What are you grateful for as an Indie Hacker?
January didn't get off to the best start for me, my digital media startup launch was a disaster, my co-founder walked away from the business, and I had to inject more money into it to pay for ads to attract users following the failed launch. I sat down over the weekend and tried to work out where it all went wrong. Of course, there are multiple reasons, some within my control and some out of it. It's been a hard lesson to say the least.
Anyway, I was reminded by my girlfriend that even though I feel really crappy right now, it wasn't long ago I was a depressed employee dreaming of one day starting my own business, and that I should be grateful that I GET TO DO THIS!
This is something that is so easy to forget when things don't go well. But just acknowledging that I'm grateful for the chance to build my dream made everything feel so much better because even though it feels hard now, I'm working towards something bigger and better. And you just don't get that as an employee because the wins will never truly be yours to celebrate.
What are you grateful for as an Indie Hacker?
pin every single email that has positive feedback given by a customer, it's the little things that keep you going :)
that's also a good point
Thanks a lot!
This is great motivation trick :)
This is such a creative but simple thing to do! Stealing this.
100% agree. Being an Indie Hacker is not easy but a rewarding journey.
Firstly - hugs! It's really not easy when you have those lows. When I launched my first business a few years ago, I really felt like I was on this never ending rollercoaster. One think I learnt pretty quickly is that things can change in an instant. Your worst months turn into your best and you just have to trust the process. I sold my business when I had my son and then tried going back to the normal grind of working for someone else, and less than a year later I realised I needed to get back to being my own boss again. There's just so much to be said about the creative freedom and flexibility of building your own little corner of the world where your ideas and values can flourish.
What are you working on exactly?
I am really grateful that I met my co-founders. The first one, Felix, I met in October '22 and we hit it off so well, that we moved together in December '22. He's an awesome, funny guy... and my best friend now. He loves to create spreadsheets, do cold calls and to save money. Then in the beginning of January '23 I met Gerard. He's an extremely competent and kind person. He loves to create hacks that make someone's life easier. And even though we three have only been working together for around four weeks, it feels so "right". When I think about it, I can't actually fathom it, but without a doubt this is what I always dreamed of when I was a lonely Solopreneur for 10+ years. I feel blessed. And I will do everything in my power to make our venture successful.
do everything in your own way, i guess
Most grateful that I have 2 dedicated technical co-founders that are my close friends.
They're crucial in getting almost everything with the product done with Evoke
Keep it up! Entrepreneurial journey is always hard!
Exactly!
Support you, very positive thinking. I'm an employee but I'm managing a project Fordeer: Invoice Order Printer, a comprehensive Shopify invoicing solution. I've always had the mindset that if everything is good for a product or project, it doesn't matter how much effort I put in. Let's try and fight for the project we pursue.
As an independent developer, I am grateful for the freedom and flexibility that comes with my job. I am able to work when and where I want, and don't have to answer to anyone but myself. I am also appreciative of the global community of Indie Hackers who share their stories, tips, and advice to help others succeed. Finally, I'm thankful for the ever-growing number of resources and tools available that help developers create amazing products.
Freedom, independence and creativity
Free Homework Help
https://freehomeworkhelp.in/
Low code tools, literally hacking things together and the feeling when it actually works is awesome :D
I’m grateful that, as Seth Godin beautifully puts it, I picked myself.
Phil…
https://abitgamey.substack.com/p/pick-ourselves
I'm grateful for everyone who tries any of my products and gives me feedback how I can make them better.
Learned more in the last 7 years from building businesses than ever before. 🙂
Did you also properly evaluate your January? It's a complicated situation for most entrepreneurs right now. But I can recommend to pause for a moment, look back and make a list. Start with the positive points and then the negative ones. You will see, there is still some balance. 🤓
And the negative ones can be stupid as well. I e.g. didn't manage hydration well and therefore had days with low energy levels. Easy to improve. 😂
Very good plataform
Learnning
Yes, always know that you have a choice and you choose this and that is a privilege. Also, the amazing people you get to meet along the way make it worthwhile.
Being a free-range human is so much nicer than that depressed worker life you used to have. I’ve been shocked, and overjoyed, and yes grateful, about how much I love to talk to people I like about “work” now instead of hiding away and changing the subject.
Without having admitted it to myself, I was ashamed of how much I disliked my work life.
These words are chosen carefully - I wasn’t ashamed of the work, I was ashamed of my dislike of it.
It’s so wonderful to be willing to engage on the topic of work now with friends, strangers, family, my kids. I love people and it wasn’t healthy to hide, for me.
Thanks for reminding me to not just enjoy but also be grateful 🥲
Zoom out 3 or 6 months. Look how much you've grown on a macro scale!
Can relate. Sometimes when I'm in the flow building a project I have to pinch myself that I get to do, and enjoy, this shit.
Even walking the startup valley of death, as many do, is a good experience, it makes you define yourself better. Will I succumb or find a way? Stoicism in the purest form.
Grateful for being able to write software at my own speed with complete joy and satisfaction and still earn money.
Ironically, the app I just launched is all about gratitude, so I think about this a lot. I guess at this stage I am grateful to myself for not giving up so many times when I wanted to quit. This journey is only starting for me, and there's a long way to go, but it's important to recognise how far I've come :)
I'm just grateful there are a whole bunch of people on the internet that are actually cool and want to motivate other people to work hard and succeed :)
I am grateful of myself, for working my arse off.
Jokes apart, I will just copy past Tomas ( @antovtok ) points....is just perfect aligned to what I think.
Freedom, independence and creativity
Complete control over my projects
A supportive community
Opportunity to constantly learn new things
Great development potential
Satisfaction of creating something that is helping others
Flexibility to work from anywhere
I'm grateful for our supportive customers and that I get to work with people from all around the world. It's an experience you won't get inside your "corporate bubble" if you're just one of many employees. We're not quite there yet, but I feel really good about our progress.
I am grateful for being able to plan my day as I want to. Taking days off when I don't feel like building, work more on one day, work at night the other day.
For me the most important thing is that I can build whatever I want, whenever I want!
Only one line:
Working on the laptop without going outside is the best thing. You can work anytime anywhere super amazing...
I'm a podcast host so I'm grateful to everyone who wants to listen to me ; )
Ditto! Grateful to be doing this at all. Grateful for the internet/tech that helps me to reach more customers. And grateful to all my customers willing to take a chance on me and my products.
Real person, authorizing posts. instead of algo
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