What is considered a solid MRR after indie hacking at 2-year mark?
I know most of people who see this question will respond with "it depends". True, this question is just like a newbie asking a gym rat how long it will take him to bench press 2 plates. There is no standard answer for everyone because people come into the gym have different sizes, frequency of gym visits and diets, etc.
However, I still would like to learn from people here for the experience. The daily newsletter sent by Indie Hackers made it seem like everyone can reach $10k mrr pre-launch, or within 6 months. It makes me cringe a bit.
Let's be real here. What is your MRR at the 2 year mark and what made you convinced that you want to keep the grind and not switch to something new? I believe 2 year mark is more interesting than 1 year because at that point, there should be some obvious signal that your idea is or isn't working.
There are a lot of fake stats parading to get user traction, to begin with. But yes, people do those numbers. Take them with a grain of salt to. Filter and get the information you need. Just as with every industry, success stories are usually the talk of the town in contrast to a higher failure index.
Thank you. This makes a lot of sense.
It depends a lot on various factors.
I'm not sure what "solid" MRR is but a good MRR can be $3k if you are from a low cost of living country.
It also depends on the niche of the product. A $3k MRR is pretty low for a mass market product.
$3k MRR sounds fair to me at 2 year mark. Indie hackers here seem to have built multiple startups. What happens when their first startup reaches $3k in 2 years? Do you keep growing it or branching it to something new?
$2k MRR for a first-timer is solid.
Ideally, through subscriptions.
Otherwise even if you're selling LTDs/metered billing, that's good too.
I got pretty close to that within a year in my first startup back in college.
Just looked up what you're building from social media and Google. Looks like you're also in LA area. Nice to e-meet you. Is your first startup still going? If so, how do you have time to run the second startup?
My first startup failed because I went to prison.
My second startup failed to gain any traction.
My third startup is still running!
My fourth startup is my main project now.
I've been living full-time off my products since 2020.
Yes, I'm in LA, closer to the Northeast (Silverlake/Echo Park area).
Thanks for sharing. What makes you decide to branch to the 4th when you were still working on the 3rd one?
Long story, but it's been covered on Indie Hackers before:
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/my-rollercoaster-journey-from-0-to-30k-mo-then-back-to-0-4a8e0dd0ef
Super interesting story. Just sent you a LinkedIn connection request. Would love to chat more offline.
My first SAAS was at around $2k MRR after 2 years. Enough to keep it running, and it's still running after 10 years.
My best SAAS was at around $30k MRR after 2 years.
My worst SAAS was at around $150 MRR after a year. So I closed it to the public but still use it myself.
These are some great numbers to hear. I'm now at $4k mrr after 1.5 years but I see many indie hackers here making $20k mrr after just 6 months. I don't know how they pulled it off and I'm getting fomo and some self doubt. Your numbers sound more realistic.
$100k/month or a deep depression
LOL I don't think so.