A few years ago, when I was working as a freelance web developer, there were many projects that used repetitive layouts and designs.
That's when I built my own collection of basic UI components, such as buttons and others. At that time, I was using CSS, so I styled my components using CSS. Later, I decided to open-source these components, and that's when I created HextaUI.
After a few months, I found out about Tailwind CSS, so I decided to recreate all components with better design, modularity, and accessibility. This time, I also added animated components, not just base components. After building and launching, I left it and went on a break. (It didn't get any response because I didn't know marketing.)
Two months ago, I decided to rebuild the entire project—but this time, I wanted to scale it and make it stand out, because there's a lot of competition. So I rebuilt all base components, made them the latest versions, and gave it my all.
This time, it got a great response, in fact, it crossed 50,000 visitors in just 72 hours.
Looking at the response and demand, I created pre-built blocks using the base components and launched them at a minimal price. That also blew up and crossed more than 10 sales and exceeded $500 in revenue in just 24 hours. I was selling pre-built website blocks and UI components.
What I learned: the product matters the most. No matter how many competitors are out there, people still buy good products. If you think, "People are already building what I'm building," or "There are better options," then build something better. Make something specific. Niche down within that same niche.
Today, I’m going to share the story of my freelancing journey—how I earned my first dollar online and eventually built my own web development and design agency.
It all started four years ago. Back then, I was just playing around with HTML and CSS, creating simple websites and showing them off to my friends. I had no clue about freelancing. One day, while scrolling through YouTube, I came across a video explaining freelancing—how you could get paid for building websites for others.
That video was a game-changer. I realized there was a world where my skills could actually be valuable. I felt excited and ready to dive in. I started on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, spending an entire year messaging potential clients, sending emails, and pitching my services.
But after a year, the results were... zero. Zero clients. Zero money. I was frustrated and burned out. So I gave up.
After giving up on freelancing, I spent the next six to seven months playing video games and doing nothing productive. I was stuck, convinced I was done for.
Then one evening, while sitting on my balcony watching the sunset, something clicked. It felt like one of those moments from a movie. I realized I couldn’t just stop here. Giving up wasn’t the answer. I had wasted time feeling sorry for myself instead of working on my skills and doing what mattered.
That day, I made a decision—I was going to turn my freelancing journey around. I went back to learning, but this time I focused on modern frameworks like React.js and Next.js instead of just HTML and CSS.
I joined freelancing communities and Discord servers, shared my work, talked to people, and networked as much as possible. For almost a year, I hustled nonstop, doing everything I could to get noticed.
One day, I received a message on Discord: "Hey, I like your designs and your work. Can we talk?"
That message changed everything. After nearly three years of struggle and self-doubt, I finally landed my first client. I gave the project my all. The deal closed for \$70—not a big amount, but it meant the world to me.
A few days later, the same client came back with another project. This time, I charged \$100. Slowly, through word of mouth, more clients started coming in. I started earning \$150 per project, then \$1,200 over the course of a year.
Fast forward to today—I'm now running my own web development agency called HextaStudio. I’ve also created over 10 startup and SaaS projects. None of them have gone viral or made money yet, but I’m not giving up.
I’m constantly learning, building, and moving forward because I believe hard work never goes to waste.
If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s this—success doesn’t come easy. It takes time, effort, and a lot of resilience. I’ve faced rejection, burnout, and self-doubt. But every setback made me stronger.
To anyone struggling with freelancing or feeling stuck, remember: it’s not about how many times you fall. It’s about getting back up every time. Your hard work will pay off. Just keep going.
> I see, what do you think would be best for me to do?
Not sure. One option that comes to mind is to put the AI usage behind a one-time-only popup that confirms (via a checkbox) that the user understand that by using the AI features, their information will necessarily have to be sent to a third-party AI processor.
If they decline those terms, then the AI button/boxes go back to being disabled.
If they accept the terms and conditions for AI, then record that in their profile and don't display the terms and conditions for AI usage again.
So even though you are still leaking their data, at least it will be with their express permission.
There is a reason why almost all ERP apps end up being almost the same. When you build a product with a USP that makes you special, at some point your client will ask for all the basic things that are required for that product (provided by your competitors) and generally for businesses this becomes the reason to stay with you; your USP and you providing everything else that is expected from the product category.
The point is, you have defined your USP. Its cheaper Typeform alternative for SMBs, stick with it and build the product around it and meet all the basic requirements first. Do some research and find out which features a typical form builder wants or which Typeform features are most used. Have those ready and then work on the other fancy things.
And have a number in mind, after X number of clients increase your price. And seriously increase your price now.
As a heavy user of Formsite, these would be the features I would prioritize:
- Logic branching (if question 1 answer is 'A', then hide question 2. etc)
- Confirmation emails to the submitter
- Widgets to insert design elements (static text, images, etc)
IMO, these are bare minimum for B2B business if you are interested in pursuing that.
It’s a well-explored space with oodles of competition. “New, unique features” are likely to be unique for a reason (to speak plainly: because they’re bad or because no one paying wants them).
That's when I built my own collection of basic UI components, such as buttons and others. At that time, I was using CSS, so I styled my components using CSS. Later, I decided to open-source these components, and that's when I created HextaUI.
After a few months, I found out about Tailwind CSS, so I decided to recreate all components with better design, modularity, and accessibility. This time, I also added animated components, not just base components. After building and launching, I left it and went on a break. (It didn't get any response because I didn't know marketing.)
Old HextaUI homepage - https://eloquent-belekoy-8b3fc1.netlify.app
Two months ago, I decided to rebuild the entire project—but this time, I wanted to scale it and make it stand out, because there's a lot of competition. So I rebuilt all base components, made them the latest versions, and gave it my all.
This time, it got a great response, in fact, it crossed 50,000 visitors in just 72 hours.
Looking at the response and demand, I created pre-built blocks using the base components and launched them at a minimal price. That also blew up and crossed more than 10 sales and exceeded $500 in revenue in just 24 hours. I was selling pre-built website blocks and UI components.
What I learned: the product matters the most. No matter how many competitors are out there, people still buy good products. If you think, "People are already building what I'm building," or "There are better options," then build something better. Make something specific. Niche down within that same niche.
Just build it.