Current state as of January 2024.

It's been almost two years since I quit my job to build my apps as an indie-hacker/solopreneur. Here's how it's going.

• 🎨 20+ clients for my design agency (6 ongoing)

• 📱 Published and killed 1 app (RIP Jikimi Weather App)

• 😢 0 users

• 👥 253 Twitter/X Followers.

The only thing that's seems to be doing okay is my unplanned design agency that I started out of pure need, as I ran out of my runway.

What went wrong?

I was scared of the users

For 9 months, I learned how to code and made my first app. Yes, 9 months!

I got extremely fixated on the very first app idea I had immediately after quitting and spent way too much trying to perfect the design and features without ever showing it to any users.

I didn't validate my idea before building because I was foolish and scared of rejection.

I didn't ship fast enough because I feared users will find my app trashy if it was imperfect in any way.

I totally neglected the marketing/business side

Even if it took half-a-year too long to launch the app, if I had known how to advertise my app and reach my target users to get feedback, it would've worked out better.

However, I did not market nor maintain my app, as I was engulfed with a sense of fulfillment after releasing my app I've worked on for over 9 months.

The app naturally joined the app graveyard along with millions of apps that never saw the light of the day.

New for 2024!: A 5-step strategy to successfully build 10 apps in one year.

1. Validate before building: Before you even build your MVP, test your ideas first. Use all channels for hints and clues that point to user needs.

2. Build in public: When it comes to early-stage digital products, any publicity is good publicity. It's the best way to get to know your users, and improve on your products.

3. Ship fast: When you have an idea that has a potential, ship it in 14 days max.

4. Learn from feedbacks: Nobody's going to notice the small imperfections of your app. If anything, getting a negative feedback means they care about the product. Cherish those negative feedbacks, for they are your potential users.

5. Don't be afraid to move on: If your product gets traction, keep close contact with your users and turn them into loyal customers. If your product metric is low, analyze why it didn't work out and move on.

2024 goals

• Publish 10 apps

• 10,000 monthly users

• $10,000 MRR

In order to achieve these goals, I will

• Daily commits on Github

• Daily blog updates

• Weekly Youtube updates