Build Log: Today,I Built Something Smaller, Lovable, Complete to help your SaaS grow

Indie10k started with a big promise: follow the TenK 6 framework and grow to $10k MRR. On paper, it worked. Disciplined people could do it. I even proved it myself.

But here’s the ugly truth: most indie devs (including me on bad weeks) are impatient. A six-step framework felt like homework. Users would start, maybe tick off one or two steps… then churn.

Ouch. That hurt.

The frustration

Every interaction told the same story. A motivated indie dev would sign up, open their dashboard, see the “arc” of growth steps, nod along—and then disappear.

It wasn’t that the framework was broken. It was that the format was too heavy for someone already drowning in code, life, and side projects.

The growth plan was solid. The packaging was wrong.

The doubt spiral

For a while, I tried to justify it: “Maybe the right users will stick.” “Maybe I just need to teach it better.” “Maybe I need AI to hold their hand.”

But then I remembered my core belief: AI should never be the boss of indie devs. The dev is the boss. The tool is just a nudge.

If my framework only worked for disciplined monks, it wasn’t serving indie hackers like me. It was serving a fantasy version of us.

The spark

That’s when I thought about gyms. Nobody opens a gym app expecting to see a six-step philosophy. You just want today’s workout. Simple. Do it, feel progress, close the app.

What if growth reps were like that? One tiny card. Actionable. Complete in itself. No friction. No guilt when you don’t finish all six.

Just one.

Dead simple.

I'd credit Reddit user u/sherpa_dot_sh who brought the concept "Simple, Lovable and Complete" to me today.

What I shipped

So I stripped Indie10k down to the bone . Merciless.

When you log in now, you get one rep card. That’s it. Do it, mark it complete, confetti.

If you’re hungry, you can peek into the library for more. But the default is just today’s rep. I loop 35 reps, so there’s always something fresh without me pretending it’s infinite.

It feels light. But not flimsy. Simple. Lovable. Complete.

A warm aside

I know Indie Hackers already has accountability threads and daily habits. IH is the public square. Indie10k is the workshop. One is where you talk about progress. The other is where you actually do your rep.

No competition—just synergy.

The principle

Indie devs don’t need another heavy framework or AI guru. We need tiny nudges that build momentum, fast. Less overhead. More tiny wins. More streaks.

That’s how we get from $0 to $10k MRR without burning out.

👉 Check it out here and tell me what feels useful (or useless). Break it. Hack it. Your feedback literally shapes this thing.