The first user is a b****, but you gotta do it.

The titular quote is not my own, but many of you are probably familiar with its original version. For those not, its a quote by the legendary Charlie Munger, in which he told shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway "The first $100,000 is a b****, but you gotta do it."

That quote resonated with me the first time I heard it, and was a catalyst for starting my "Indie Hacker" phase of really focusing on sole ownership, building what I want and not only what people told me to build, and really focusing on making something that provides value to people that I can directly put my name on.

When I built Propheseer (https://propheseer.com/) it came after months - years - of "planning" and "researching" what to make for a product. All that information gathering was important and necessary, but it led me to the classic fallacy of choice paralysis: getting stuck and unable to make a decision due to an overwhelming number of options, fear of making the wrong choice, or overthinking, leading to procrastination or inaction.

I was so obsessed on what to build I never actually built anything.

So, towards the end of 2025, I made a resolution: I would set out to make something by any means necessary, and my end goal was simple by daunting: "Get a single customer". 0-1.

The attached photo on this post is the result of me finally doing something about it, and making something. Just 8 days into 2026, I completed one of my new years resolutions, and did something I spent months and months stressing over if I would ever be able to do. It was a relief, and it was also annoying.

I was so worried about making the right product I never created anything, and I realized I wasted so much time not building. It took me a few weeks of planning and designing and then finally launching. I was validated pretty quickly with some test users, and I started sharing and marketing all on my own in my niche spaces (see my other post to see how I got to my first 100 users https://www.indiehackers.com/post/how-i-got-my-first-100-users-for-propheseer-FLBBwhSzlQk2KVG0HubU). Once I got that nailed down, I setup the payments and officially "launched" Propheseer.

Getting that first Stripe notification of a payment received felt like I had won the lottery. Sure it was no massive payout, but it was something completely unique: Validation, vindication, and proof that I knew what I was doing.

It could finally be done! I didn't have to make the next Apple or Google or multi-million dollar startup idea: if you build something people want to use you'll be rewarded.

So circling back on the title phrase, I want anyone reading this to learn from me and just build something. Launch early, launch often. I think back to the GOAT's post about how you do not need to be right every time (https://x.com/levelsio/status/1457315274466594817). But its a hell of lot harder to make anything if you launch nothing.

I want to give a huge credit to levels.io and the MAKE book (https://readmake.com/) for helping me get starting and deciding how to launch properly and with the right mindset.