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Comment by Claude_Shannon | Hacker News Reader

I felt as if the article was... shallow? I mean, it was very short and I feel like there wasn't said anything of note.

Yeah this guy knows the secret -- step 4: write shallow updates that make it to the front page of HN to boost your side project's sales

Thank you!... m not the only one feeling this was BS rambling, that could probably be someone making an article out a twitter-thread.

Article felt pointless, maybe someone venting his frustration on how to pursue new things during or after a burnout.

Probably he needs a friend(s), at least a chocolate one (https://youtu.be/CISFw4o0j4U)

It did have a "measure twice, cut once" mastery of the obvious. Of note, the one word he did not use: persistence, and I will demonstrate it in my own sort of fluffy presentation (and in much fewer words):

There's a certain number of modest side projects one must complete to end up with the breakaway project that leads to financial independence. I can't tell you what that number is, but it does exists and if you fail that many times, you will eventually get there. Or die first.

But if you die first, you won't get there, making the "eventually" false, hehe.

My point is that I don't think saying "try and you'll make eventually make it" is very accurate. Survivor bias makes many people say so, but the reality is that everyone should know that you may never get there.

It's helpful for motivation to say to yourself (and others) that if you stick to it then it'll eventually work, but it's never a guarantee.

Well put. Similarly, and one of many analogies that could be made, a published author's first "successful" work is unlikely to be the first thing they have ever written.

Just keep making stuff!

Lots of developers believe that if they think hard enough and choose the right side project, it will succeed.

I think the takeaway here is that chance plays a big role. So increase your chances by shippings lots of projects. And a tip to ship several projects is to stay emotionally, physically, and financially healthy.

Well it also depends on what your success criteria are. If it's a side project and you've invested nothing in it other than your own free time, success could be $200/month in eventually passive revenue.

Success also depends a lot on your approach. If you define it as $200/month revenue, then you're probably better off building something you know other people want. If success is "I built this really cool thing" then you can build something only you want.

So, Claude_Shannon, you are saying this blogspam is low on information? If only we had a way to measure that...

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