Starting the 30-day maker challenge 🚀

Lachlan Kirkwood
12 replies
I've decided to join the $100, 30-day challenge to becoming an indie hacker. The challenge is a great way to set constraints when validating a product and growing to profitability as quickly as possible. When building my first project, I spent $4,000 manufacturing a new physical product (failed). My second project, I spent 12 months working relentlessly to build a product that wasn't validated (failed). This time, I plan to be meticulous about the way I allocate resources. By choosing to stick to a simple concept, I've created a clothing label for passionate makers like myself, called Maker Threads. There's certainly nothing innovative about a clothing label, but I'm excited to already see promising results in comparison to my past projects. Current breakdown: Spend: $35 (Shopify monthly fee) Revenue: $44 If you're a maker who's ready to get serious about monetizing your product, I'd recommend joining the challenge to see what you can achieve 🙌 If you've previously taken the 30-day maker challenge, I'd love for you to comment below and share your learnings throughout the process. If you'd like to support my journey, you can check out the Maker Threads store here: https://makerthreads.co

Replies

Matt Alcock
3 things that will work well this way 1. Brands (t-shirts, prints, branded item bought from a supplier and branded) the value you are adding is the uniqueness of the brand 2. selling yourself as a service (coaching, digital training, bookable sessions) 3. Digital learning content (blog, newsletter, e-book). 3 things that will be hard with this budget 1. SaaS product 2. Physical product 3. App (although no-code tools could help here) If anyone wants help testing a concept out on social media I have helped L'Oreal and LEGO test ideas with Faraday. The free plan is great for running a concept testing campaign on social I wrote this article that may also help https://getfaraday.com/blog/busi...
Lachlan Kirkwood
@matt_alcock1 Great insights! I'm currently using a print-on-demand platform, so I'll be keeping the production costs low for the the time being. Appreciate you sharing the article, found it very actionable!
Dzintars Baugeris
May I recommend something to others. I never invest if I'm not 100% sure. I have nothing to lose and I usually go to the end. And always succeed. My tactics.There is only one thing! Human zinkaare! I think I can answer any question! Ask me whatever.
Bugra Ozkan
Hey Lachlan! I didn't understand what "$100" is for. Is it for spending or revenue?
Lachlan Kirkwood
@ozkanbugra Hey mate, I should have been more specific. The $100 is for revenue. By limiting the amount I can spend, it helps reduce the risk of over investing in the project if it doesn't gain traction.
Shiv Patel
@lachlankirkwood, I see that often man. Spending time on validating is key. It's kind of like frontloading a lot of work to ensure during production, you have talked to enough potential customers. There is only 1 of you and many prospects or customers to speak to. I kind of felt this pain recently, that is why we got a team together to launch this free product that helps you collect feedback, validate feature plans, and source new ideas. @lachlankirkwood What do you think of it? https://www.producthunt.com/post... Could it have helped in the journey? p.s: I created a custome apparel company once in college. Fun journey ahead of you : )
Lachlan Kirkwood
@shivhpatel The feedback portal looks great. I'll try and see how I can integrate it with the current validation process 👍 Would also love to know if you had any key takeaways from your experience with your previous apparel brand!
Tom
I'll join! I assume I'm not including my own time in that $100 🤣. Working on www.usebolt.io - keeping costs down by taking on most of the tasks. See you in 30 days!
Tom
@frankbyte Thanks Tommi, although this isn't a COVID product!
Tommi Urtti
Shirts look clever. How’s the quality and where do they ship from? Did you integrate custom SW somewhere somehow or was this some platform that you used?
Amy Frame
That's super exciting - forcing yourself to use minimal resources may spark more creativity. What do you think sets you apart from other brands? 👕