Checklist · Build and earn
Indie Product Launch Checklist for Developers
Opens with creditsA practical checklist for developers turning a side project into a product people pay for. It covers validating the problem before building, cutting the first version down to something you can ship, a landing page that explains the product, taking payments and the basics of sales tax and income tax, privacy and terms pages, simple analytics, choosing launch channels, supporting your first users and iterating from what they do. It is practical guidance, not legal or tax advice.
Written by Tauseef Fayyaz8 chapters, 36 checksAbout 17 minReviewed 13 October 2026What you will learn
8 chapters · about 17 min
1Validate the problem firstBefore building more, check that a specific group of people has the problem badly enough to change what they do, and ideally to pay.4 checks · 2 min
2Scope the first versionShip the smallest version that solves the core problem well. Everything else waits until users ask for it.5 checks · 2 min
- Landing page and positioningOne page that explains who the product is for, what it does and why it is worth trying, honestly and quickly.5 checks · 2 minOpens with credits
- Payments and tax basicsTaking money brings responsibilities: sales tax or VAT on what you sell, income tax on what you earn, and handling refunds and disputes. Learn the basics before your first sale.5 checks · 3 minOpens with credits
- Privacy, terms and legal pagesMost products need a privacy notice and terms of use. Write them for your actual product, and keep them accurate as it changes.4 checks · 2 minOpens with credits
- Measure what mattersYou need a few numbers to learn from your launch: where people come from, whether they reach the core job, and whether they come back or pay.4 checks · 2 minOpens with credits
- Choose launch channelsLaunch where your users already are. A focused launch in the right places beats a broad announcement nobody relevant sees.4 checks · 2 minOpens with credits
- Support users and iterateAfter launch, your job is to help early users succeed, learn from what they do, and improve the product in small steps.5 checks · 2 minOpens with credits
About this checklist
An indie product launch checklist is for the developer who has a promising side project and keeps telling themselves it will be ready to launch next month. Developers are good at building and often less practised at everything around the code: checking that people actually want the thing, explaining it in one sentence, charging money, handling tax, writing a privacy policy and getting the first hundred people to try it. Those parts decide whether a side project becomes a small business or another abandoned repository.
This checklist follows a launch in order. It starts with validation and scope, because the most expensive mistake is spending months on something nobody needs. Then it covers the landing page, payments and the basics of sales tax and income tax, the legal pages most products need, and the minimum analytics to learn from your launch. The final chapters cover choosing launch channels, supporting your first users, and iterating based on what they actually do.
The advice draws on Paul Graham's essays on finding startup ideas and doing things that do not scale, Stripe's documentation on tax and disputes, Paddle's explanation of the merchant of record model, the UK ICO on privacy information, the FTC on truthful advertising, and GOV.UK on working for yourself, checked in October 2026. It applies whether you are building a SaaS tool from Lahore, a mobile app from Lagos or a developer utility from Lisbon.
Tax, consumer and privacy law depend on where you live and where your customers are, and they change. This checklist gives you the questions to ask, not the answers for your country. Treat it as practical guidance, not legal or tax advice, and confirm anything important with official sources or a qualified professional.
Common questions
How do I validate a side project idea before building it?
Name a specific group of users and how they solve the problem today, talk to several of them about the last time the problem happened, and ask for a small commitment such as a waitlist signup or a pre-order. Compliments are not validation; commitments are.
Should I use Stripe or a merchant of record like Paddle?
With Stripe you are the seller, so you are responsible for registering for, collecting and filing sales tax, though Stripe Tax can help. With a merchant of record like Paddle, the provider is the seller on record and handles sales tax and VAT, usually at a higher cost per sale. Check current pricing and that each supports payouts to your country.
Do I need a privacy policy for my side project?
If you collect personal data, including emails, analytics or payment details, you generally need to tell users what you collect, why, how long you keep it and who it is shared with. The UK ICO calls this privacy information. Write it to match your actual product.
Do I have to pay tax on income from my indie product?
Usually, yes, where you live. GOV.UK, for example, explains that you may need to tell HMRC and set up as self-employed if you sell regularly. Check your own tax authority's guidance and keep records from your first sale. This is not tax advice.
Where should I launch my indie product?
Where your target users already spend time: specific communities, newsletters and groups, plus personal invitations to everyone you spoke with during validation. Follow each community's rules on self-promotion and track which channels bring users who activate.
Sources (8)
Checked against these, last on 13 October 2026.
- How to Get Startup Ideas, Paul Grahampaulgraham.com/startupideas.html
- Do Things that Don't Scale, Paul Grahampaulgraham.com/ds.html
- How Stripe Tax works, Stripe Docsdocs.stripe.com/tax/how-tax-works
- Best practices for preventing fraud, Stripe Docsdocs.stripe.com/disputes/prevention/best-practices
- How Paddle is able to take on your VAT and tax responsibilities, Paddle Help Centerwww.paddle.com/help/start/intro-to-paddle/how-paddle-is-able-to-take-on-your-vat-and-tax-responsibilities
- The right to be informed, ICOico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/the-right-to-be-informed/
- Advertising and Marketing, Federal Trade Commissionwww.ftc.gov/business-guidance/advertising-marketing
- Working for yourself, GOV.UKwww.gov.uk/working-for-yourself
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