I spent 3 weeks building an open-source directory aggregator instead of doing customer discovery. Here's what I learned.
TL;DR: I built Awesome Directories – 300+ curated launch directories for indie hackers. Free, open source. Here's why I built it without talking to a single customer, and what I'm learning from that decision.
🔗 Live: https://awesome-directories.com
🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/awesome-directories/awesome-directories
The Anti-Lean-Startup Story
I know what you're thinking: "You're supposed to do customer discovery first."
You're right.
I didn't.
Here's why:
My last product: 3 months building a SaaS for B2B sales team. Spent $0 on customer discovery. Talked to 0 customers. Launched to… 0 customers. $0 revenue.
That sucked.
This product: I had a clear problem (wasted 20 hours researching directories), a simple solution (aggregate them), and honestly? It was fun to build.
So I built it in 3 weeks instead of spending 3 months validating.
Is this smart? Probably not.
Is it working? We'll find out.
What I Built
Awesome Directories: A curated list of 300+ launch directories with:
✓ Domain Rating scores (filter for DR 70+)
✓ Dofollow/nofollow badges (SEO nerds know why this matters)
✓ Community voting (ratings/reviews from real founders)
✓ Multi-select checklist export (CSV download with all your selected directories)
✓ Submission tracking (mark which ones you've submitted to)
✓ Real-time search and filtering
✓ Open source (Apache-2.0 license)
Tech stack: Astrojs 5 + Supabase + Ahrefs API
Cost: $20/month (Apify Actor)
Time: 3 weeks part-time (I have a newborn, so "part-time" means naptime coding)
Why I Skipped Customer Discovery This Time
Reason 1: I AM the customer
I wasted 20 hours researching this manually. If I needed it, someone else probably does too.
(Yes, this is the same logic that led to my first failure. I'm aware.)
Reason 2: The goal isn't revenue
This is a reputation-building project. I want:
- Newsletter subscribers (email list)
- Recognition in the indie hacker community
- GitHub stars and contributors (social proof)
Revenue? Maybe later. Maybe never. Don't care right now.
Reason 3: Low stakes
3 weeks vs 6 months. $20/month vs $500/month. If this fails, I lose 3 weeks and $60. That's… acceptable.
Reason 4: Building in public is the customer discovery
I'm launching with the first version and listening to feedback in real-time. If people don't use it, I'll pivot or kill it. Fast feedback loop.
What I'm Learning (Real-Time)
Lesson 1: Distribution is harder than building
I have 15k LinkedIn followers. Average post impressions? 200.
Follower count is a vanity metric. Distribution is earned, not given.
Lesson 2: Open source ≠ automatic traction
"If you build it, they will come" is still bullshit, even if it's open source.
I'm learning: You have to TELL people, repeatedly, why it matters to them.
Lesson 3: The retention problem is real
Once someone downloads their checklist of 20 directories… they're done. They never return.
This is the fundamental flaw in directory aggregators (from my market research). I don't have a solution yet.
Ideas I'm testing:
- Weekly digest of new directories
- User-submitted launch stories ("I got 200 signups from Product Hunt")
- Directory performance tracking (crowd-sourced traffic data)
Open to suggestions.
Honest Numbers (Will Update Weekly)
As of launch day:
- Visitors: 800+ unique visitors - over 3 weeks
- Newsletter subscribers: +8
- GitHub stars: 3
- Revenue: $0 (and will stay $0, it's free)
I'll provide updated numbers as they come. Good or bad.
Why I'm Sharing This
I see a lot of "I made $10K MRR in 3 months" posts. They're inspiring, but…
Not everyone's journey looks like that.
Some of us:
- Launch with zero customers
- Build products that might not make money
- Learn by shipping fast and iterating
- Are okay with projects that build reputation instead of revenue
This is that story.
Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, I'm documenting it.
What's Next
Last week:
- Product Hunt launch (11 upvotes)
- Sending email asking for feedback for anyone who signed up (5+ so far)
- Responding to every piece of feedback
This month:
- Add 20 more directories based on community suggestions
- Build directory performance tracking (show which ones actually drive traffic)
- Possibly invite directory creators as "verified reviewers" (more on this below)
Open question for IH community:
Should I invite directory creators (DevHunt, BetaList, etc.) to join as "verified judges" who can review and recommend OTHER directories?
Idea: Build a more authentic review platform where directory operators review each other. Could create a trust layer that doesn't exist today.
Thoughts?
Resources
🔗 Live site: https://awesome-directories.com
🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/awesome-directories/awesome-directories
🔗 Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com/products/awesome-directories
For the builders:
If you're launching a product this quarter, this might save you 20 hours of research. That's the only claim I'm making.
If you find it useful, let me know what directories I'm missing.
If you think this is stupid, also let me know. I'm here for honest feedback, not cheerleading.
What I'm curious about from you:
- Have you launched on 20+ directories? Which ones actually drove signups (not just traffic)?
- Would you use this, or just bookmark and forget?
- What's the #1 feature missing that would make you actually return to this site?
Reply with your experience – I'm literally building the next version based on your answers.
