IndieHackers - 🗞 What's New: Build an MVP that scales

Common advice tells you to start out by building an MVP:

• Building an MVP that scales, and not one that you will need to scrap later, can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. This guide shows you how to build with the end in mind.
• If you're looking to nail your content strategy and generate strong, authentic leads, check out the tips below! Hint: If you don't tell your brand's story, someone else will.
• Founders Dagobert Renouf and Lucie Baratte made the decision to shut down Logology after 5 years and hitting $3,000 in monthly revenue. Here's how burnout impacted their lives, how they're processing things in the aftermath of the decision, and what they're most grateful for.

This issue is sponsored by PixieBrix! PixieBrix is an all-in-one Chrome extension that can boost your productivity with the power of AI and automation. Endlessly customizable, easy to use, and deployable on any webpage. Start powering your productivity today.

Want to promote your business in front of over 75,000 indie hackers in a future issue of the newsletter? Reply to this email. —Channing

📈 Building an MVP That Scales

by Emmanuel Straschnov

If you’re planning to build and launch a product, you’re probably familiar with the way it typically goes: Build an MVP, use it to gather feedback, then completely rebuild version two later on.

But building an MVP that’s set up to scale as you grow is much smarter in the long run. Why?

• Building something you’re going to scrap is a waste of time and money.
• Having a fully functioning product when you approach potential investors or partners can give you an edge in those conversations.
• After you launch, you’ll need to keep testing and iterating, so you’ll need a product that can scale eventually.

It’s well worth the effort to build something that you can keep adding to and changing as you go. I did this with my cofounder, Josh Haas, when we launched Bubble. This made it possible for us to bootstrap our way to $1M+ ARR and thousands of users, by ourselves. It was five years before we built out the team.

Here's how to build an MVP that scales!

1. Don’t skimp on the user research

Before you start the development process, take as much time as you can to do some robust user research.

This will help you identify all the different potential users you might see using your product, and their needs. It will also give you insights into how those users will interact with, not only your MVP, but also the full-fledged product you envision for the future. The clearer that vision is, the easier it will be to make sure that what you’re building today is set up to evolve in that direction.

That said, when you’re just starting out, it’s not always necessary to invest in tooling. Often, it’s better to have a few in-depth interviews with users, than a ton of feedback collected with fancy tools.

2. Pick a single user and build what’s minimal for them

Once you’ve identified the different personas likely to use your product, my advice is to pick just one. This is easier said than done, but it will help you focus and build an MVP that has only what they need, and nothing they don’t.

Often, people build what their users don’t need (or never asked for), so instead of scaling up, you end up scaling down multiple times.

3. Name your short-term goals

What are your goals for the next couple of years? Do you want to monetize quickly? Prioritize growth? Eventually sell the company?

Your goals will influence which features and design elements you’ll want to include, and help you build with the next iteration in mind.

4. Be thoughtful when building your database

When sketching out your database for the first time, think hard about the relationships that you need now, and expect to need in the future. This is one of the most challenging parts of a product to go back and fix retroactively, so the more time you spend here, the better off you’ll be.

I like to do this on paper by thinking through examples. For instance, don’t start by asking yourself which fields you need for a short-term rental marketplace. Instead, think: “Sam is posting his place on the marketplace. Here’s how he’ll describe the place, the location, the price, its condition, add photos, and so on.”

5. Create a written product roadmap

Documenting your product roadmap gets information out of your mind and onto the page (or a Google Doc), which makes it much easier to keep all of the future steps in mind.

It can help to start with a roadmap template, which you can find online. Explore several, and choose the one that works best for you. Make a list of all the features you can think of, then decide what’s necessary (do those first), what’s important, but not critical (do those next), and what’s simply nice to have, or unnecessary (save these for later, or toss them completely).

6. Build on a platform that scales with you

Often, people start with a design platform for wireframes (i.e. Figma), a CMS for their landing page (i.e. Webflow), and either code, or a no-code platform, for their product. That process gets the job done, but there’s a lot of rebuilding involved.

As tech becomes more powerful, it's possible for one single tool to be able to take you from wireframe to millions in revenue. In fact, that’s exactly what Bubble is designed to do. Choose one platform to build on, launch, iterate, and scale.

With one tool, you can be your own product manager and builder.

7. Avoid technical debt

Technical debt is the cost of rework that arises when you choose a fast, easy solution now, instead of using a better approach that would take longer. It can kill your plans to scale your MVP without rebuilding.

Taking a little more time now can save you a lot of time and money later on!

8. Document everything

You may think you’ll remember what your thought process was at every step of your build, but take it from me...you absolutely will not. Document the parts of the process that you know you’re going to want to remember, and eventually, communicate.

This not only gives you something to jog your memory down the line, but also allows you to conduct strong retros, spot potential future problems, and eventually hire and train more people in the future.

Building an MVP that scales may take a bit more work upfront, but it’s worth it in the long run!

Have you been able to scale your MVP? Share your experience below!

Discuss this story.

📰 In the News

from the Growth Trends newsletter by Darko

🛠 Instagram has introduced new features and expanded user types to the Instagram Content Publishing API.

☀️ Here are six local SEO tasks for summer success.

📋 Twitter is experimenting with job posts through "Twitter Recruiting."

🤖 10 ChatGPT alternatives for marketers.

😶‍🌫️ Is disappearing content more memorable?

Check out Growth Trends for more curated news items focused on user acquisition and new product ideas.

🎯 Six Ways to Nail Your Content Strategy

from the Hustle Newsletter by Shân Osborn

Kris Hughes is a content strategy and storytelling wizard. He:

• Wrote (and sold) blogs before it was cool.

• Spent years ghostwriting daily social content for clients, from agencies to CEOs.

• Runs his own digital strategy consulting firm, which is on track to hit 30% YoY revenue growth.

Here are Kris's tips for nailing your content strategy to generate solid, authentic leads!

If you don't tell your brand's story, someone else will

As a founder with a million priorities, content like blogs and social media posts can seem like low-priority items.

But, if you don't tell your brand's story, someone else will make assumptions and tell it for you. Don't sit on your hands when it comes to content. Your story and voice need to:

• Be authentic.
• Feel natural to you.
• Make sense to your target audience.

Pro tip: Take a look at your competitors. If they're not doing a strong enough job of telling their story, they're leaving content gaps on the table for you to capitalize on.

Do a thorough brain dump

Spend ~30 days on a brain dump exercise, using voice notes and freeform writing. Record every thought you have on your brand, then pass it on to someone who is close to, but not a part of, your business.

Ask them what they see from the outside looking in. What words are used over and over again? What topics keep returning? This deep dive step is vital, as Kris explains:

Secondly, this exercise will spin off aligned talking points so you can hit the ground running with a clear strategy and bank of great content, in your own words.

Extrapolate four key pillars for your content

Sift through your brain dump and organize each idea, quote, or topic into one of four pillars:

*Source: Kris Hughes, Zanate Ventures

Each pillar gives rise to specific types of content, and alternating between them will ensure that the topics you speak about remain varied and fresh, but also on brand.

For example, one week you may talk about the results you've driven for a client (pillar two), and the next, share some of your founder story (pillar four). If you ever get writer's block, you can return to your pillars as inspiration, and a reminder of what you want to convey to your audience.

Focus on community building before you put out content

Create a community from the get-go by interacting with your ideal clients, competitors, and peers through value-driven comments and messages. This step gets you comfortable with how you write, how you portray yourself, and how people receive you.

Keeping track of the comments you make will also ensure that you have a content ideas bank. Most valuable comments can usually be bulked up into a post.

Okay, now you can get your content out there

Use your pillars, saved comments, and brain dump to generate content that is authentic to your brand. Remember to:

• Have clear KPIs: Is your content meant to build generalized awareness, or drive leads?

• Develop a voice guide, a resource guide, and a content calendar.

Kris is an advocate of scheduling content to make sure you get it out there. While the cadence and approach of posting will depend on the platform, consistency is always key.

Remember, content is a long game

It takes time to build up a reputation to the point where your content drives leads. Keep at it, Kris says:

You'll miss the magic if you do. Stay motivated by:

• Setting new benchmarks.
• Focusing on positive feedback.
• Reusing your top performing posts every few months.

As a final tip, Kris suggests talking to your customers when things are going well:

Positive customer transformation journeys are powerful additions to your brand story!

Will you implement these tips into your content strategy? Let's chat!

Subscribe to the Hustle Newsletter for more.

🔥 Landing Page Hot Tips

by Rob Hope

Strengthen your landing page with these design, development, and conversion tips:

Track marketing efforts with platform-specific coupons that lead to your landing page.

For example:

It’s our 10th birthday! Use the following coupon on our website for 10% off:

🚫 Bday10

✅ Twitter10

✅ Insta10

✅ InstaStory10

✅ LinkedIn10

✅ NYTimes10

Dedicated coupons will uncover which channels are most effective, while feeling exclusive to your audience.

Subscribe to Rob's One Page Love newsletter for his favorite UI, design, and development finds.

💻 Dagobert Renouf Shut Down Logology

by Dagobert Renouf

Hi, founders! I'm Dagobert Renouf, and my wife and I have made the tough decision to give up on our startup, Logology.

We spent five years and almost all of our savings to bootstrap it, but despite our best efforts, we never found a way to grow beyond survival profitability.

Sure, we had some wins. I'm proud that we brought it to ~$3K in revenue per month, plus $5K from my Twitter course. But with the cost of living and running a business in France, that's barely enough to survive.

Also, because our product doesn't have recurring revenue, we have to find 100+ new customers each month. This puts us under massive pressure.

Keep reading for more on our decision!

The attempts to pivot

We thought of trying to switch to a recurring revenue model and invest in SEO, but with the uncertainty caused by AI, both for acquiring customers and designing logos, we don't feel confident that it would be enough.

We also thought of trying to raise money to hire a couple of people to offload some of the pressure. But after five years of fighting, we're exhausted, out of motivation, and out of money. So, we decided that it's better to call it quits.

The aftermath

I feel ashamed to not be one of the successful founders that I see on social media every day. I feel stupid in realizing that we spent all of this time and money, but it wasn’t enough to make it.

I also feel silly for celebrating when we reached profitability a few months ago. Then, a couple of months later, it was already back to below survival level.

I feel like a loser and a failure. I’m afraid that people will lose interest in me if I stop sharing only my successes, but I have to face the truth that I just can’t do it anymore.

The burnout

Last February, I suffered from massive burnout. My heart rate started going crazy every time I stood up. I had to lay in bed for weeks, and it was so bad that I thought it was long COVID-19. Now, I'm able to walk again, but I need to take it slow and monitor my heart rate for random spikes throughout the day.

The burnout also triggered a problem with my eyes. For the past month, I've been getting dazed by bright lights, like computer screens or traffic lights. Even a sunny day is difficult to handle. I went to the eye doctor, and they said that spending so much time looking at screens without rest eventually damaged my eyes, and I'll need to wear glasses to see normally again.

Destroying my health like this was not what I envisioned when we decided to bootstrap a startup five years ago. Our dream was to build a useful product, make a living on our own terms, and help other founders do the same. We were idealistic, and thought that having a good idea while working hard was enough to succeed.

But competing in the crowded logo niche means that we struggled to make ends meet from the day we launched. We also made some bad strategic decisions, and had to overwork constantly just to stay above water.

We didn't have time for hobbies, fun, or even romantic time with each other. We spent every waking hour worrying about how to get our next customer. On the rare vacations we took, we couldn't relax because we kept thinking about it. Every. Single. Day.

Somewhere on the way to chasing our dreams, we got lost. Instead of trying to live the life we wanted, we started sacrificing everything we cared about just to reach success at any cost.

The burnout I had was a wakeup call that we can't keep going like this. The glasses I wear will forever remind me of the limits of my body. So, that's why we're making this drastic change.

What's next

My wife, Lucie Baratte, will keep the site running while she figures out what to do next. She might simply go back to designing custom logos like before, so if you need one, hit her up. (It starts at $3K, and she's one of the best in the biz!)

On my end, I decided to go back to a job. I never thought I'd do this, but I really need to put a stop to the crazy hours and constant financial pressure. I hope that working on a product, without having to worry about money, will make work enjoyable for me again.

I think someday I'll come back to building startups, but for now, I have no motivation for it. I need time to recover and live a simpler life for a while.

Even though it's a difficult time, there's one positive thing I'd like to mention. When I was at my lowest, dozens of friends that I made through Indie Hackers and Twitter supported me. I exchanged DMs with many founders who gave me insights and perspective, and made it so much easier to find a way out.

Having followers is nice, but when I hit rock bottom and stopped tweeting, it wasn't worth much. However, the friends I made along the way had my back, and that made all the difference.

So, I just want to say thank you to all who supported me during this tough time. You truly are the best part of this journey.

I'll be back with new content soon. There are lots of lessons I want to share. Love you all!

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 Emmanuel Straschnov, Darko, Shân Osborn, Rob Hope, and Dagobert Renouf for contributing posts. —Channing