Outcomes
I can imagine a few different outcomes at the end of the year.
- I build some products, but they don’t get any interest or traffic. I’ll have to get a job and will be out a year’s earnings plus the money I spend along the way. This is the worst-case scenario, but I don’t think it’s terribly likely.
- I build some products and they get a little interest, but not enough to build up enough income to live off. This is OK with me, oddly enough. Any income is a sign that I’m doing something right. I’d still have to get a job, but I will have learnt a lot and have some passive income going. So this isn’t a bad outcome.
- I build some products and I earn enough to sustain myself. This is fine. It’s not spectacular. A few years from now, I’d like to be earning a whole lot more than I am now - but I don’t have huge expectations in that respect. More important is that I can choose where and when and how I work, even if it means I don’t earn so much. If I do need extra income, I can always get a job.
- One or more of my products is a massive hit and I become rich. Woohoo! Not terribly likely, but I’m not going to complain.
- I have poor results after the first few months, get discouraged and quit. Since the alternative is that I get a job, I don’t consider that too likely. But it is possible. Maybe a job will seem appealing after that long without income or human contact.
So I guess, the worst thing that can happen is that I lose some cash and have to get a job. I don’t particularly like jobs, but it’s not the end of the world.
Chances are, I’ll still have some part-time work while I’m building these products anyway. Even right now - before I officially start - I’m dividing my time between a (nominally) full-time job and some product development. At the moment it’s about four days/week on the ‘day job’ and one or two days on product development. And that’s OK. I see regular progress, and that’s encouraging. I’d like to be making faster progress, but anything is OK.