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Indiependence is rooted in our personal journeys
When I stepped back from Ministry of Testing, I was looking for something new, I was looking to learn and I felt like I had gotten out of touch with the bootstrapping / tech / indie world.
There were three potential areas I wanted to focus on, they were all about creating community through:
indie business
community
unschooling
I can’t seem to shift these three themes from my interests and life, I think they’ll stick with me for a lifetime. And they were my basic criteria of what to do next.
I had considered starting community for indie type founders, though when I had the opportunity to lead the Indie Hackers community I jumped at it instead.
Getting paid to learn and build community
What more could I ask for?
Well probably a lot, especially with my experience, but to be honest, I had spent over 12 years building a business. I knew the likelihood of gaining traction in any new business endeavour at the beginning would have been low. And when there’s no traction, there’s simply no money.
I went in with an open mind. I went into to it with a real focus on learning and looking for opportunities. I asked myself if I could really help another community grow. I learned how a community could run in a different way. I learned about indie hacking.
It solidified my feelings that community is simply the best way to learn. Through conversations. Through sharing and stories. Through understanding that more views are better.
I learned so much, from posts, Twitter, podcast episodes, and from conversations. And the experience elevated me in so many other ways that just wouldn't have otherwise been possible. And I got paid to do it.
What better way than to get paid to spend time to hang there, learn every day, build my network, and find opportunities? Growth opportunities are there, if you know to look for them.
Focus on the personal growth opportunities
I don’t think I’d go down this path again, mostly because I feel I’ve levelled up so much in the past few years, but that opportunity to lead community at Indie Hackers at that time was the right choice. I was able to find personal and business growth without getting stressed about finances.
I found my pathway to towards my community stuff. My end goal was to do something around community. To build credibility. To explore and innovate. Creating a whole new network, or two whole new networks. That’s tough within itself.
I’m still not quite where I want to be with Rosieland, but every month that passes by brings me more hope, clarity and growth. I’m enjoying the work and making enough money to make it worthwhile.
Start your journey, not your business
Being an indie founder is as much a personal growth journey as it is being a business building exercise.
Based on that, I encourage y'all to do things that don't necessarily look like indie business, in fact it’s probably better to put your business focus to one side. When it all becomes about the business it ends up being overly transactional and sales-y. This just turns people away.
Do things that will help you learn, improve and progress. Find what gets you excited. Find your way. Not the way of some blueprint someone is trying to sell you.
So, don't start:
a blog, guest post instead.
a podcast, get invited to speak.
an event, speak at one
a community, participate in one.
a business, go work, freelance or consultant at one.
Learn from how others do it, then create your own when or if the time is right.
