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#010 - Danielle Johnson (@dinkydani21) - Slow + steady wins the race to $2,000 MRR

Maker of Habit
Today's Maker: Danielle Johnson (@dinkydani21) - Slow + steady wins the race to $2,000 MRR
WHY SHE’S FEATURED:
  • Won #1 Product of the Day and a Golden Kitty in 2019 for Leave Me Alone, a tool to help you take control of your inbox.
  • Just hit $2,000 MRR with Leave Me Alone
  • Living that digital nomad life with her partner + co-founder, James (they are working towards buying a sailboat! ⛵️)
  • Very transparent and generous with her #BuildInPublic content on Twitter + runs an open startup
When Danielle and James first launched LeaveMeAlone, it was a hit. With a #1 on Product Hunt and a Golden Kitty award, it was clear many people had trouble managing their email subscriptions + were looking for a solution. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows from there. If you look at their openly shared revenue graph, the product was below $200 MRR for the first two years since it’s original Product Hunt launch. But Danielle and James were persistent. Over the years they made steady improvements to the product and refined their business model. They sometimes took months off to freelance to cover their living expenses, only to return to growing the product after. Well, that consistent hard work looks to be paying off. They just hit a huge $2,000 MRR milestone and their customers seem very happy with the product.
What habits are working behind the scenes that help Danielle be so consistent and committed to her work over time? 👇
3 Habits that changed Danielle’s trajectory:
  • 📆 Creating my own schedule - I stopped forcing myself to conform to a traditional working schedule. I am most productive in the evenings and I don’t feel good waking up early so I no longer force myself to do a “9-5” and work when I feel most creative.
  • 🤿 Finding a hobby that is nothing to do with tech or your business - I spend around half the year in SE Asia which makes managing my work-life-balance much easier for me because I scuba dive, snorkel, and have recently started sailing too. All of these activities require 100% focus on the task in hand and give my brain a break from thinking about work, customers, features, bugs etc.
  • 🔕 Turning off push notifications on Twitter - Yes really, this has been a game-changer for my mental health - especially as I started to get more followers. It’s unhealthy to obsess over followers and tweets and when you get a notification each time someone likes or comments on your post it’s also distracting. I regularly open Twitter but I’m no-longer lost in it for hours because I wanted to check the time on my phone.
In contrast to some “productivity-porn” we’re used to seeing online, Danielle’s approach presents a more calm and relaxed approach to indiemaking. In Danielle’s world: work when you’re ready to work, explore other interests when you’re not, and for gosh-sake, turn off those damn notifications.
And if you want an example of how to #BuildInPublic, look no further than Danielle’s twitter. It’s full of screenshots, metrics, stories + learnings that will inspire and help you on your indiemaking journey. I highly recommend checking it out 👉 @dinkydani21.
Build the habits of the top makers
Level up your daily habits with Harold, a quirky SMS bot that checks in with you once a day to help you stick with new habits. Channel your inner Danielle and build habits like “Did you spend time on a hobby today?”
You’ll be surprised what can follow when you develop the right habits!
Need some help with #BuildingInPublic?
Check out my new product Promptly.so (launching soon!)
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Kyleigh from Maker of Habit
Kyleigh from Maker of Habit @bagelsangranola

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