How do you keep yourself motivated as a solo indie founder?
Ayush Jangra ✦
12 replies
I know it can get frustrating when things aren't going as well as you'd like them to.
I've been there, and it's easy to get discouraged when you feel like you're flying solo.
As a solo indie founder, it's important to find ways to stay motivated!
For me, it's important to remember why I started in the first place.
What's your way of staying motivated as a solo indie founder/maker?
Replies
Kirill@kaperstone
I'd say, it depends.
It depends on where you are in the company and how well is it going and where you are in the development.
Because financials and customer acquisition can effect those dramatically, good or bad.
Personally, I am a single developer and a single person in my own main project and it is a heck of a ride through many frustrations and many self-motivations.
Because I do realize I am doing a work that in big tech companies, they have departments for each of those things.
But what keeps me going isn't actually why I started this, but my goals.
or in other words, not the past, but the unknown future.
What it can be, what if I succeed and what if I could live off this.
It means I can continue working on my project with no worries.
Just my 2 cents.
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@kaperstone I agree that it depends on where you are and what your goals are.
I am also in a similar position, working on my own project and only having myself to rely on. The financials and customer acquisition can be tough, but they can also be exciting and motivating. For example, I'm currently working on a new feature that will help me get more customers. It's been a bit frustrating because it has been difficult to find the right way to implement it, but every time I think about giving up and quitting, I remember how much I've invested into this project so far and that gives me the motivation to keep going.
I'd say if you're able to stay motivated through frustration and self-motivation, then you should stick with it!
@ayushjangra I must say, I've checked your website and you're one of heck of a designer.
Really beauitful.
Financials and customer acquistion can be exciting and motivating indeed when people are actually using and enjoying the stuff you create.
I am more of a humble person, not a shy I must say.
so advertising and shoving marketing down through people throat and eyes isn't my thing and so I guess I am more doomed ;D
But I on the other hand, am not motivated through the money I've invested in the project, but through the time I've put into it, effort and this basically became my dream.
Like, its been almost 12 years and now, half a year into constant development of the project
bed, work, food, work, sleep, repeat
Maybe it will become something, maybe not.
But we gotta finish first to know the results.
@kaperstone Hey, I'm really glad you took the time to check out my website. 😊 It's great to know that people are enjoying the work I'm doing.
It can be really easy to get caught up in marketing and advertising and forget that the most important thing is creating something people will love. I'm glad you're going for your dream.
I think you're doing a great job! It takes a lot of hard work to create something, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
@kaperstone So to sum it up, your passion is your mains source of drive?
It's hard to stay motivated all the time. I think it's better to be disciplined. Discipline is better to help us keep working when we are not motivated or procrastinating.
@kunal_rajelli1 I love that you're talking about discipline. I think it's an amazing way to get things done, and I'm happy to hear that you've found it useful!
I just wanted to say that I feel the same way about motivation—it's hard to stay motivated all the time. It's important for me to remember that it's not always about motivation, but about discipline.
As a solo founder, I'd say I'm most motivated when someone expects something from me. When a user I talked to or someone I'm working with expects something to be done, it sets a soft deadline that I feel I'm obligated to meet. Also, I think expectations are a huge factor. Set your expectations extremely low so you don't get discouraged from failure.
@kevinxu3 This is such a great point! I think expectations can be a huge motivating factor, even if they're not explicit. I think we all have an internal expectation of how things should go, and when they don't go that way even if it's out of our control, it can be discouraging.
I also love the idea of setting your expectations extremely low so you don't get discouraged from failure. That's an excellent way to stay motivated!
Learning something new every day keeps me motivated so I recently changed my daily schedule to include a lesson first thing before I go into my TODO list. A couple weeks back I also did an exercise to quickly (15 seconds tops) write down why I left the 9-5 and 2 key drivers came to mind: - No endless meetings - Profit from my own labor. I have that in a sticky note attached to my screen. When my eyes get tired and wander down, reading that perks them right back.
Taking a moment to physically write down our initial motivation serves as a constant reminder when it comes to getting the day to day done.
@venessa_perez I love the idea of starting your day with a lesson! That's a great way to keep yourself motivated and focused.
I know how it feels to be tired of endless meetings, so I can totally relate to that being one of the key drivers for you in leaving the 9-5. It's so important to take time for yourself, and I'm glad you're working on that!