My 5 biggest lessons from indie hacking (18 months in)

I recently just shared a thread of the 5 biggest lesson I've learnt trying to build a lifestyle business over the past 18 months.

Thought I'd also drop it here to share some insights with anyone new to making.

1️⃣ Don't build a product until you have a paying customer

This one sounds like a no-brainer, but it's much easier said than done.

I spent 3 months building my very first product in the dark. When I released it, I was shocked that no one wanted to use it, let alone pay for it.

I always knew it was important to talk to potential customers, but it wasn't until my first failure that I truly understood this advice.

When it comes to products, my number one rule is that you shouldn't build anything until you have someone paying, or willing to pay for it.

Before building an MVP, I'll spend weeks getting in touch with potential customers to sell the idea of my solution. If I don't find paying customers, I don't build the product.

Simple.

No feelings hurt and no time wasted.

2️⃣ Building relationships: In depth, not width

I always wanted to build the largest network possible that I could leverage.

Over the past year, I've learnt to focus on genuinely caring about a smaller group of people in my network as if they're my closest friends.

While it's important to have a connection with these people through work, it's also important to take the time to get to know about their lives and their interests.

Remember, everyone's also the main character in their own adventure, so their top priority isn't going to be you.

3️⃣ Building a following is cool, but building a business is sexier

As a digital marketer, I know first-hand how important it is to brand, an audience, and even social proof.

What I've come to learn is that you genuinely don't need any of these to build a meaningful business...

If you've taken the time to build relationships with customers and truly solve a problem, you might not even need a social profile to create a valuable business.

Build a solution so great that your customers become your distribution channel.

4️⃣ How to recognise the early signs of burn out

I quit my full-time job 18 months ago to build my own lifestyle business. I've spent this time working harder than I ever would at any previous job.

Without the label of being an employee or having a successful business (yet), it's easy to feel like I'm not achieving anything.

This pushes me to work harder than I need to, quickly leading to burn out.

As a maker, it'd encourage giving yourself downtime, just like you would at any job.

Taking a few days off to mitigate the early signs of burnout can save you weeks trying to recover once you've crossed the line.

5️⃣ Setting realistic expectations

When it came to side projects, I'd always aim high and plan for the best case scenario.

'Imagine if I could build Dribbble for digital marketers'.

Over time, I learnt to accept failure as my default.

Now, any progress is always deemed as a success. It helps me celebrate the smaller wins along the way.

'Holy shit, someone actually found value is this and paid for it. This might not be another useless idea after all'.

IN SUMMARY 👇

Unfortunately, I was only able to learn these lessons after experiencing them first-hand.

I've certainly got a long way to go before I'd deem myself as a successful maker, but I genuinely believe that if had known these lessons at the beginning of my journey, I may have made more progress by now.

At the same time, however, I'm thankful for experiences that have lead me to here.

If you found this thread useful, I'd recommend checking out my profile on Twitter for more.