Do you have too many ideas? - **It can be difficult to narrow down to one idea, or see a product** through to completion when you have other things you want to work on. Founders weigh in below on how to focus, finish, and flourish! - **When it comes
Do you have too many ideas?
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It can be difficult to narrow down to one idea, or see a product through to completion when you have other things you want to work on. Founders weigh in below on how to focus, finish, and flourish!
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When it comes to SEO, many founders focus on on-page SEO only. But off-page SEO can be just as important when it comes to increasing visibility and driving conversions. This quick guide can help you get started.
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Founder Brian Dean hit 175,000 blog subscribers over 8 years, then sold his content business in a 7 figure deal. Below, he shares how he differentiated in a crowded market, and how he overcame imposter syndrome.
Want to share something with over 100,000 indie hackers? Submit a section for us to include in a future newsletter. —Channing
💡 Do You Have Too Many Ideas?
by Zach Ang
I have a serious problem: I can't complete anything. I start building an app or Chrome extension or something, but then I think about another idea and switch to building that. When I do finish, I have no interest in marketing or actually running a business around the product, because the idea now bores me. I guess I suffer from shiny object syndrome!
Any other founders feel this way? How do you combat it?
Commitment phobia
Patrick Storm had the same problem for at least 15 years:
Finally, I took some advice from a book called Finish by Jon Acuff.
I don't let myself work on any other project until I finish the one that I've committed myself to. I can write down the ideas, but can't work on them. Getting to work on the new exciting project then becomes almost like a reward for finishing my current project!
It's amazing how many other ideas I get the closer I am to finishing a project, and they all seem like absolute winners. It's also quite amazing how many of those I don't have much interest in by the time I finish my original project.
Break it all down
JustBuildIt started following a new method:
Engineers struggle with this issue because we overcomplicate things. It’s okay to admit it! Here's what has helped me overcome this:
- Step away from the code. Close VS, GitHub, everything.
- Use Notion or something similar to write down a plan, including the following:
- What: Explain what you are building in plain English. No technical terms.
- Why: What made you start the project? Draw from personal experience.
- Who: Who is your target audience? Is the solution meant for marketers, B2B, general users, etc.?
Once you have a written plan, use Trello to create micro-tasks. Work on them, and at the end of each day, move them to "Complete."
This gives you a sense of accomplishment. Solo projects are very lonely, and you need some type of motivation to keep going. Don’t overcomplicate it. Think about all the other products you use every day. At one point, they solved one thing only. Then, over time, they kept adding features and improving based upon user feedback.
Make it simple. Solve one problem. Don’t work endlessly because you think the solution is not yet perfect. It will never be perfect.
Get feedback. Market yourself. You will probably get rejected a lot; it’s part of the process. Don’t give up!
Keep your users at the forefront
Andrew Kamphey says that the key is to remember that you are not the reason that a business starts, grows, and thrives. It's the customers:
Allow your boredom to trigger a launch mechanism.
Get the product into the hands of users and watch them use it. Get paid for it. If nobody pays, move on. If someone pays and doesn't use it, move on. If someone pays and uses it, fix the product.
Don't be so hard on yourself! There is nearly no business decision you can make that can't be reversed. You can launch anything over and over and over again. There are so many markets and so many marketing channels.
You can kill products. You can kill profitable projects. You can kill old projects. You can build projects, products, or businesses, but you usually can't build all three at once.
Also, consider the fact that being an indie hacker doesn't mean that you have to go it alone. There are tons of people who want to develop more, faster, and create side projects, but don't have the time. You really don't know who you will meet here in the Indie Hackers world, or how you can work together. You just have to put yourself out there and launch!
Put shiny object syndrome to use
Canjay has figured out some ways to turn the pursuit of multiple ideas into a positive thing:
Here are are some things you can try:
- Build a blog or platform where you can share all of your ideas for free. You can build an email list and monetize with ads.
- Sell your business ideas.
- Build a site and buy the domain. Then, outline how you would run the business, and flip that on a site like Flippa.
- Sell templates.
- Find people who are willing to help you run these businesses in exchange for equity.
Try partnering with others, as that can help you get an idea off the ground. Choose the idea that you work on the most, one that you think is really in demand, one that you know has potential. Set goals that you want to reach, and every time you feel like giving up on that project, you can reflect on your goal.
What are your tips for seeing a product through to completion? Share below!
Discuss this story.
📰 In the News
from the Volv newsletter by Priyanka Vazirani
💼 Layoffs are out. Labor hoarding is in.
🌉 Cities from London to LA are facing blackouts for the first time in years.
🤩 Forbes has released its first ever Top Creators list.
📱 Steve Jobs' daughter threw shade at the new iPhone.
😜 A bunch of internet slang has just been added to the dictionary. Dope AF.
Check out Volv for more 9-second news digests.
📓 Your Guide to Off-Page SEO
by Thomas Griffin
As founders, we all want to increase the visibility of our businesses. One of the best ways to do that is to take advantage of SEO.
By focusing on SEO, you can optimize your website for search results, and help attract more organic traffic to your business.
Most beginners focus on improving their on-page SEO. They do that by using keywords in their content and making the posts searchable by using different headings, relevant tags, meta tags, etc.
But focusing on off-page SEO may actually be a better strategy for you. Here's why!
On-page vs. off-page
On-page SEO is more about optimizing the elements on your website to boost your ranking in search engines. Off-page SEO, on the other hand, is about optimizing your business beyond your website. Both types of SEO help impact your rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Many businesses tend to ignore off-page SEO because they don't see it as being important. But off-page SEO should be just as much a priority as on-page SEO.
For a deeper dive on the differences between on-page and off-page SEO, check out this Indie Hackers post!
Using off-page SEO for your business
Here are a few ways to leverage off-page SEO:
1. Social media marketing:
As a founder, you are likely already using social media for your business. But to activate off-page SEO, you need to be strategic about what you're creating and posting, and how you're sharing it. The whole purpose here is to boost engagement in a way that drives conversion!
You can share your blog content on your social platforms, go live on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to interact with your audience, create Reels on Instagram, comment on your competitor's posts, etc.
This will help boost your visibility and increase brand awareness. It's a powerful way to create brand credibility and attract more leads to your business.
2. Building backlinks:
Many founders ignore this tip and fail to build backlinks. But building solid backlinks is a way to easily improve your website authority, improve your search results, and attract more traffic to your website.
You can start by reaching out to publications with good domain authority to see if they are accepting guest posts. If they are, offer to create an amazing piece of content for them, adding a link back to your site within the content.
3. Collaborate with influencers:
Influencer marketing has become one of the most powerful tools for businesses to promote themselves. Social media influencers usually have a dedicated following, so when you collaborate with them, you automatically get introduced to their follower base. It's a great way to get the brand exposure you need for your business.
To start, you'll need to be strategic in identifying influencers to collaborate with for the best results. The best way to do that is to look for influencers in your own niche. For example, if you want to promote your clothing line, there's no point in collaborating with a tech influencer. Sticking to your niche can give you the results that you want more quickly.
Do you have an off-page SEO strategy? Let's chat below!
Discuss this story.
🌐 Best Around the Web: Posts Submitted to Indie Hackers This Week
👋 I'm new to Indie Hackers. Any tips? Posted by Sherzodkh.
🤔 What if I discover that another company already solves my audience's problem? Posted by Kyle Higginson.
💸 I spent $100 on LinkedIn ads. Posted by Amando Abreu.
💲 Do you offer discounts? Posted by Mutale Mulenga.
🗓 Bootstrapping a startup, month two. Posted by Thibaut Patel.
🛠 What type of programmer are you? Posted by Pavati Dasani.
Want a shout-out in next week's Best of Indie Hackers? Submit an article or link post on Indie Hackers whenever you come across something you think other indie hackers will enjoy.
💻 Brian Dean Hit 175K Blog Subscribers
by Bobby Burch
Before his indie hacking journey, Brian Dean was a registered dietitian in New York City.
Until he read The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris, he had never considered being a founder. The book, which offers a blueprint to free oneself from working for others by creating a business, made Brian realize that anyone could become a founder.
In 2013, he launched Backlinko to help founders develop actionable digital marketing and SEO strategies. Instead of writing quick blog posts like his competitors, Brian dove into the nuances of digital marketing. He amassed more than 175K subscribers over eight years.
In early 2022, he sold his content company in a mid-seven figure deal to the publicly traded marketing company, Semrush. Learn more about his sale here.
Indie Hackers spoke with Brian, now a cofounder of Exploding Topics, about his journey to making millions, what he’s learned, and his advice for founders.
Why did you start a content business?
When I launched my first business, I was basically broke. That meant ads were out! So, I needed to learn content and SEO to bring in customers.
It didn’t feel like a huge risk at the time, since I had nothing to lose!
At first, it felt super scary whenever I would make any kind of investment into the business. Now, I know that with big investments, some work out and some don’t. It’s impossible to tell ahead of time which ones will or won’t work out, but it’s usually worth making them.
Any advice for people taking a risk to start a business?
Cap the downside. Is there a way to reverse the decision if it doesn’t work out? If it doesn’t totally work out, will you still get some value out of it? For example, if you buy a site, and the site fails, do you get to hang onto a valuable domain name?
Be realistic. I wouldn’t set a goal of $1M in revenue unless you’re already doing six figures. Focus on getting to $100 MRR, $1K MRR, $10K MRR, and so on.
What are the top lessons you've learned?
Slow and steady wins the race. Passion is fantastic, but it’s perishable.
Hiring is probably the most important skill I’ve learned. Being able to identify roles the company needs, and hiring the right person for the role, is harder than it sounds!
Copywriting helps with everything: Internal emails, launch messages, video scripts, you name it.
Do you see founders make common mistakes?
The top mistake that I see is when founders use the “If you build it, they will come” approach. Even if your product can solve every problem someone has, it will still require a ton of marketing.
I only learned this from making this exact mistake several times!
As a solo founder, how do you balance your time?
It's honestly pretty tough at times. I dedicate mornings to “maker time.” This includes writing and creating. In the afternoons, I do administrative tasks. I’m the type of person that doesn’t work a ton of hours, but I try to be super focused during those hours.
Do whatever works for you. There’s no secret productivity approach that works for everyone.
Any advice for aspiring founders that hope to monetize a product?
Get it into people’s hands as early as possible. That’s the only way you’ll know if you have a winner. This visual explains it best.
I struggled with imposter syndrome for years, and what helped me was to meet other people in my space. I remember meeting a bunch of world class marketing experts at a conference, and needless to say, I was nervous. But when I actually met these titans of industry, they were pretty normal! In fact, they were all basically nerds like me. The biggest difference was that they had started a few years earlier than I did. That experience helped me overcome feelings of inadequacy!
Discuss this story.
🐦 The Tweetmaster's Pick
by Tweetmaster Flex
I post the tweets indie hackers share the most. Here's today's pick:
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Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Zach Ang, Priyanka Vazirani, Thomas Griffin, and Bobby Burch for contributing posts. —Channing
