Lessons from the Indie Hackers Podcast

A few weeks ago I found the Indie Hackers website and the podcast that went along with it. Courtland Allen has created a consistent stream of interviews with "indie hackers" or those among us building an independant business that have really taken off. I have never been much for written interviews, but give me an audio version that I can listen to in the car and you've got my attention. I made it through the 10 episodes in a few days, but knew I needed to restart and listen to them all again. While I relate to many of the guests on the show, the lessons they express apply to many industries.

1. Consistency
   Wake up, show up. Whatever it is you want to do, work at that thing everyday. However hard it may seem or with what little time you may have, do something to move yourself forward.

   My friend Sean McCabe ... His phrase is, "show up every day for two years."
   Nathan Barry, ConvertKit

   Consistency. Sorry to be boring, but that's the truth.
   Laura Roeder, MeetEdgar

2. Get Feedback
   If the sweetest sound is the sound of our own name, then the worst sound is being told our idea or creation is bad. So it's simply a matter of saving face or saving time.

   The dangerous part is that you're making assumptions up until you've got paying customers, and with assumptions you run a pretty decent risk of being wrong.
   Josh Pigford, Baremetrics

   Build a minimum viable product that, when people use it, their feedback is enough for you to say, "All right, I'm headed in the right direction." Or "I'm headed in the wrong direction."
   Courtland Allen, IndieHackers

3. Fucking Do Something
   Anything. The one commonality between every interview is the plea to just start.

   But you will learn nothing from just reading constantly and not actually experimenting and trying new ideas.
   John O'Nolan, Ghost

   You don't need to read crap. What you need to do is go do something.
   Clifford Oravec, Tamboo

If you're even slightly interested in software, entrepreneurship, or being an independent creator, Indie Hackers is truly an invaluable resource. And the most impactful reminder of all:

I did what everyone does when they hear really good advice. And that's that I waited 6 months to act on it at all.
Nathan Barry, ConvertKit

Learn from Nathan's mistake, start now.