Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is how much …

2/n

Kudos to @jrleonr for sharing a vulnerable post on IH.

Personally I don’t think $12,000 is enough financial cushion to go all-in, start an idea from scratch and get to ramen-profitability. It’s just too short of a runway.

https://t.co/WQnwqQphat

3/n

Here’s how much money I saved up over years of corporate work in order to take the plunge and go indie: $200,000

For context, I’m 40, single and had worked my way into quite senior positions by the tail end of my employment.

4/n

$200,000 was enough cushion for me to work on my own projects for years without drastically changing my lifestyle too much. In retrospect, I think I gave myself too much of a cushion. I basically played around for a year before getting really serious...

5/n

...but on the other hand, trying to stretch too small amount a money to the point where it drastically downgrades your lifestyle, affects the people you love and creates a constant atmosphere of anxiety is also counter-productive.

6/n

You can’t put a number on the “right” amount as it will depend on personal circumstances and living costs in your country etc

The answer is ambiguous: you need more than would cause you stress, and less than would trigger Parkinson’s law and make you waste time.

7/n

Going indie is not a linear experience.

You don’t just launch then grow predictably month after month.

You need time to launch, fail, pivot - where a financial cushion helps.

Then you need to commit and double down on something - where a financial ceiling helps.

8/n

If I had to define it more clearly, I think you need at least a year of *comfortable* runway to give it a proper shot.

You won’t do your best work if you are waking up in the morning worried about money from day 1.

9/n

If you don't have that, why not just wait? Do more freelance work. Join a startup and discover problems you are passionate about. Join a big boring company and save up a war chest.

10/10

Or start lower-risk. Build something small alongside your employment or freelance work. You don't have to go all-in like I did, it's just one way to get started. But if you do choose that path, I hope this thread gave you a more realistic idea of the finances needed!

Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is how much money do you need to become an Indiehacker?

Well here’s what my own finances looked like when I went all-in…

A thread 1/n

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Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is how much money do you need to become an Indiehacker?

Well here’s what my own finances looked like when I went all-in…

A thread 1/n