preetsuthar17

A few years ago, when I was working as a freelance web developer, there were many projects that used repetitive layouts and designs.

That's when I built my own collection of basic UI components, such as buttons and others. At that time, I was using CSS, so I styled my components using CSS. Later, I decided to open-source these components, and that's when I created HextaUI.

After a few months, I found out about Tailwind CSS, so I decided to recreate all components with better design, modularity, and accessibility. This time, I also added animated components, not just base components. After building and launching, I left it and went on a break. (It didn't get any response because I didn't know marketing.)

Old HextaUI homepage - https://eloquent-belekoy-8b3fc1.netlify.app

Two months ago, I decided to rebuild the entire project—but this time, I wanted to scale it and make it stand out, because there's a lot of competition. So I rebuilt all base components, made them the latest versions, and gave it my all.

This time, it got a great response, in fact, it crossed 50,000 visitors in just 72 hours.

Looking at the response and demand, I created pre-built blocks using the base components and launched them at a minimal price. That also blew up and crossed more than 10 sales and exceeded $500 in revenue in just 24 hours. I was selling pre-built website blocks and UI components.

What I learned: the product matters the most. No matter how many competitors are out there, people still buy good products. If you think, "People are already building what I'm building," or "There are better options," then build something better. Make something specific. Niche down within that same niche.

Just build it.

i hit vercel limit, but it's live now

fixed it

Today, I’m going to share the story of my freelancing journey—how I earned my first dollar online and eventually built my own web development and design agency.

It all started four years ago. Back then, I was just playing around with HTML and CSS, creating simple websites and showing them off to my friends. I had no clue about freelancing. One day, while scrolling through YouTube, I came across a video explaining freelancing—how you could get paid for building websites for others.

That video was a game-changer. I realized there was a world where my skills could actually be valuable. I felt excited and ready to dive in. I started on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, spending an entire year messaging potential clients, sending emails, and pitching my services.

But after a year, the results were... zero. Zero clients. Zero money. I was frustrated and burned out. So I gave up.

After giving up on freelancing, I spent the next six to seven months playing video games and doing nothing productive. I was stuck, convinced I was done for.

Then one evening, while sitting on my balcony watching the sunset, something clicked. It felt like one of those moments from a movie. I realized I couldn’t just stop here. Giving up wasn’t the answer. I had wasted time feeling sorry for myself instead of working on my skills and doing what mattered.

That day, I made a decision—I was going to turn my freelancing journey around. I went back to learning, but this time I focused on modern frameworks like React.js and Next.js instead of just HTML and CSS.

I joined freelancing communities and Discord servers, shared my work, talked to people, and networked as much as possible. For almost a year, I hustled nonstop, doing everything I could to get noticed.

One day, I received a message on Discord: "Hey, I like your designs and your work. Can we talk?"

That message changed everything. After nearly three years of struggle and self-doubt, I finally landed my first client. I gave the project my all. The deal closed for \$70—not a big amount, but it meant the world to me.

A few days later, the same client came back with another project. This time, I charged \$100. Slowly, through word of mouth, more clients started coming in. I started earning \$150 per project, then \$1,200 over the course of a year.

Fast forward to today—I'm now running my own web development agency called HextaStudio. I’ve also created over 10 startup and SaaS projects. None of them have gone viral or made money yet, but I’m not giving up.

I’m constantly learning, building, and moving forward because I believe hard work never goes to waste.

If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s this—success doesn’t come easy. It takes time, effort, and a lot of resilience. I’ve faced rejection, burnout, and self-doubt. But every setback made me stronger.

To anyone struggling with freelancing or feeling stuck, remember: it’s not about how many times you fall. It’s about getting back up every time. Your hard work will pay off. Just keep going.

alright! I understood I should just add consent in user settings if they want to allow AI services to use their data etc etc

I tried my best :)

I see, what do you think would be best for me to do?

I didn't add any validation that's why it might be accepting text

Thank you for your feedback. I'm curious about what pricing would be acceptable and reasonable?

I'm curious why you think that?

Many AI products use user data; how do they handle it?

I'm still brainstorming new, unique features. As a solo developer and student, it's challenging to dedicate more time to projects

with a positive response, I'm willing to work full-time on this project

I fixed it thank you for pointing out!

yep! it's open source on github

https://github.com/preetsuthar17/Ikiform

still if you want to try the demo you can try here

https://www.ikiform.com/forms/a2675039-5901-4052-88c0-b60977...

I was actually working on the demo and adding it in the home page

I'm sorry, I didn't knew about this at all. My bad.