From employee to freelancer to $10k/mo founder

Thomas Sanlis got a job right out of college and quit three months later to become and indie hacker. Six years later, he's a full-time indie hacker making $10k/mo with his first product, Uneed.

Here's Thomas on how he did it. 👇

Going full time

I started building side projects very early, back when I was a teenager. I never thought I could actually make money from them; it was just for fun. After finishing my studies, I got hired by the company where I'd done my final year as an apprentice. And even though everything was great there, I realized something important: I hate constraints. I struggled to focus on a single topic, work specific hours, spend time in meetings, etc.

After just three months, I kind of lost it. I quit, moved to a different city, and started freelancing in development and design. My goal was simple: have enough free time alongside client work to build my own projects.

It's been six years now. I've been able to live off my projects since January 2025, and I feel really grateful for that. Beyond the freedom that comes with working on your own projects, what I absolutely love is the variety. I can start my day writing code, then switch to writing a blog post, handle customer support, scroll through X for inspiration, then jump into designing a new project. All of that is part of my job, and it means I never get bored!

My biggest product is also my oldest one. It's called Uneed, and it's a launch platform and community for builders. Think of it as a mix between Product Hunt and your X feed!

I'm currently making around $10K/month with Uneed. I hit this milestone back in July 2025, which felt amazing! However, I've been plateauing a bit since then and haven't been able to push significantly beyond that point yet.

That's one of the reasons that I'm trying to diversify my income — I don't want to be solely dependent on Uneed's revenue. And sometimes, when one project hits a ceiling, launching something fresh can teach you new lessons that can be applied to your main business. At least, that's what I hope)!

So, a few weeks ago, I started building Writizzy — a blogging platform — with a cofounder. We're launching it really soon, and I'm excited to see where it goes!

From laboratory to business

Uneed has a pretty weird origin story 😅. I started it during my studies just to test out a new JavaScript framework I'd heard about, NuxtJS. I was curious to learn it, and Uneed became my playground. It was a basic directory of tech products.

For years, it was basically a laboratory where I experimented with different ideas and technologies. I never took it seriously as a business.

It took me a really long time to realize that it could actually become something bigger. But that slow, organic approach had its benefits: it allowed the website to grow gradually, the brand to gain recognition, and the SEO to take off naturally over time.

Here's the stack

• Nuxt JS for frontend

• Nuxt UI for UI

• Supabase for database

• Bento for emails and marketing

• Self-hosted on a VPS with Coolify to manage everything

• Fernand for handling support

• Self-hosted Umami for analytics

How to build for the long run

Interestingly, my biggest challenge hasn't been product-related, technical, or even marketing-focused. It's been personal.

The indie-hacker lifestyle is very particular. You work alone, nobody tells you what to do, and there's no playbook to follow. It's easy to get scattered or overwork yourself. And you have to be your own source of motivation.

Finding the right balance between work and personal life in these conditions can be incredibly difficult. It took me years to figure it out, and it wasn't easy. I went through periods where I'd work 10 hours a day and completely neglect my health, periods where I couldn't even bring myself to open my laptop, and periods where I wanted to quit all my projects and change careers entirely.

If I had to start over, I'd remind myself that everything is about balance. Success isn't just about hustle, it's about sustainability. Taking care of yourself isn't a luxury, it's what allows you to keep building for the long run.

Work-life balance is a strategic advantage

The only way I was able to find the right work-life balance was by experimenting.

I think the most important thing is working on that guilt you sometimes feel when you're not working. You have to make your brain understand that taking 15 minutes to go for a walk or 2 hours to grab drinks with friends isn't a distraction; it's necessary fuel for growing your projects.

Personally, I have two main things that help me maintain balance:

• Cycling. I ride a ton, and it's become almost an addiction for me. If I don't ride, I start to feel down. It's basically become non-negotiable, which forces me to get outside and stay physically healthy.

• Saying "yes" to everything. When a friend invites me to hang out, I refuse to let myself say, "Sorry, I have to work." It might sound extreme, but I think it's incredibly important. As indie hackers, we don't have colleagues, and we spend way more time alone than most people. That's not healthy. I believe you need to seize every opportunity to socialize and connect with people.

At the end of the day, balance isn't about perfect time management, it's about recognizing that your health and well-being directly impact your work. Taking care of yourself isn't a waste of time: It's strategic.

Growth via time and consistency

Uneed has grown mostly through time and consistency.

It has been around for years, and that slow, organic growth that I mentioned earlier really paid off. The SEO built up naturally, the brand became more recognized in the indie hacker community, and word-of-mouth started kicking in.

One specific feature that really accelerated growth was the waiting list I introduced on Uneed. Instead of letting people launch whenever they wanted, I created scarcity by having them join a queue. This had two effects:

• It made launches feel more valuable and exclusive.

• It kept people coming back to the platform regularly to check their position and engage with other launches while waiting.

Beyond that, I've just been consistent. Shipping features, being active in communities, and genuinely trying to build something useful for other builders.

There's no magic growth hack; it's been mostly about showing up every day.

A diversified business model

Uneed has a diversified revenue model, which has been one of the keys to reaching $10K/month. Instead of relying on a single revenue stream, I've experimented with different ways to monetize the platform. Some work better than others, but having multiple options means I'm not dependent on just one source of income.

• Paid launches: Builders can pay $30 to launch on a specific date of their choice, or $4.99 to join the waiting list.

• Directory submissions: We manually submit products to 100+ directories.

• Premium spots: Featured placements that give products more exposure on the platform.

• Advertising: Two sidebar ad spots for companies wanting to reach our audience.

• Newsletter sponsorships: Sponsored spots in our newsletter (11K subscribers).

• Product reviews: Both public and private review services for builders looking for feedback.

The product reviews have been particularly valuable. Not just as a revenue stream, but also for building authority online! They generate significant SEO traffic and help establish Uneed (and my personal name) as a trusted voice in the indie hacking space. Every review we publish becomes a piece of content that ranks and brings in organic visitors over time.

Plan for the long haul

I have one main piece of advice, and it might go against what you sometimes see on the internet: Statistically, if you want to make a living from your projects, it's going to take time. So plan for it!

Don't quit your job right away unless you have significant savings. I see too many people burning out because they put immense pressure on themselves to succeed quickly. The reality is that building a sustainable indie business usually takes years, not months.

What's next?

I'm not trying to become ultra-rich or build a unicorn startup. My goal is actually pretty simple: I want to eventually sell my projects for enough money to retire early and have the freedom to do whatever I want.

I love building products, but what I love even more is freedom. The ultimate goal is to reach a point where I can wake up every day and choose what I want to work on (or not work at all) without any financial pressure. That's the dream.

To get there, I have more ideas brewing and will probably release a few more projects in the coming months. Stay tuned !

I'm active every day on X, and on Uneed Community, which I launched a few days ago!