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by waprin
1219 days ago
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Thanks for writing Micheal, I’m also 30-something ex-Google SWE and currently all-in on solo dev bootstrapping, so your blog is one of my (many) big inspirations. As you note, I do think if your primary objective was to catch up to SWE compensation, your project idea filter was probably not optimal. But it’s still great that you have the spark of something with TinyPilot. One thing I see repeatedly in
the indie hacker community is hockey stick success where people struggle to get the engine going but often once they find the spark it takes off. The ten year overnight success. Also worth noting many indie hackers add part time stable income such as contracting as their finances require. If people are looking for a straightforward path where they leave their SWE job and quickly get similar stable income as a bootstrapper, they’re in for an unpleasant surprise. But if you can “make it” you control your own destiny , face unique challenges demanding true creativity, and have uncapped upside in a way you’ll never get at BigTech . I do think content businesses are an easier launch point . Adam Wethan of Tailwind and Nathan Barry of Convertkit are both examples of bootstrappers who self-funded by starting with info products. I think one mental trap for solo devs is to over identify as SWE and not as online entrepreneurs with SWE skills as a particularly helpful asset. Wish you and TinyPilot the best of luck and look forward to future updates. |
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This is one of those scary truths that chased me out of entrepreneurship.
It's scary because it shines a light on the enormity of the task outside of building the product (and building the product usually isn't easy). Parts of it (sales especially) can be very fun, but a lot of it is painful.
I scratched the itch of "can I make something from nothing" and after that realized there was a reason I didn't major in business in the first place. I left with a newfound appreciation for what they do!