Just saw this nice tweet in #buildinpublic community on X/Twitter. Marcos Placona (@marcos_placona) shares his lessons on solopreneurship.
Building a product solo is a wild ride. After 2 “failed” attempts and 1 modest success, here’s my unfiltered take on solopreneurship:
- Your idea isn’t special. Sorry, but it’s true. Execution is everything. Stop obsessing over secrecy and start building.
- MVP doesn’t mean half-assed. It means laser-focused. Cut features ruthlessly, but make what remains polished AF. One feature!
- “If you build it, they will come” is bullshit. Your GTM (Go to Market) strategy is as crucial as your product. Ignore it at your peril.
- Speaking of GTM – yes, you need one. Even if it’s just a glorified checklist. It’ll force you to think about distribution from day 1.
- Time management is your secret weapon. You’re wearing all the hats – don’t let any one role consume you. Set strict time blocks. You got into this and now you have ownership of your own time.
- Feedback is gold, but not all feedback is created equal. Learn to filter signal from noise. Your mom’s opinion doesn’t count (sorry, mom).
- Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Ship early, ship often. Your first version will suck. Embrace it. Progress over perfection, always!
- Coding is the easy part. Customer support, marketing, sales – that’s where the real challenge lies. Prepare to be humbled.
- Loneliness is real. Find a community of other solopreneurs. You’ll need the support and reality checks.
- Cash is oxygen. Have a runway. Ramen profitability isn’t sexy, but it’ll keep you alive long enough to succeed.
- Tools are not a substitute for strategy. Stop procrastinating by researching the “perfect” tech stack. Just work with what works well for you. Remember the first version of Twitter was built in RoR.
- Your mental health matters. Burnout is a productivity killer. Take breaks, touch grass.
- Learn to say no. Feature requests will pour in once you launch. Most are noise. Stay focused on your core value prop.
- Document everything. Future you will thank present you when you’re not scrambling to remember why you made certain decisions. Even Cursor will comment your code for you if you ask nicely.
- Celebrate small wins. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Find joy in the process or you’ll never make it. The first dollar is magical.
Building solo is tough, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. You’ll learn more about yourself and business than any MBA could teach you.
Embrace the chaos, trust the process, and remember: the only true failure is giving up. Now stop reading tweets and go build something awesome.
Would you add anything? Maybe another 15 lessons?