Bootstrapping 10er, a Patreon-similar service for Danish creators
Published in 2019, this chronicle by @nicoserdeir details the mechanics of building a profitable, self-funded business without venture backing.
Core Principles for Independent Builders:
Charging customers from day one acts as the ultimate filter for building software that solves genuine, high-urgency problems.
Keeping fixed overhead low and leveraging lean infrastructure allows founders to stay alive until market tailwinds kick in.
Small, repetitive improvements in customer retention and conversion rates yield massive returns over multi-year horizons.
Community Debate Themes:
The community focused on B2B customer acquisition channels, cold email vs SEO distribution, and balancing full-time employment with side-project development.
CATEGORY Bootstrapping & MRR →
HISTORICAL ERA Cloud & Mobile Era (2014–2019)
COMMUNITY SCORE ★ 63 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 50 comments
The idea is good, but the execution is lacking. I get it's a one-man project so far, and that's going to leave you uncertain about its future unlike Patreon. And while Patreon definitely needs competition, creators also needs assurances before they rely on a service.
I honestly wonder why he did not reach out to a few people, who were passionate about the same thing, to help build this service further. As plenty here have already noticed, the website has some quirks right now that might take months to fix, if ever, considering it is just one person running it.
However, I hope all that will turn around, as he gets more press interest, and others might offer to help. And in a year's time, it has become something people might actually want to rely on. I wish him a lot of luck.
"I never created a Patreon account for us though. Everytime I began I never finished signing up. The whole thing just seemed like a hassle. Too many input fields and things to consider and graphics to provide. Patreon expects creators to create more content for patrons. We felt we were already giving away lots with our already free content."
I actually really like this philosophy. I run a tiny, niche miniatures wargaming blog, and while I have a Patreon account, I don't feel like I really fit with the Patreon "idea" of heavy engagement with patrons.
I like that they are open about their expenses[0]. That's unusual.
I wish they would be able to accept payments w/o requiring users to run non-free JS.
[0]: https://10er.co/open
Suggested this as a future alternative to the creators I previously supported on Patreon, I'd love to see some better competition in this space.
Creator of 10er here! Happy to answer any questions.