Indie Hacking
Building profitable software businesses independently without venture capital or large teams.
Also known as: Indie Maker, Indie Developer, Indie Business
Category: Business & Economics
Tags: entrepreneurship, solopreneurship, businesses, startups, software-development
Explanation
Indie hacking is the practice of building profitable internet businesses independently, typically as a solo founder or small team, without venture capital funding. The term was popularized by Courtland Allen through the Indie Hackers community.
**Core Principles:**
1. **Profitability over growth**: Focus on making money from day one rather than chasing user growth for future monetization.
2. **Independence**: Maintain full control over your product, direction, and time without answering to investors.
3. **Simplicity**: Build small, focused products that solve specific problems rather than complex platforms.
4. **Transparency**: Many indie hackers share their journey publicly - revenue numbers, mistakes, and learnings.
**Common Indie Hacker Paths:**
- Micro SaaS products targeting niche markets
- Info products and courses
- Productized services
- Newsletter and content businesses
- Marketplace and community platforms
- Browser extensions and small tools
**Key Characteristics:**
- Small or solo teams (often just the founder)
- Low overhead and minimal fixed costs
- Customer-funded growth
- Focus on sustainable revenue over explosive scale
- Direct relationship with customers
- Often built alongside a day job initially
**The Indie Hacker Mindset:**
Indie hackers optimize for freedom and autonomy over status and scale. Success is measured in sustainable revenue and lifestyle fit, not valuations or exits. The goal is building something that works for you, not something that impresses others.
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