Github stars won't pay your rent - KITZE
summary
An open source repo racks up 5,000 GitHub stars but $92 in two years and proves popularity doesn’t pay bills; a developer builds a real product (a browser for developers using Electron and iframe-based previews), closes the source, sets an initial $5/month price then doubles it with no drop in sales, and starts seeing global customers (Japan). The work becomes support, refunds, hiring, taxes and lost sleep, not just building features.
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chapters (21)
- 0:00Opening
- 2:59Quick demos intro
- 3:41Talk goals
- 4:23Building solutions
- 7:09Problem-solving mindsets
- 9:56Open source monetization
- 13:46From open source to paid
- 16:53First product launch
- 17:55Part two: Startups suck
- 18:16Startup freedom myths
- 20:23Customer support struggles
- 22:30Developers and marketing
- 23:12Hiring pains
- 24:58Bootstrapping vs funding
- 26:22Illusion of control
- 28:47Being your own boss
- 29:30Hiring responsibilities
- 30:53Mental health burnout
- 32:16Success versus well-being
- 32:37No next level in tech
- 33:18Happiness mindset
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