Skills to build before legally being able to be an indie hacker.
Hey everyone!
I've been reading and interacting with the indie hacker community for a long time and I would love to dive into the world of making, however as it stands right now I am unable to do so because of limitations with the US visa I have (can't operate and make revenue from a business since I can only be working for my current employer). It feels really frustrating to not be able to actually execute on business ideas but I am trying to make the best of it!
It'll be about 2 or 3 years before I am able to legally embark on this journey. Currently I am a Software Engineer at a large tech company and previously I worked at a small startup that got acquired. I've built full stack web apps (side projects while in college) and I can train & deploy AI/ML models (that's my day job).
I am wondering how to spend my free time in order to build myself up to a skillful position to be able to hit the ground running once I am able to legally run and monetize a SAAS business.
I've thought of creating a YouTube channel (as it doesn't need to be monetized) so I can have an audience in order to amplify my reach when I actually start building. But I am not sure if it'll be worth it.
Beyond that I have been consuming a lot of content about marketing and sales (GaryVee, Alex Hormozi, etc) and obviously Indie Hackers hahaha
I would really appreciate insights from people as they look back into what has helped succeed!
I am going through the same situation right now and it is extremely frustrating. I am on an F1 visa in the US and filing for an H1b in a few months. I want to start building my SaaS products in the US after my 9 to 5 job at a FAANG company. But from what I know I cannot do this. I can only work for my employer.
How are people like me doing indie hacking? Is there a way around this?
In your post, you say "once I am able to legally run and monetize a SAAS business", can you please explain how will you legally do this? Id love to know and appreciate any help on this : )
What is your end goal, to be the founder and CEO?
It is hard to create a start-up without funding nowadays, or at least a start up that will give you a reasonable income in an acceptable time frame.
As a tech person I would suggest joining someone's journey for a share of the business, and let business people do what they do best (funding & sales). You should have experience before you should attempt to do it all yourself. Working in a startup if very different and something that will give you alot of value.
Hear what you are saying about being locked into your job, so work on a side project. One that will give you the experience for the future that you want.