I was working as a full stack developer at a startup for two years and had a pretty comfortable life and decent pay. However, I kept seeing others launching side projects and making a lot of money, which got me thinking, why not me? I searched for ideas but couldn't find anything I liked until my father asked for daily messages of Geeta shloks during Diwali. I found the domain dailygeeta.com available and created a product that I think is pretty good. After acquiring some paid users, I decided to leave my job and focus on this full-time. But managing expenses has been tough, and despite cold emailing like crazy, things are not looking great. I'm considering returning to a job and feel like I've wasted six months of my prime time. Any suggestions?
5 Answers
Hey, I’ve been in your shoes and it’s tough! I left a good dev job to build something I believed in and watched my savings dwindle while growth stagnated. That late-night panic of feeling like I wasted months hits hard. But remember, you’ve built a real product and gotten paying users, which is a huge win. Six months isn’t too long, as some products take years to gain traction. If money is tight, don’t hesitate to get another job and work on this as a side gig. Once you're in a better position, you can revisit this. Have you explored other channels besides email for outreach? That might help!
You mentioned being a student elsewhere, right? That could add a lot of pressure. Just take your time figuring things out!
The problem with sending cold emails to so many people is that you might not be reaching individuals who really understand the pain your product addresses. For something niche like yours, try connecting with online communities where your potential users already hang out. Instead of selling directly, just be part of the conversation. Also, have you asked your first paying users where they interact with others like them? That could shed light on new avenues for growth. Remember, those six months weren't a waste if you learned that your product resonates with some people—that's hard to validate and worth something!
It’s kind of exciting to see those first users and watch your idea take off, but your excitement might've pushed you too far too fast. Maybe consider going back to a steady job while keeping your project alive on the side. Growth will likely slow down a bit, but you’ve already done the hardest part—building the product. Leaving it completely isn’t the best move in my opinion. Look after your health and well-being, and if things don’t improve, at least you can be proud of how far you’ve come.
It's totally fine to get another job and work on this side project in the meantime if you don't have anything to fall back on. You're still young! Once you feel more stable with enough savings to sustain yourself for a couple of years, you can think about diving back into entrepreneurship full time. It's going to be alright, trust me!
Thanks, man! I got my first user through my X handle, so I’ll change my strategy from now on.