Indie Bites Lemon Squeezy CTO on why he still makes side projects - Gilbert Pellegrom
Dec 20, 2023
Gilbert Pellegrom, co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, discusses the value of side projects for learning, creativity, and overcoming challenges. He shares his journey in the WordPress space and the conception of Nivo Slider. Gilbert explains starting Lemon Squeezy as a side project, transitioning to full-time work, and his habit of launching side projects. He emphasizes the importance of intention and purpose in project creation and provides recommendations for inspiration and support.
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Weekend Project Became Viral
- Gilbert built the Nivo Slider in a weekend at university and launched it expecting little traction.
- Hacker News drove ~80,000 hits in a day and it grew to millions of downloads over subsequent years.
Plugin Success Led To Long-Term Collaborations
- Gilbert's WordPress plugin success led to work with Orman Clark and projects like Snippy and Dunked.
- He later worked at Delicious Brains for five years before starting Lemon Squeezy one day a week.
From Side Day To Full-Time Startup
- Gilbert started Lemon Squeezy cautiously, working one day a week while still employed at Delicious Brains.
- As the project gained momentum he transitioned to working on it full time with Orman, JR, and Jason.