Why do we see goals of making money everywhere in the Indie Hacking space, what is the problem with these goals and what are my goals.
Since discovering indie hacking in September 2024, I've followed a lot of creators, and they share one obvious motivation: money. $10k MRR, a $500k salary, a 7-figure valuation — these numbers are everywhere, partly because they're an easy way for an audience to follow your journey and root for you.
But chasing those numbers for validation creates a vicious circle: hit 1k MRR, feel validated, need 2k MRR to feel it again. And most people sharing these goals talk about what the money buys — cars, a bigger house — which is exciting but isn't actually what motivates me.
What actually gets me up in the morning is more internal: helping my parents. I grew up in a poor-to-middle-class family, and even with a happy childhood, I feel it's my responsibility to make their lives easier. That kind of motivation holds up on the bad days in a way that external goals don't — you can give up a lot of things, but not that.
This is why I build startups, write here, and make videos: not to hit a number, but because of what backs it. External motivations still matter — you need to want the car, the house, the lifestyle to find the extra effort — but they can't be the whole engine. Find what's underneath them, and you'll have something to pull from when the external reasons stop being enough.