Summary: Make by Pieter Levels
The indie-making world—building small, self-sufficient businesses without relying on external funding—has gained popularity, especially as more entrepreneurs seek autonomy in their work. In his book, MAKE: The Indie Maker Playbook, Pieter Levels lays out a pragmatic guide for solo entrepreneurs to build profitable startups. Levels is well-known for creating platforms like Nomad List and Remote OK, all while staying lean, focusing on user feedback, and bootstrapping his ventures.
Bootstrapping: Keep It Simple and Sustainable
One of MAKE's main themes is that you don’t need massive amounts of venture capital to start a business. Levels advises against the common trap of fundraising and hiring large teams, often resulting in wasteful spending on office luxuries and inflated salaries. Instead, he encourages entrepreneurs to bootstrap—funding the business through personal savings or revenue from early customers.
Bootstrapping forces you to make smarter decisions and remain frugal, which allows you to have greater control over the business. By starting small, focusing on generating revenue early, and scaling gradually, you can maintain the freedom to pivot when necessary without answering investors.
Launch Early, Iterate Often
Levels advocates for launching products as quickly as possible. This principle enables you to gather feedback from real users and improve your product based on their needs. Waiting too long to perfect a product can be a trap; often, what you think the market needs may differ from what users want.
For example, Levels encourages posting your product on platforms like Product Hunt, Hacker News, and Reddit to generate buzz early on. These platforms benefit indie makers who might not have a large marketing budget. Once launched, you can gather insights from early adopters and iterate, ensuring the product evolves in a direction that genuinely addresses user pain points.
Solve Problems You Understand
Rather than chasing the latest tech trend, MAKE stresses the importance of solving problems you experience. By doing so, you create products that resonate with a specific audience—people who face your challenges. This makes the development and marketing process more natural, as you are deeply invested in the solution.
For instance, Levels’ success with Nomad List was born out of his need to find the best cities to live and work as a digital nomad. He created something authentic that resonated with a broad audience by building a tool that served his needs.
Learn by Doing: The DIY Mentality
Pieter Levels highlights that learning as you go is one of the best ways to become an indie maker. He dismisses the notion that you need to be an expert in coding or have a deep technical background to build a successful product. Instead, you can leverage free or inexpensive resources to learn the skills necessary to bring your ideas to life.
Levels learned to code through trial and error, often using Google to solve problems as they arose. This self-reliance is essential for indie makers who may not have the budget to hire teams of developers or designers. He also suggests not worrying too much about using the “right” programming language. Instead, choose a tool you’re comfortable with and learn as you progress.
Use Affordable Tools and Platforms
Levels recommends using affordable or accessible tools to build and launch products to keep costs low. Platforms like Carrd, Typeform, Google Sheets, and Zapier allow non-technical makers to create functional products without writing a single line of code. For those with some coding knowledge, inexpensive hosting services like Linode and simple server configurations like Nginx allow you to deploy websites quickly and at minimal cost.
By staying frugal and using cost-effective tools, indie makers can focus on what truly matters—building a product that solves real problems—rather than getting caught up in unnecessary expenses.
Checklist for Aspiring Indie Makers (with Examples)
If you’re inspired to start your own indie business based on Levels’ insights, here’s a practical checklist, complete with real-world examples, to guide you through the process:
Identify a Problem You Experience
Pieter Levels created Nomad List because, as a digital nomad, he struggled to find cities that fit his lifestyle (internet speed, cost of living, etc.). He solved his problem by creating a tool that thousands of other nomads now rely on.
Tip: Think about daily frustrations or inefficiencies in your life. Whether organizing your work or finding better ways to manage time, identifying a problem you know intimately increases the chances of success.
2. Start Small with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
When Levels launched Remote OK, it was just a basic job board for remote jobs. It had only the core functionalities necessary to connect employers with remote workers. Over time, he added features based on user demand.
Tip: Build only what is necessary to demonstrate the value of your product. For instance, if you’re creating a productivity app, focus on a single feature like task tracking rather than building a full-fledged suite of tools.
3. Launch Early
Example: Levels launched Nomad List in its early stages on platforms like Product Hunt. Despite its simple form, it gained immediate traction due to its apparent value proposition and early user feedback, which helped him improve it rapidly .
Tip: Don’t wait until your product is perfect. Use platforms like Product Hunt, Reddit, or Hacker News to launch quickly and get real-world feedback. Even if it’s not polished, getting users’ input early is better.
4. Use Affordable Tools
Example: To build and manage his websites, Levels used affordable tools like Carrd for landing pages, Typeform for gathering user input, and Zapier to automate tasks. This allowed him to create functional products without needing a large development team .
Tip: Consider tools like Airtable for database management or Bubble for creating web apps without coding. These platforms offer flexibility at a fraction of the cost of custom development.
5. Gather User Feedback
Example: When Levels launched his various projects, he always solicited user feedback. This feedback loop helped him add features users wanted, such as more detailed filters on Nomad List or specific job categories on Remote OK .
Tip: Set up simple ways for users to provide feedback, such as embedded feedback forms or a dedicated email inbox. Tools like Hotjar or Google Forms can help gather insights.
6. Keep Operations Lean
Example: Instead of hiring a large team, Levels handled most aspects of his business, from coding to marketing. By avoiding unnecessary overhead, he kept his operations efficient and focused on profitability .
Tip: Focus on automating tasks before considering hiring. Use tools like Zapier or Integromat to streamline repetitive tasks like email follow-ups or customer support queries.
7. Self-Learn
Levels taught himself to code through trial and error. He Googled everything he didn’t know and started small, using PHP and basic HTML/JavaScript to build his projects. This DIY approach allowed him to maintain full control without needing expensive developers.
Tip: Don’t shy away from learning new skills. Use platforms like Udemy or freeCodeCamp to learn basic coding, design, or marketing skills that can save money and give you greater project autonomy.
Author’s Biography: Pieter Levels
Pieter Levels is a Dutch entrepreneur and digital nomad widely recognized for creating successful indie startups like Nomad List, Remote OK, and Hoodmaps. Known for his pragmatic approach to entrepreneurship, Levels advocates for building products with minimal resources while maintaining full ownership and control. His “12 startups in 12 months” challenge, where he committed to launching a new product every month, brought him widespread attention in the startup world. MAKE: The Indie Maker Playbook consolidates his years of experience into a practical guide for aspiring indie makers.