I am launching 12 startups in 12 months while holding down a job

12-in-12 is a well known challenge in the indie hacker world. Pieter Levels, who first coined the challenge, built Nomad List after validating many different ideas and found the one that got most traction. Jon Yongfook did this in 2018 and gave birth to BannerBear.

After completing the 100 Days of No Code bootcamp, I feel more prepared to begin my indie hacking career. However, I still have much to learn. Each month, I aim to:

1) Earn some dollars💰

I've been hesitant in testing willingness to pay in my previous projects. I build and ship but I don't make money from it. Why? Fear of failure. Not wanting to find out that what I'm building isn't adding any value. So for each of my monthly builds, I MUST integrate a payment method and be able to monetise.

2) Transparently share the process of building my monthly startups.

A.K.A #BuildInPublic. This phenomenon started as a Twitter hashtag, but has now been adopted widely because it gives you accountability to finish what you started. By the time you launch, you already have an audience who might either pay for your product or tell others about your product.

Another added bonus: It makes it harder for someone else to rip off your idea, since you've been talking about it since day dot. See this Twitter thread below from Marie, the founder of Llama Life. They might be able to replicate your features, but they can never replicate your stories.

If you want to learn more about why building in public matters and how to do it, Kevon Cheung is the go-to person.

3) Hedge my small bets and hope for a big win 🎲

9/10 startups fail, but it is near impossible to predict whether my startup idea is going to win or flop — so the best way is to validate as many of them as quickly as possible. Using no-code tools, I am able to build an MVP in a day. (I talk about no-code tools in my newsletter, if you're interested)

I'm also just about to start the Small Bets course run by Daniel Vassallo, looking forward to sharing some knowledge from the course! 

4) Learn the nuances of launching in various communities 🚀

When most people hear launch, they are probably thinking of some flashy press release and a large event. In the indie hacker world, launches have a bit less fanfare than that but it's still very exciting. 

The go-to launch sites for indies are Product Hunt, Reddit (pick a relevant subreddit), and Hacker News. I, for one, am looking forward to my first Product Hunt launch. It's a rite of passage for all indie makers!

It's good to remember though that even with these mainstream launch sites, it's always best to announce your new product in the channels where your potential audience actually resides.

How I'm GUARANTEEING success

I work 4 days a week at my tech agency job and will continue to do so while my net indie profit is $0. After covid and lockdowns forced me to stay put, I also have plans to travel in 2023 and maintain a bustling social life. So to actually ship monthly I need to ensure my environment is set up for success. Here's what I've done:

1) Enlist some friends to join me on this journey 🫶

I get a lot of second hand motivation when I know I'm not working alone. Having friends doing the same challenge helps keep me motivated, allows for idea sharing and testing, and provides accountability. We'll meet weekly over video call and use a Slack workspace to stay in touch.

2) Putting down the first element in my no-code builder ASAP

My worst enemy is I love to consume articles to "learn", plan all user flows, and solve all tech solutions in my head. While making this website, I thought about it for days before I even started: researching what other people were doing, comparing tools... It's all just procrastination. The moment I signed up for Dorik, I built this website in one day. I'm going to commit to the tools immediately and chuck in the first component as soon as possible. 

3) Paid for a habit tracker app 💸

I discovered Habits Garden not long ago — an app that is based on the tactics listed in best seller Atomic Habits by James Clear. The app gamifies habit completion each day by growing a cute little garden.

I just paid for an annual subscription and the mere fact that I dropped some cash for it means I'm damn sure going to grow myself a lush AF garden.

Also it's nice supporting fellow indie hacker Marc Lou, with his product. If you're keen on growing yourself a little garden, you can join with this link! I get to unlock the cute lil mushroom if at least 3 of you sign up with it 🍄

4) Created this website and a newsletter 💌

Another self-accountability tactic. I can't write about indieprenuership if I don't walk the walk can I? If you're interested in following my journey, you can read my short form musings on Twitter or you can sign up to my personal email list, which is specifically tailored to product designers looking to become entrepreneurs. While it's written with designers in mind, anyone in the tech industry can still learn from it. Don't be shy, and join me on this journey!