I've been building software for a while now. Starting with firmware for jailbroken PS3s, to mobile apps, to social-media exploitation frameworks, and now, indie software.

Through all of this though, I've always been consistent on one thing: I don't sell my work. Depending on the project, this usually means:

• No ads
• No subscriptions
• No freemium
• No sponsorships
• No paywalls
• No end user costs

Are you crazy?

It's funny, because when I tell people this, they're usually shocked. Like, really shocked I don't.

I get it though, for the most part. A lot of people view indie hacking and startup bootstrapping as a way to make money. Some people really think that if you're building something and it's not making you money, what's the point?

But you see, that's the thing. There is a point. I build software because I want to solve problems and bring those solutions to people. Money is nice, but it's not the end-all-be-all of what I do and how I do it.

And yes—I know it's not mutually exclusive. I can still sell my work while still wanting to help people with software. However, once I start selling my work, there's a lot of things that change in my development life, especially when it comes to the projects I build.

I'd have to start worrying about things like:

• How much it's feeling like a job & not a side-hobby
• How much money I can make from the project
• How much I can charge for the project
• How much legal battles I'd have to go through
• How much I'd have to maintain the project
• How much I'll have to deal with hackers and CVEs

Notice how none of this was technical (besides the last one)? It becomes a lot less appealing to work on projects when the core reason I build them no longer is the same.

And the last thing is losing the joy of building software. Something that I can call a side-hobby, which not a lot of even professional developers can say.