“Validate the Idea with a Pre-Sale.” – Katt Risen, no-code maker

1. How and when did you make your first dollar online?

My first online dollar was made with an Info Product. It’s a carefully curated collection of the best tactics, resources, and tools to find real problems for your next business idea.

It was on 1/08/2022 and it was 35 Euros.

2. How long does it take between the idea and this first dollar?

It’s something I struggled myself with. I have plenty of ideas but how can I find an idea that solves a real problem, so I’m sure that there will be demand for my product or business?

I started doing research on this subject and bookmarked a lot of interesting resources. It was a huge rabbit hole with loads of interesting tactics and resources. I thought it could help other people who wanted to get started like me, and it would save them so many hours of research.

I joined a Build Weekend from 100daysofnocode.com and in 1 day I started collecting all the resources in an Airtable base with some clear tags and filters. Then I made some screenshots and set up a presale on Gumroad. I put the URL on my Twitter profile and tweeted a few times about it and mentioned it in my newsletter. It resulted in 10 sales which gave me the confidence to continue with the idea.

3. What best actionable advice would you give to someone who wants to start TODAY?

1. First, validate the idea with a pre-sale.
2. Learn No-Code, so you can build a prototype very fast.
3. Look for some accountability buddies (in communities like Small Bets, 100 Days, or on Twitter)

4. What resources would you recommend to a beginner?

Hmm, I can talk for hours about tools…

My main tool stack

• I use Airtable and Notion for everything
• I love Softr for doing simple websites connected to Airtable data
• I love Mailbrew for reading newsletters
• I love Llama Life for my to-do list
• I love Substack for simple newsletters
• I love Gumroad for selling digital products without having to worry about taxes
• For screenshots: Tinykiwi

My favorite resources

• Trends.vc reports
• Doing Content Right from Steph Smith
• Make Handbook from Pieter Levels
• Honest Guide to Indie Making from Kyleigh

5. Who would you recommend to follow?

• Max Haining for no-code.
• Goutham Jay and Marc Lou to follow their interesting bootstrappers’ journey. [Read Goutham and Marc‘s interviews]
• Lee Launches for his amazing No-Code side projects.
• Dan Kulkov to learn about marketing.

About Katt

Follow Katt on Twitter and learn how No-Code makers went from 0 to acquired.