it often builds lasting success. Patience has worked better for me than chasing new launches.

  12. 1

    share more about how did you done marketing for all of these ?
    what your biggest mistake out there ?

  13. 1

    Hey Alex, I really relate to what you said here. I’m working on a tool called MeasureMate, which helps people visualize real-world dimensions like 1x1 meters projected onto floors and walls using AR. It solves a problem for both professionals and DIYers who struggle to “see” how much space something will take up before cutting or installing.

    I’ve been testing demand and the feedback has been mixed — some say it’s a great idea, others aren’t sure. I’ve been tempted to move on, but your post is reminding me that maybe I need to slow down, refine, and keep at it.

    Did you ever feel completely stuck and unsure whether an idea was worth continuing?

    Thanks for sharing your experience — this was really helpful.

  14. 1

    As someone who looks at systems and human behavior patterns, I think the real differentiator isn’t “one project vs. many launches” — it’s whether your operating logic is reactive or structured.

    I’ve seen founders launch 10 products fast, but without a clear filter, it just becomes noise-chasing. I’ve also seen slow-growth builders stay too long with dead weight out of emotional bias.

    A more stable system might be:

    One core project you keep iterating

    Side experiments you run in short loops

    A clear decision filter for both

    Not about patience vs. speed — it's about how clean your internal system is.

    Curious how you filter whether a “slow-growth” project is actually worth sticking with?

  15. 1

    Loved this, Alex — “most failed launches were just slow growers” really hit. I work with solo founders like you to make slow growth less painful by showing where the money’s really coming from — what’s moving the needle, what’s noise. If you ever want a quick teardown of Refgrow’s revenue flow or a simple report on what’s financially working (and what’s not), happy to send a Loom. No pitch — just useful if you’re doubling down.

  16. 1

    How did you get your first sale on Refgrow? Looks like a good idea

  17. 1

    At least some growth is already growth. And in fact, the fact that only a few products of all were infected is also not at all bad.

  18. 1

    Thank you for sharing. It's super hard to stay on it, when growth is happening slowly. We're working on our product for a shy of three years and though about a pivot or completely new thing at least once a week through out. In the end though, I am glad we didn't jump on something else.

  19. 1

    Thanks for sharing this

  20. 1

    I always built first and failed later. But now I'm having something that is getting some traction so I try to double down on it.

    1. 1

      That’s a great realization and congrats on the traction you’re seeing now! Doubling down is definitely the right move. Sometimes it takes a few failed builds to find the one that clicks. Keep pushing and stay close to your users that momentum is gold!

  21. 1

    Can you please share exact strategies to launching your lot's of Saas and products in short periods, from ideation to building it. I'm curious to know, please!🧐😍

    1. 1

      I begin with market validation to ensure the idea solves a real problem.
      Then I build a lean MVP using proven tools and frameworks to speed up development.
      I launch early, gather feedback, and iterate quickly for faster product growth.

  22. 1

    Feels way more sustainable (and sane) than launch-chasing...

  23. 1

    I think this is a process of development, it is normal. Now small and beautiful products are what we are pursuing.

  24. 1

    Patience > volume, for me at least. The more time I spent on one product, the more I understood the users — which made everything else (copy, features, outreach) actually work. Churned through 4 ideas before learning that the hard way 😅😅😅

  25. 1

    Thanks for this. I think a lot of us need to understand this. Growth and success is a lot slower than we expect... Probably because we are always getting inundated with viral successes that we think its the norm. Been guilty of this many times.

  26. 1

    Big respect. I’m solo building a micro-SaaS for freelancers to turn client feedback into portfolio-ready testimonials. Posts like this remind me why focusing on one project is worth the grind.

  27. 1

    This hits home. I used to believe fast growth was the only sign of success. Turns out, slow and steady wins more often than we think.

  28. 1

    Man, that's tough. I sure hope you're not in it for the money or it must have been a tough ride

  29. 1

    that's great man. I am doing the same thing and struggling a little to get some eyes on my product. Keep going. I wish you the best

  30. 1

    Like steve job said all the dots only connect when you look back. Keep pushing.

  31. 1

    I am currently in kind of a same boat, but I am finding problems that business has and I build product around that. Mostly I am focused in e-commerce right now. I think the bet is to launch really niche products that solve one problem

  32. 1

    If the product has the potential to solve real-world problems, then the marketing-focused approach will help by professionals from different domains,

  33. 1

    Good morning, I believe from my experience that it is important to find the path to the client's needs, for example in my case I have created an easy-to-use PHP marketplace for regional businesses around the world, which serves to sell regionally in your town and reaches everyone in addition to doing it physically, this has helped me to make known regional companies that have not been able to grow and have high quality standards and reach potential clients by knowing the website, it is important that we give 100% to one that we pamper and improve because its fruits come from that for sure

  34. 1

    I recently launched my first project (last week) and within 2-3 days, I got my first VISITOR only by posting here and there. Would like to know more how this journey went for others. I'd like to learn as well.

    I believe if your first product kicks off, you can start building other products and keep improving the first ones on the sidelines.

    1. 2

      I find this too. I thought the hard part would be a) the build; b) the nice website; c) the copy...

      Nope. Getting a single visitor is hard

      1. 1

        Yeah. Once you get visitors, ask them for their feedback, hop on to calls to get their feedback. That's how, I think, we can retain users and simultaneously improve the product.

        As for building, I think that's easy part. The hard part is getting the users. The strategy I followed for my first product was just KEEP BUILDING and then MARKET. And it was totally wrong from my end. I should've aggressively marketed the product, built it in public, should've made people curious about it and should've only spent tiny amount of time actually building it.

        That's the strategy I'm going to try for my next product(s).

  35. 1

    hey Man I Was 16 At i learned about main killer point to learn SaaS path is right distrubtion.

  36. 1

    I think it’s really important to define what "success" means - because it’s often a deeply personal metric, and one you’re allowed to change over time.

    If we define success as going viral, we’re almost guaranteed to be disappointed. Viral hits are incredibly elusive, and often ephemeral. In reality, most good long lasting products become good through time, effort, and consistent nurturing.

    Some products, like social platforms, do need rapid growth to survive. But most don’t. If a few slow-growing, niche products can sustain your lifestyle and give you creative freedom, that sounds like a perfectly valid definition of success to me.

  37. 1

    Indie hacker is now completely trapped in the attention trap, relying on social media to succeed.

    I am currently building the NextDevKit project, a Next.js & OpenNext SaaS startup template, which attracted users on the first day, but without posting on social media in the following days, there were no new users at all. Only by continuously promoting the product can we maintain visits to some extent.

    1. 1

      yes man,Now this is a reality in the word/

  38. 1

    Interesting post and perspective. But I do agree with some of the commenters — the core issue might simply be the sheer number of projects.
    37 projects in 5 years is… a lot.
    Right now I’m fully focused on building Audialyze, an AI tool for mastering and analyzing music tracks right in the browser.
    It takes up all my time — from development and UX to community and feedback loops.
    I definitely have ideas for other projects, but realistically, it’s just not physically possible to split focus without hurting the one that matters most right now.

  39. 1

    Yeah, I can relate to this a lot. I used to think launching more = better chances too, but honestly, the stuff that’s slowly grown over time ended up being way more solid in the long run. It’s tough sticking with something when it feels like nothing’s happening, but I’ve found that small consistent wins usually add up.

  40. 1

    Love this, Alex — and totally resonate.

    I used to chase "momentum" by launching quick hits, thinking the volume would eventually crack the code. But looking back, none of those ever had time to breathe — or mature past v1 hype.

    With my current project, I’m doing the opposite: one tool, painfully slow growth, and relentless iteration. It’s not flashy, but users actually stick — and I finally understand what they need.

  41. 1

    we are on the same page

  42. 1

    Great side notes! thank you Alex.

  43. 1

    I have been building an AI agent and hoping to launch in a couple of weeks. My strategy is patience. No shortcuts or evernight traction.

  44. 1

    Thank you for this great real-world data. I am going to go through and look at each of your sites.

    My question is: For how many of these sites did you do validation by putting up a fake/teaser site and seeing what reaction you got, before building an MVP? It sounds like you made MVPs (and further?) for most or all of them? If you did do validation, were there examples where you stopped because they failed validation? Conversely, were there ones that passed validation but ended up not going anywhere?

  45. 1

    If the product has the potential to solve real-world problems, then the marketing-focused approach will help by professionals from different domains, all of which require networking first. True that, without a budget with multiple launches, seeing slow growth is really painful.

  46. 1

    this is some real motivation brother . i also build a tool and love to hear your thoughts or feedback and how can i improve and gain popularity ?.

    name is cancelmates

  47. 1

    Perhaps it should be more moderate, not making so many products, and maintaining a certain amount of energy on one product

  48. 1

    I'm helping product companies with cro, data, and growth for over a decade. I believe this approach was effective 10 to 20 years ago when competition was less intense. Today, nearly every product faces direct competition. In this situation, if a competitor focuses on developing just one product while you work on ten different ones, they can easily surpass you in growth.

  49. 1

    Do you think you would have sold one of those 0$ projects for 6 figures if you sticked to that project instead of jumping to another?

    1. 1

      With zero income I don't think so, maybe only those who brought in at least some income at the beginning

  50. 1

    Such a real and refreshing share. I’ve been in the same boat, feeling torn between chasing launch highs and sticking with slow, quiet builds. Over time, I’ve learned that steady, patient momentum often beats scattered bets if your project solves a real problem. A few lessons:

    1. Slow growth compounds if you keep showing up.

    2. Iterating with user feedback beats constant relaunching.

    3. Sticking around builds trust and organic distribution.

    If I had to start over, I’d still test fast but double down sooner on what quietly works. Thanks for reminding us that “boring consistency” can be the most underrated growth strategy.

  51. 1

    My point of concern is that "Refgrow is growing slowly and steadily with almost no marketing budget". Allocate a fair marketing budget.

    1. 1

      I can allocate, but I don't know where to spend it. I tried paid advertising on Facebook and Google, but it doesn't bring good results.

      1. 1

        You tried yourself? Or did you hire an expert for advertising on Facebook and Google?

        In my experience, if Facebook ads bring bad results, it can bring good results too.

  52. 1

    Well I can say that when you focus and build a particular project it's sure to go huge in the future. It's all about time and work.
    I've promoted a few projects and I can say the progress is excellent.
    It all about dedication bro.
    Keep up the good work

  53. 1

    The discipline to stick with Refgrow for 6+ months is impressive! We’ve found that celebrating micro-wins (e.g., ‘1 more active user than last week’) helps morale during slow phases.

    Curious: What’s one non-scale victory (e.g., a user testimonial, a tiny UX improvement) that kept you motivated early on?

  54. 0

    For the past few months, I've been working on a side project and wanted to share my journey, hoping it might be useful for others looking to build their own products.

    The Problem:
    Like many of you, my list of subscriptions was getting out of hand – JetBrains, GitHub Copilot, Wati, a few cloud services, learning platforms... it all adds up. I kept forgetting renewal dates, so I decided to solve my own problem.

    The Tech Stack & The Build:
    I built a tool called CancelMates. Here’s the stack I chose:

    Frontend: Next.js with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS.

    Backend & DB: Supabase for PostgreSQL database, authentication, and storage. It's a great and saved me a ton of time.

    Background Jobs: A simple Node.js/Express server on a free Render instance to handle sending renewal reminders.

    Deployment: Vercel for the frontend, which made CI/CD a breeze.

    One of the most interesting technical challenges was as a frontend developer i have handle both individual users and team accounts with different permission levels.

    The "For Teams" Feature & India-Specific Thoughts:
    I also added a cancelmates version for small businesses. This brought up interesting questions about GST invoicing and pricing for the Indian market, which is a different ballgame than pricing for a global audience.

    I'd love your feedback!
    I'm not here just to promote, but to genuinely get feedback from the sharp developer community in India.

    On the Tech: For those who've used Supabase any advice on scaling or potential pitfalls I should watch out for?

    On the Product: Could you take a quick look at the landing page? Does the value proposition make sense to you as a developer or for a small tech team?

    On the Business side: I'm still figuring out the pricing for the Teams plan. Does it seem reasonable for a small Indian startup or agency?

    name: cancelmates

    Happy to answer any questions about the code, the architecture, the costs, or the journey of building a SaaS product in India

  55. 1

    This comment was deleted 2 months ago.

    1. 1

      Hey man, love that you’ve already built something real and tested it — that’s where most people quit. I help early-stage builders like you figure out where the money could actually come from (what's worth doubling down on, what’s a time-sink). Happy to look at your numbers, setup, or growth path — and send a free breakdown. No pitch, just another builder trying to help. Up for it?

      1. 1

        This comment was deleted 2 months ago.

          1. 1

            This comment was deleted 2 months ago.

        1. 1

          Thanks for the detailed breakdown — you’ve clearly got something real here. Strong performance, working system, and users already showing interest. That’s a solid base.

          From a finance angle, I’d focus on three things right now:

          Start tracking your numbers — even before monetizing, having a clean view of your costs and potential income makes smarter decisions easier.

          Test a simple pricing model — you don’t need to overthink it. Just enough to see how users respond.

          Prep for growth — if this takes off, having your finances organized now will save you a ton of stress later.

          If you’re open to it, I can put together a short plan.

          A few ways you could start monetizing, and how to keep your financial side clean and simple while you grow.

          edit : No pressure at all but I figured it might be helpful if I just show you what I mean. I’ll put together a quick sample based on what you shared, so you can get a feel for what I can bring to the table.

          I’ll send it your way shortly — feel free to use or ignore whatever’s useful.

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