Launching My Side Project as a Solo Dev: The Walkthrough

https://alt-romes.github.io/posts/2026-01-30-from-side-project-to-kickstarter-a-walkthrough.html

by romes • 6 months ago

72 8 6 months ago

alt-romes.github.io

bryanhogan• 6 months ago

I'm also building language learning related software trying to finance myself living as a digital nomad in Asia, so that was a great read!

Also I'm curious, how did you gather user feedback?

jakeydus• 6 months ago

I don’t believe OP built any language learning software. They built very well-designed flashcards and the business apparatus to support them.

Spike014• 6 months ago

I’m really impressed by the project. I love the entrepreneurial vibe — you have to do everything yourself. It makes you realize how limited your time and energy are, and how important help from others really is. That mindset is a big part of becoming an entrepreneur.

veyh• 6 months ago

Four years in, I suppose you could say I'm still "launching," so I eagerly jumped right to the marketing part to see if there was any good insight.

Uh-oh. My experience has been pretty much the same. Paying for ads feels like lighting money on fire.

Like the author, I also stay away from social media. I've tried posting some videos and shorts, but since I don't actually consume any content on the platforms I'm posting them on, I don't really know what works. Not to mention it takes a long time to make even a single short, let alone a longer video.

Then I published a somewhat technical article on the product blog which brought in more traffic than a giveaway I did during the Christmas holidays, when I was literally giving the product out for free. Of course, the readers of the article were probably not the target audience of my product but it was still quite interesting to see.

I figure I'll keep writing more and see if something happens. Because the ads, videos and shorts were definitely a waste of time (and unlike the author, I don't have anyone I can ask for help).

Naturally, I'm still developing the product. Choosing what to work on is half the challenge. At least I feel productive when I'm writing code. Can't say the same for the other stuff :)

geooff_• 6 months ago

It's refreshing to see a realistic (and familiar) product story laid out. I've gone through this exact process (Thankfully I didn't try to self-host email) trying to launch products.

Congratulations on getting it out the door!

radiospiel2• 6 months ago

Amazing read! What really is missing tho is a link to the kickstarter campaign right on top of the text.

radiospiel2• 6 months ago

…which is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rromes/kanjideck?ref=th...

gerardnico• 6 months ago

Marketing is an art.

I found the real value of this deck only at the end of the kickstarter page and I went through because I read the blog first.

Every sales needs a story (Rory, alchemy). It would have been awesome to also have a bit of Japanese story on each card or to embed a game in it.

All the best in your endeavours. It’s not easy for sure.

Launching My Side Project as a Solo Dev: The Walkthrough

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