TL;DR

  1. Building in Public
  2. Individual Entrepreneurship is a Future Trend
    • AI and remote work make one-person companies more feasible.
  3. No Need to Overly Rely on Funding; Start with Lean Startup Methods
  4. Register Platforms and Services as a Company, Not as an Individual
    • Using a company entity can mitigate the risk of unlimited personal liability.

Building in Public

  • Build a personal brand through social media.
  • Sharing genuine stories and experiences is more effective than purely promoting products.
  • Consistently create content to build an audience.

Ways to Identify Product Needs

  • Solve your own real-world problems.
  • Observe successful examples.
  • Discover needs through user comments on official forums and communities.
  • Seek opportunities in new products and trends, such as:
    • Apple Vision Pro
    • Meta Threads

Product Development Strategy

  • Start with a small niche to avoid creating a large, all-encompassing product from the beginning.
  • Choose a niche market to avoid direct competition with big companies.
  • Focus on product differentiation and competitive advantages.

Product Pricing

  • Consider setting a higher price; avoid underpricing.
  • Higher pricing helps users recognize the product’s value.
  • Adjust prices through discounts and other offers.

Product Launch and Marketing

  • Launch on ProductHunt.
  • Submit products to directory sites.
  • Market on Reddit communities.
  • Email marketing (especially cold emails).
  • Paid advertising.
  • Influencer marketing (with careful evaluation).

Use Terms Like “Independent Creator” or “One-Person Company” Instead of “Independent Developer”

  • Creating products is more than just coding.
  • It involves product design, operations, marketing, and other areas.

Avoid Over-Reliance on Funding

  • The goal of an independent creator or one-person company is to achieve stable income, not explosive growth.
  • Do what you want without restrictions from investors.
  • Maintain full control over your product and company.
  • Start with a lean approach:
    • Begin on a small scale.
    • Improve the product based on user feedback.
    • Support growth with revenue to achieve sustainable development.

Company Registration and Compliance

  • Register platforms and services as a company entity rather than as an individual.
  • Using a company entity can help avoid the risk of unlimited personal liability.
  • Avoid using informal registration methods to prevent account bans and personal data from being blacklisted.

Team Collaboration

  • Be cautious when choosing partners.
  • Build trust through long-term collaboration.
  • Consider hiring agents or outsourcing teams.

Social Media Management

  • Run both English and Chinese accounts.
  • Personal accounts are more relatable to users than brand accounts.
  • Share personal stories and experiences to increase engagement.
  • Actively interact and build connections:
    • Respond to others’ original posts.
    • Engage in proactive outreach.

Platform Selection Suggestions

  • Independent developer communities are primarily active on Twitter.
  • Fashion and younger audiences prefer Instagram.
  • Choose platforms based on target audience; go where your users are.

Host: Guo Xiaoli
Guest: @LuoSays / Chuhaiqu Incubator
X Space Recording: Entrepreneurial Exchange: Basics for Independent Developers Going Global