Reflecting on the journey to $10k MRR, and thinking ahead to what the future holds for PL.
ProjectionLab just reached $10k MRR! 🥳
It took 2+ years of bootstrapping solo on nights and weekends, and frankly I did not believe I would get this far.
I remember an old tweet from Jon Yonfook about the idea of a community for $10k+ MRR founders. At the time, I felt like that would apply to me in approximately… never in a million years!
I marveled at what life might be like for guys like him, Pieter Levels, Danny Postma, and Arvid Kahl, and admired the blend of skill and scrappinnes they applied to build and scale real businesses.
But for me? That didn’t feel like it was in the cards. The voice in my head would say I’m just a guy that likes to make stuff, not a “real entrepreneur.”
And yet, here I am drafting THE UPDATE. The one on reaching the mythical $10k MRR milestone of indiehacking lore.
Initially I built ProjectionLab simply because I wanted a better plan for my own financial future. And the fact that so many others wanted that too came as a bit of a surprise! But when people signed up and started asking for new features, I put my nose to the grindstone. And kept it there for the past two years.
This is not a viral growth chart like you’re used to seeing with all these new AI products, but here is a look at PL’s journey so far:
→ 9 months to get to $1,000 MRR
→ 4 months to get to $2,000
→ 7 months to get to $5,000
→ 2 months to get to $6,000
→ 2 months to get to $8,500
→ 2 months to get to $10,000
Building PL as a side project has been a double-edged sword. It meant not worrying about survival, but it also meant making sacrifices and prioritizing my time ruthlessly.
It forced me to focus on tasks that actually moved the needle, but also came with some side effects I am not as proud of:
- Less and worse sleep
- Rarely have time to visit family
- Have not been to the actual gym in months (just bike + calisthenics at home)
Still, nothing matches watching a passion project blossom into something real that can make a small impact in the lives of people you’ve never met. And it may come at a price, but it does feel good to put those early feelings of imposter syndrome to rest. (well, mostly)
As I look ahead to what’s next, I wonder if now is the moment I should start dedicating a more formal percentage of my time. e.g. if I could drop to 75% or 50% at my day job, how many of you think that sounds like a good idea? Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Kyle
