Forty days. The time it took me to realize that we did a great job. I'm talking about BlackTwist's launch. It went live on July 1st, and we spent the following weeks shipping features and improvements. During this time, we've also added five new customers, even though one already churned because of inactivity on Threads. But what amazes me is what we did before the launch. Today, I want to walk you through the strategies and insights into how we made $3.7k in pre-sale for a tool that had yet...
5 months ago • 6 min read
I challenge you to say otherwise. Relaxing under the porch after a delicious lunch is one of the best things in life. Especially when mountains draw shapes on the landscape and cut clouds high in the sky. A true paradise. Freddy, my uncle's dog, glazes over a few times to ensure the situation is under control. Nobody can get near the hammock without Freddy's approval. Everything is so perfect here. But I'm not happy. I'm staring at the horizon, wondering why a few days off turned into weeks...
5 months ago • 2 min read
It's here! You've seen it coming. You've read it since the beginning, from the idea stage onward, even if only for a few bites here and there. And after sweating dozens of shirts, let me share this joy with you 🤩 Alohi is live and available for everyone Alohi's landing page preview You know, I expected it to take only a few months… It took me six to finally ship it. 💡 In January, the idea popped up. 🔍 February has been the perfect time for exploration before the work. 👨💻 This March, I learned...
6 months ago • 1 min read
I've always hated the idea of selling. In fact, I've never wanted to be associated with the door-to-door salesman, aggressive and unfair, sticking their foot in the door. And I bet you already felt bothered by this image. How awful. Luckily, all these years in marketing taught me one thing. Marketing is not about convincing anyone, using tricks, or being pushy. Actually, marketing doesn't get much simpler than stating a pain most of us experience, explaining it, and offering a solution. That...
6 months ago • 5 min read
Howdy! 🖖 To celebrate the 30th issue, today I'm sending a totally different email because…why not? Let me know if you appreciate it. Three interesting resources A guide to pre-selling your SaaS for $1000+. Awesome story of a 47-year-old indie-maker juggling between 10 side hustles. As I always say, look for problems, not ideas. Two personal updates 1) Alohi made its first sale, and I'm sooo thrilled 🤩 Tell you what—opening the sales has been one of the scariest things I've done this year! It...
7 months ago • 1 min read
“I’m writing this email from the emergency room at the Sant’Anna Hospital…” This could have been the opening line if I had kept going ahead yesterday night. A storm hit nearby where I live. Lost in thoughts about my project, I didn’t realize the road got worse and worse as I advanced with my car. The engine coughed. I stopped in the middle of nowhere. In front of me, you couldn’t tell apart the road from the surrounding crops. Hard to say how much water was floating there. (Residents talk...
7 months ago • 2 min read
If I had to sum up last week in one word, it would be DAAAAMN. Who knew that my app's hosting doesn't like waiting times? I spent 2 days dissecting the code far and long to see if I could spare that $240/y subscription, but had to give up. And pay. Bye-bye, little money. đź’¸ Basically, the main feature clashes with Vercel's free plan limits because it takes more than 10 seconds to run. 90% of the problem is the AI call, but I won't compromise on quality if you ask me. For the minimum valuable...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Nobody warned me this journey was so hard. Or I knew but didn't want to listen. There's a simple reason. The indie hacker thing is a bit of a misleading bubble. While going against the hustle culture, the few shared successes make the grind seem easy and cool from the outside. Same thing. Who wouldn't love the idea of working on their own, at their pace, and harvesting the fruits of their labor? Count me in! You know, Reader, when I started this indie journey, I felt so smart. It was summer...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Should you be idea-first or audience-first? And what is the best approach, if there's one? It's like the chicken and egg conundrum. I can bring you points for one or the other side, but it feels like a never-ending debate. For a long time, I thought you had to come up with an incredible idea to conquer the market, only to realize that my ideas weren't as good or that I couldn't build them. Having ideas is the easy part. One day, you wake up, and inspiration strikes. But do other people have...
9 months ago • 3 min read