Don't Chase Two Rabbits.

Solopreneurs (sometimes called “indie hackers”) are a small, fragmented community. Most of us find ourselves in online spaces like X, Reddit and Telegram to discuss tools, ideas and the projects we're building.

There's always discussions regarding hosting providers, coding languages, marketing channels, AI agents etc. the list goes on.

What’s most interesting, though, is how most are open with their earnings; sharing their monthly recurring revenue (MRR) in regular posts and their public bio.

There are a handful who have achieved extraordinary levels of success, and as a result, have become prominent figures in the space; dare I say thought leaders and authorities.

Naturally, those of us who want to emulate their success observe what they have built and what's really working for them. What is most obvious — I guess it’s the elephant in the room — is that they all have multiple projects going on at the same time. They have several sources of income. And they typically don’t have multiple apps in the same category or industry.

This completely goes against conventional wisdom.

We are taught (or experience) the woes of a distracted mind and an unfocused entrepreneur. That spreading yourself thin over 3-5 projects makes little sense over going all in on just one. You’ll make larger gains with a large business, as opposed to the gains made with multiple smaller ones.

And yet, the top guys in this space all have 5+ projects running simultaneously, and they are making millions doing it.

How do we reconcile that?

When prompted, they respond by saying things like:

"I have to try many things to see what sticks"

“I can’t focus on just one idea…I’ll get bored”

"It helps my brain stay active and sharpens my coding skills"

I understand that sentiment, as I too have tried many things different things in the past 20 years (over 100 to paint a picture.) I too had that curiosity and desire to succeed. I believed that if I just launched enough things, that one would eventually take off. I thought I had been a clever businessman by hedging my bets and diversifying my risk portfolio.

But, I was wrong.

Some guys can juggle multiple projects at once. But the problem with that (at least, for me) is:

Time: If I only have an hour a day to work on stuff, I can’t split that into 15 or 20 minute chunks and expect to have done anything meaningful. You need to give projects meaningful time to solve problems, create features, fix issues and influence UX.

Resources: Spending $1000 on one project is more effective than spending $100 each on 10 projects. The $100 won’t do much and you won’t see any meaningful return, which will impact growth and potentially discourage you also. Every dollar counts. And we don’t even have to mention multiple domain renewals, multiple hosting plans, multiple email inboxes, multiple databases and every other cost involved with running a startup.

Energy: I’m not talking about the hassle of managing multiple projects, although that too can become a problem if you’re not careful. I’m referring more to the energy you invest from a mindfulness perspective. Every spare minute: whether you’re driving, in the shower, about to sleep or anything in between, you are most likely going to be thinking about your business. And if that’s the case, your thoughts are most productive when they are focusing on a singular problem; analyzing it subconsciously on a routine basis. If you’re distracted by many projects, it doesn’t allow your brain to ever ruminate on a problem where it can provide an insight or lead to a solution.

“But what if I choose the wrong idea to work on?”

Look at your competitors. If they are somehow doing hundreds of millions of dollars (or even billions) per year, I don’t think you can really say you chose the wrong idea. The only bad idea is one where there is NO competition, which usually means it’s not a real problem people are willing to pay to have solved.

“But how do I overcome this urge?”

I get it. It’s called “shiny ball syndrome” where you want to try many different things. It’s a part of being an entrepreneur.

Honestly, I think the best way to deal with it is to not resist it, rather, make sure that it still somehow serves your main project.

For example, I have a few mini sites. One is a directory. The other is a browser-based online game. Another is a Chrome extension. But they are not real businesses. They exist mainly for fun AND they also help build Fantastic Forms. How? Because they link back to it in the contact form (in the signature ‘Made with Fantastic Forms’). So, it’s a way I can try things while not getting distracted. They are also run on autopilot, so I don’t even work on them in my spare time…meaning I can give my full devotion to Fantastic Forms.

Don’t worry about what others are doing. Ask yourself: what works for me?

This is what works for me. I found my method after many years. And I hope this helps you to do the same.

— Sebastian