Day 802 - Upfront effort vs recurring effort products - https://golifelog.com/posts/upfront-effort-vs-recurring-effort-products-1678661355923
Some products are better suited for a portfolio of small bets approach than others. A recent reply from [@imgracehuang](https://twitter.com/imgracehuang/status/1634789422808854530) on Twitter got me thinking:
> When I consider what projects to work on, I prefer the ones which require upfront effort but no recurring effort. This way, I can do one thing at a time but do once.
Upfront effort versus recurring effort – what a neat way to sum it up!
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this approach too, when thinking about my next project. Just that never found the words to describe it so well.
Digital downloads like info products, PDFs on Gumroad, one-time license for software, or code snippets like my Carrd plugins, seems perfect for this upfront effort approach. SaaS, on the other hand... requires too much recurring effort, in terms of building/updating features, maintenance and support.
I guess that's why in the indie space some folks object to the portfolio approach. They are usually SaaS makers who can't see beyond their own SaaS projects that a different world of indie solopreneurship is possible. And those arguing that a portfolio of small bets work in all contexts also fail to realise it's just "an" approach, amongst many others.
Ultimately, it's up to the maker's own preference. What are you optimising for? What's your end game?
For me, I'm aiming for lifestyle. Something that allows me the life I want, rather than me having to build my life around it.
A one-time payment product with low support/maintenance, requiring substantial upfront effort but low recurring effort, something I can mostly build once and sell multiple times. That allows for a lot more freedom of lifestyle. Compared to SaaS, where you got to even bring your laptop along when you're on vacation, or need to be on alert even at 3am because server crashed.
So, I think I nailed one of the criteria I want for my next product.
High upfront effort, low recurring effort.
> When I consider what projects to work on, I prefer the ones which require upfront effort but no recurring effort. This way, I can do one thing at a time but do once.
Upfront effort versus recurring effort – what a neat way to sum it up!
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this approach too, when thinking about my next project. Just that never found the words to describe it so well.
Digital downloads like info products, PDFs on Gumroad, one-time license for software, or code snippets like my Carrd plugins, seems perfect for this upfront effort approach. SaaS, on the other hand... requires too much recurring effort, in terms of building/updating features, maintenance and support.
I guess that's why in the indie space some folks object to the portfolio approach. They are usually SaaS makers who can't see beyond their own SaaS projects that a different world of indie solopreneurship is possible. And those arguing that a portfolio of small bets work in all contexts also fail to realise it's just "an" approach, amongst many others.
Ultimately, it's up to the maker's own preference. What are you optimising for? What's your end game?
For me, I'm aiming for lifestyle. Something that allows me the life I want, rather than me having to build my life around it.
A one-time payment product with low support/maintenance, requiring substantial upfront effort but low recurring effort, something I can mostly build once and sell multiple times. That allows for a lot more freedom of lifestyle. Compared to SaaS, where you got to even bring your laptop along when you're on vacation, or need to be on alert even at 3am because server crashed.
So, I think I nailed one of the criteria I want for my next product.
High upfront effort, low recurring effort.