10 actionable lessons from reaching $21 000 in 5 months with MakerBox

We had nothing 6 months ago.

No audience, no revenue, no products.

Last week MakerBox crossed $21 000 in revenue 🤯

Here are 10 actionable lessons from this journey.

1) Everything takes more time

I underestimate every task by 50%. Every single time.

"Sounds like a 1-hour exercise"

Takes one day to finish.

That's why I set ambitious goals and achieve only 50% of them.

2) Fans > followers

Having 4000 followers is cool.

But having 40 super loyal fans is way cooler.

They buy all products, consume every piece of content, and support every launch.

Making strong relationships is a superpower.

3) Quick wins everywhere

One goal can be achieved in different ways.

You can get 100 visitors by spending 12 months on SEO or writing one good tweet.

Find low-effort / high-reward marketing ideas and nail them first.

Being efficient is a tremendous leverage.

4) Know when to push

Some weeks we work 70 hours.

Some weeks we barely make 30 hours.

It's dumb to push your product constantly.

Sometimes it's not just okay, but critical to give it (and yourself) a break.

5) Invest in long term

Elon Musk can change Twitter algorithms twice a day now.

If this is your only acquisition channel, you are in danger.

That's why we invest in newsletters, SEO, and community.

6) Always experiment

Don't stick to one format. Try something new.

Launch a new product, try different positioning, and write an unexpected tweet.

It will either be a successful experiment, or you will learn something new about your niche.

7) Co-Founder > Founder

If you can partner with someone, do it.

Seriously, Indie Entrepreneurship is WAY easier when there are 2 people.

I am lucky to have Sveta Bay as a Co-Founder.

1+1 = 3

8) Be different

Don't launch another screenshot tool.

Don't write another tools listicle.

Be at least 30% different from existing solutions.

Otherwise, your target audience has 0 reasons for switching.

Being different is scary, but the alternative is worse.

9) Don't be shy to promote

Build the product you are willing to promote as hell.

Do you believe that it's valuable?

Nice, go on and tell everyone about it.

Word of mouth starts with a Founder.

10) Get ready for failures

Your products are more likely to fail.

Your tweets are more likely to fail.

Have a "default failure" mode on. You will need it 90% of the time.

Sounds awful? Not if you learn from each mistake.