5 Lessons from My First Year as an Indie Hacker

One year ago, I left my corporate job to build products independently. Here's what I learned.

1. Ship Fast, Iterate Faster

My first product took 6 months to build. It flopped. My second product took 2 weeks. It made its first sale within a month.

The lesson? Get feedback early. Your assumptions about what users want are probably wrong.

2. Marketing is 50% of the Job

I spent 90% of my time coding and 10% on marketing. That was backwards.

Now I follow the rule: for every hour of coding, spend an hour on distribution.

3. Recurring Revenue is King

One-time purchases feel great, but they don't pay the bills consistently. SaaS models provide predictable income.

4. Build in Public

Sharing my journey on Twitter and my blog brought unexpected opportunities:

• Beta testers who gave valuable feedback
• Connections with other indie hackers
• Even some paying customers

5. Take Care of Yourself

Burnout is real. I learned to:

• Set working hours (and stick to them)
• Take weekends off
• Exercise regularly

Looking Forward

Year two is about doubling down on what works and cutting what doesn't. Stay tuned for updates!