Jake MangerMy startup journey:
Spent 2 years learning to code building a Flappy Bird clone (back in 2019)
Thought I'd get rich
Released it free with in-app purchases
Profit: -$182 (thanks Apple dev fee)
Got depressed but some of my friends played it nonstop (even beat me on the leaderboards)
Seeing real people use something I made felt incredible
Watched Silicon Valley and wanted to make a startup
Switched to web dev
Worked 2 years secretly on my big idea
Finally launched it
Earned $0
Lesson learned: never build that long without testing if people actually want it
Built a scrappy new app over Christmas break in about a month
Posted it on r/sideproject
Got my first sale in 15 minutes
Honest thought: "Are scammers testing stolen cards on my site?"
No. Real people were actually buying it
Hit top of r/macapps
Made $1k in a single day
Spent the next week non-stop fixing bugs and adding features people asked for
Crossed $10k revenue in the first two months
Realised indie hacking actually works
Have been building and growing the app since!