Why I Built Indie10k When Indie Hackers Already Exists

"Wait, isn't this just Indie Hackers?"

That was the first DM I got after launching Indie10k. Then the second. Then... well, you get it.

Fair question. Here I am, building what looks like an AI-powered coaching platform for indie devs when Indie Hackers has been the gold standard for years. Same goal too: help indie devs build profitable SaaS.

So why build another tool? Because we're solving the same problem with completely different approaches.

The moment it clicked

Three months ago, I was doom-scrolling through IH (again) at 2 AM. Reading incredible success stories. Soaking up hard-won lessons from founders who'd made it. Feeling simultaneously inspired and... paralyzed?

Don't get me wrong—IH is phenomenal at what it does. The community wisdom is unmatched. But there I was, consuming all this amazing knowledge, and my own project was still making exactly $37/month. After two years.

The problem hit me like a poorly written regex: I had access to every lesson learned, but zero structure for applying them. I knew about building in public, but when should I start? I'd read about The $100 Experiment, but which experiment should I run first?

What I kept seeing (and why it frustrated me)

Every conversation on IH follows the same beautiful, chaotic pattern:

• Someone shares their journey from $0 to $50k MRR
• Community digs in with amazing questions
• Founder shares 12 different experiments, 3 pivots, and 47 lessons learned
• Everyone bookmarks it
• Nothing systematic happens next

The lessons are gold. The community support is real. But where's the roadmap? Where's the "okay, based on all this wisdom, here's your next specific step"?

That's when it hit me: maybe the issue isn't more lessons. Maybe it's turning lessons into momentum. All these amazing BOPA (Build Once, Promote Always) strategies exist, but where's the systematic approach to implementing them?

My "should I even build this?" crisis

For weeks, I stared at my half-built prototype thinking: "This is dumb. IH already has everything covered."

But then I started asking different questions:

• What if there was something that just told you what to do next?
• What if it was built specifically for solos, not teams?
• What if it focused purely on getting to $10k MRR, nothing else?

The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. This wasn't about competing with IH. This was about solving a different problem.

Same destination, different vehicles

Both IH and Indie10k want to help indie devs build profitable SaaS. That goal is sacred. But the approaches couldn't be more different.

Indie Hackers is the town square. It's where you go for battle-tested lessons, community wisdom, and the kind of support that only comes from people who've been in the trenches. Essential.

Indie10k is the GPS. It takes all that community wisdom and turns it into a structured path with clear north star goals, evidence-based next steps, and weekly momentum.

They're not competing—they're complementary. IH gives you the lessons. Indie10k gives you the track.

What I actually built

Instead of another community, I built a structured path around what I call the "TenK Loop":

• Clear north star goals (not vague "growth" but specific "$10k MRR by month 12")
• Evidence-based missions (built from patterns in successful indie projects)
• Weekly momentum checks (not daily overwhelm, not monthly forgetting)
• One focus area at a time (because your brain can't multitask revenue strategies)

The AI doesn't try to be clever. It just looks at where you are, references what's worked for similar projects (thanks to all those IH case studies), and tells you: "Based on the evidence, do this one thing this week."

The principle that drives everything

Indie10k exists for one reason: to help indie developers reach $10k MRR faster.

If a feature doesn't directly contribute to that goal, it's noise. No social features, no badge systems, no "engagement." Just weekly nudges toward revenue.

Because here's what I learned building three failed projects: the goal isn't to build something cool. It's to build something someone pays for. Everything else is procrastination with good intentions. That's why most side projects fail—not from bad execution, but from lack of systematic focus on revenue.

My warm apology to the IH community

Look, I know this might feel weird. Some guy builds a tool that helps indie devs and doesn't immediately post it to IH first? What's up with that?

Truth is, I'm probably going to cross-post there eventually. But I wanted to get this story straight first—explain why this exists without sounding like I'm trying to reinvent the wheel.

IH taught me everything I know about indie development. This tool is basically me trying to codify all those lessons into something that helps other devs avoid my mistakes. It's respect through iteration, not competition.

Why AI is the assistant, never the boss

One more thing. The AI in Indie10k isn't trying to be smart or creative. It's not going to revolutionize your business model or suggest you pivot to crypto.

It's just good at pattern matching: "Projects like yours typically get stuck here. Try this next." Simple, opinionated nudges that keep you moving when you'd otherwise be paralyzed by options.

AI handles the research and suggestion part. You handle the vision, execution, and all the human stuff that actually matters.

The honest truth

Will Indie10k work for everyone? Nope. If you thrive on community discussions and love synthesizing lessons from multiple case studies into your own action plan, IH is perfect for you.

But if you're like me—drowning in great advice but starving for structure, decent at building but terrible at systematic execution—maybe this evidence-based roadmap approach is worth a shot.

Think of it this way: IH teaches you to fish. Indie10k tells you which pond to fish in this week, based on what's worked for other anglers. It's the difference between learning about turning free users into paying customers and getting a specific weekly mission: "This week, implement one friction-reducing checkout flow based on your user feedback."

Try it (and break it)

👉 Check out indie10k.com and tell me what feels useful (or useless). Your feedback literally shapes this thing.

And hey, if you're active on IH, don't stop. Keep sharing your wins, asking questions, helping other builders. Just maybe use this to help you focus on one thing long enough to have wins worth sharing. Whether that's validating your idea in 48 hours or finally building traffic without ads, the goal is the same: systematic progress toward $10k MRR.

The indie dev world is big enough for both a public square and a few focused workshops. Let's build alongside each other.