Intro

As a Vue frontend dev, I initially just wanted to whip up a simple static site with Next.js—learn a hot framework while I was at it. But guess what? Building from scratch took forever, totally clashing with my goal of helping indie devs ship fast! 😅 So, I pivoted hard, turning SoloMakerStudio.com into a dynamic, multilingual platform. This is my story—tech choices, struggles, and all—hoping it sparks something for you! ✨

Where It All Started

I’ve always been a Vue fan, dabbling in React Native too. One night, I got this itch: create a site curating free tools to help indie devs turn ideas into reality, pronto. My first plan? A static Next.js site—simple, and a chance to level up my skills. But here’s the kicker: hand-coding pages and tweaking styles ate up so much time, my MVP was nowhere in sight. I started panicking—wasn’t this just a waste? 🤔

The Shift from Static to Dynamic

Once I saw the issue, I hit pause and thought: if I can’t launch fast, how can I help others do it? I scrapped the static idea and went dynamic. Next.js’s dynamic routing gave me flexibility, Supabase’s real-time database made tool suggestions snappy, and Vercel’s one-click deploys saved my sanity! 🚀 Later, I tossed in multilingual support—shifting from “just messing around” to “actually serving users.” It was exhausting, but it got me closer to the mission! 😊

Curating Only the Good Stuff

After drowning in tool overload myself, I decided SoloMakerStudio wouldn’t be a chaotic pile of options. It’s all about free, practical tools indie devs can actually use—easy to pick up and quick to ship with. Think a lightweight prototyping gem that gets you live in two days, not some bloated framework you’d need a month to master. “Less is more” became my mantra, born from my own trial and error. 🌟 Ever felt paralyzed by too many choices?

Tech Hurdles and Wins

Jumping from Vue to Next.js wasn’t a cakewalk—JSX drove me nuts, and server-side rendering had me spinning. 😵 Configuring Supabase and Vercel felt like a puzzle too. But every hurdle I cleared brought me closer to the goal. Now, Next.js lets me iterate fast, Supabase keeps things lively, and Vercel makes deploying as easy as hitting enter. Looking back, sticking to a static site would’ve left me stuck—probably still offline! 😂

Launch Day Joy

March 2025 rolled around, and SoloMakerStudio finally went live! 🎉 It’s not the static page I first pictured—it’s a dynamic tool hub tailored for indie devs. When the first user said, “Finally, a platform that doesn’t lose me!” I was over the moon. That’s when I knew the Vue-to-Next.js grind paid off. ✨

What’s Next?

SoloMakerStudio’s heart is “less is more”—giving you just the tools you need to go from idea to reality, fast. Check it out at solomakerstudio.com! 🌈 Drop a comment: what’s tripped you up shipping an MVP? I’d love to hear your tales! And which free tools are must-haves for indie devs? Let’s chat! 😉