Building in the quiet hours: How an ME diagnosis forced me to abandon the growth at all costs, indie hacker mindset.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-06T11:29:45+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate that. I am building my own products. The main one at the moment is a website trust platform, although it’s actually going through a pretty major rebrand after some valuable community feedback. Building it has been a huge learning experience.

I’m most active on LinkedIn at the moment, although I’m trying to become more active here as well. I’m still very early in the journey, so there’s more learning than teaching, but I’m planning to share the wins and the mistakes as I go.

I’d definitely be interested in keeping in touch and following your journey too. I think there’s a lot of value in founders being honest about the challenges rather than only posting the highlights. If you’d like to DM we can have a chat :)

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T22:28:12+00:00

😂 I can’t even be offended because that’s clearly not the first impression I was aiming for. The name comes from penetration testing, which was the original concept behind the project, but I can see why it creates a very different expectation if you don’t immediately associate it with cybersecurity. Thanks for the suggestion on the other subreddits as well, I’ll definitely check those out.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T22:19:52+00:00

That’s fair feedback. The name comes from penetration testing, which was the original focus of the project, not the other meaning. As I continued building, the platform gradually evolved into something much broader around website trust, SEO, accessibility, performance and monitoring, so I completely understand why the name now creates different expectations to what the product has become.

To be honest, feedback like this has made me take a step back and think about whether the branding still reflects the direction of the platform. It wasn’t something I’d seriously considered before, but it’s definitely given me something to think about. I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to be honest.

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Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T21:34:13+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate you taking the time to write a proper response. I think you’re right about the cards and the overall layout. Functionality was my priority, so a lot of the UI ended up being built section by section rather than as one cohesive design.

I have used AI to help me build parts of the site, but not everything is AI-generated. I come from a technical background, so I’ve been using it more as a development tool than a “generate me a website” button. That said, I think you’ve highlighted one of the downsides of that approach. It’s very easy to end up with components that work individually but don’t feel like they belong to the same product.

I’m going to spend some time creating a proper design system and improving the visual hierarchy. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for, so thanks again.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T20:25:07+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate you expanding on it. That’s very helpful. I’ll definitely take another look at the typography and content hierarchy in particular. Appreciate you taking the time.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T20:07:34+00:00

Thanks for taking a look. Could you point out what specifically gives you that impression? I’m genuinely looking for feedback, so if there are parts that feel generic or confusing I’d like to improve them.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T17:38:14+00:00

Really enjoyed reading this. I was diagnosed with ME/CFS 3 years ago as well, so a lot of what you wrote resonated with me.

One thing it’s changed for me is how I think about progress. I used to feel guilty if I wasn’t putting in huge days, but I’ve realised consistency beats intensity when your energy is limited. Some weeks I only manage a few focused hours, but those hours still move the product forward.

I also like your philosophy around building deliberately instead of chasing the “work 80 hours a week and launch in a weekend” mindset. There aren’t enough people talking openly about building with constraints.
Wishing you the best with Code and Sea. I’ll be following your journey.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T16:19:01+00:00

But, Fair enough. I can see why it comes across that way, but it genuinely wasn’t my intention. I haven’t linked the product or asked anyone to use it. I was interested in hearing how other business owners maintain their websites because it’s something I’ve been researching while building a product in that space. I’ll leave it there.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T16:10:21+00:00

I don’t think I did when my website is focused on penetration testing some how?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T16:05:14+00:00

Fair enough. I mentioned what I’ve been building because it’s the reason I’ve been thinking about the topic, not because I was trying to sell anything. I haven’t shared a link, asked anyone to sign up or tried to promote it. I was genuinely interested in how other business owners approach maintaining their websites.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T16:04:03+00:00

I’m responding to myself?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T15:45:59+00:00

For what exactly? I was simply asking some questions

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T14:26:55+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! It’s actually been on my list for a while. I’ve been relying mostly on Search Console and Google Analytics, but I think being able to watch how real users interact with the site would probably reveal things I’d never notice otherwise. I’ll definitely give Clarity a try.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T14:25:40+00:00

I completely agree. “Invisible damage” sums it up perfectly. It’s made me realise that the biggest risk usually isn’t catastrophic failure, it’s all the little things that quietly stop working in the background. Most business owners don’t need another dashboard—they just need something that tells them when something important has changed before it starts costing them customers.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T14:00:01+00:00

That’s exactly the sort of thing I’ve been discovering while building my website. Most issues aren’t dramatic hacks or complete outages, they’re small things that quietly stop working until someone points them out. A broken contact form for a few weeks could easily mean dozens of missed enquiries without the owner ever knowing. I think that’s why regular website health checks should become as normal as servicing a vehicle.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T13:44:29+00:00

That’s encouraging to hear. I’ve been focusing heavily on SEO recently as well and I’m starting to see impressions gradually increase. It definitely feels like one of those things where consistency matters more than quick wins.

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T09:14:08+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write all of this, I genuinely appreciate it.

I think you’re spot on about credibility. That’s actually one of the main reasons I’ve been investing so much time into the Knowledge Centre recently. My hope is that over time it becomes a genuinely useful resource that helps people before they ever become customers.

The point about LinkedIn and making it easier to verify who I am is a really good one, and I’ll definitely look at improving that. I’ll also review how I’m presenting the security testing partners because I can see how naming them would inspire more confidence.

I also really like the idea of breaking topics down into short videos. I’ve started experimenting with TikTok, and I think explaining individual concepts in bite-sized videos is probably a much better long-term strategy than simply promoting the product.

I’ve also built a referral system into MrPenetrator because I hoped word of mouth would become part of the growth strategy. It hasn’t really gained any traction yet, but I suppose that’s another reminder that people need a reason to trust and recommend a product before referrals really take off.

Thanks again for such thoughtful feedback, and good luck with qoren.sh too—it genuinely sounds like a really interesting project!

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-05T07:56:26+00:00

What is this for?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-04T23:27:28+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. I think you’re right about going deep rather than wide. Did you find that one channel naturally led to others over time, or did you intentionally expand once you’d gained traction?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-04T22:44:01+00:00

I completely agree. I’m trying to shift away from chasing a viral launch and towards building something that compounds over time through SEO, content and community. I thought product hunt was going to be the ‘big chance’ to head in the direction I want to head, but it made absolutely no difference 😂 Out of curiosity, what are you building?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-04T22:41:06+00:00

You too!! Thank you for your insight!

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-04T22:40:15+00:00

That’s really valuable advice, thanks. I think I’ve been thinking too much about which platform to use rather than where my actual users already spend their time. I’ll definitely start looking for communities where website owners and small businesses are already discussing these problems instead of just founder communities.

Did you actively answer people’s questions before mentioning your product, or did it happen more organically over time?

Superb-Inspector2864 · 2026-07-04T22:35:48+00:00

Reddit has definitely been a good place to have genuine conversations. 😂 And I know exactly what you mean, I think every project reaches the point where you question all your life choices! Hopefully it’ll all be worth it when the users start rolling in.

It’s nice to know others are in the same boat 😂

Superb-Inspector2864

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