I've run a couple small startups as a solopreneur. Currently I'm running the Birdy - http://thebirdy.com. It's been online for about a year, and I just recently quit my job to work on it full time. The only thing I've outsourced so far is the mobile app development (still in progress). It's ramen profitable, so not sustainable yet, and I'm hoping to grow it to a lifestyle business or better.
For validation, I usually turn to my users. I do a lot of user surveys and collect a lot of feedback. For automation, I use a lot of services out there - supportbee, google doc, build my own internal apps...
Motivation is a tough subject. Even tho I've been lucky enough to see continuous growth of the Birdy, it's hard to stay interested, focused and excited about it. I take breaks, I try to find related projects that interest me, and I talk to a lot of people about it. I try to present it publicly as often as I can, so new people hear about it, and give me feedback.
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I've run a couple small startups as a solopreneur. Currently I'm running the Birdy - http://thebirdy.com. It's been online for about a year, and I just recently quit my job to work on it full time. The only thing I've outsourced so far is the mobile app development (still in progress). It's ramen profitable, so not sustainable yet, and I'm hoping to grow it to a lifestyle business or better.
For validation, I usually turn to my users. I do a lot of user surveys and collect a lot of feedback. For automation, I use a lot of services out there - supportbee, google doc, build my own internal apps...
Motivation is a tough subject. Even tho I've been lucky enough to see continuous growth of the Birdy, it's hard to stay interested, focused and excited about it. I take breaks, I try to find related projects that interest me, and I talk to a lot of people about it. I try to present it publicly as often as I can, so new people hear about it, and give me feedback.