My Life Reflection - 2021
It was only yesterday when I was mid-conversation with someone about life events and where we're heading. It made me think - what actually got me to where I am today?
2011-2014
I got into Minecraft when I was around 10 or 11 years old, starting with the Pocket Edition (mobile) before eventually getting the Java Edition (computer). I got involved with the server community between 2013 and 2014, being 12 to 13 at the time.
This was huge for me. I started connecting with new people, which led me to meet a best mate who has stuck by me and been hugely beneficial to my projects - Gianluca. By this point, I wanted to learn Java so I could create my own content without needing to hire developers.
2015-2017
Between 15 and 16, I started releasing public plugins. One propelled to 50,000 downloads, which was a huge achievement at the time. I built a few paid plugins, one of which generated around $10,000. This led me to invest in premium domain names and learn web development to utilise them.
2017-2018
By then, I had bought a 4-letter word domain with .org and .net TLDs, costing a total of $1,850. I wanted to build a gaming platform with it. However, college constraints meant I ended up selling them for $2,700 combined. This helped me purchase a new laptop, which started my journey by improving my workflow and making development easier.
2019-2020
At 19, I started dating someone and wanted to get a flat together. I needed a full-time job to afford it and joined an insurance company building dashboards that helped executives visualise data.
This was huge for me - I gained experience building dashboards, improved my SQL skills, learned MSSQL, and aided in frontend data visualisation. This helped with a project I'd discuss much later.
By March 2020, I wanted a side project. A buddy mentioned building a tracking website for a Minecraft server. I had no experience with the game mode, but it gave me something fun to work on that was data-focused.
The site launched and took off much quicker than expected, gaining hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors with around 1,000 concurrent at times. YouTubers made videos covering the platform, all organic growth without spending a penny on ads.
A friend suggested putting Google Ads on the website. I was hesitant from previous poor experiences, but went with it. We made around $500-1,000 a month, which covered our server bills easily. It meant I could host giveaways and give back to the community.
This was fantastic. We handled millions of rows of data monthly and more than 80-90 million rows total. We had stable ad revenue, organic traffic from influencers, and a rapidly growing Discord server.
2021 - Q1
We continued generating revenue, but I felt like experimenting with direct outreach to companies. I started talking to MC hosting businesses and got deals at fair pricing - $3,250 a month. This was doing well, but I started wanting to work on something new and escape my long-time job.
2021 - Q2
I split with my ex. It mentally screwed with my head - I felt forced to stay in a toxic relationship or pursue my career. I chose the latter. After returning from holiday, I listed the site for sale, which led to 3 weeks of zoom calls and emails with an interested buyer. The sale completed and opened many doors for me.
Present Day
I just turned 21 in November and finally have the freedom I always wanted - working the hours I want, taking breaks as needed. I'm travelling abroad for the first time, with no managers to ask for time off. I can work wherever I desire.
I have a multitude of projects planned - from racing to holiday booking to gaming. With 1-2 years of income behind me, I can just go for it. If it works out great, if not, I have plenty of experience to fall back on.
Current Project
With Analyse, a game server tracking platform providing insights into community performance, not far from release and interested customers behind us, I feel it has huge potential in such a massive market of server owners. I'm fortunate to have Gianluca behind me. Together we have like-minded ambitions and believe there's so much to build.
I was never keen on having a partner in a project, but since working with Gian, I've noticed how much of an improvement it really is. He has the ideas, connections, and vision, while I have the web development and design aspect. We both have a keen eye for clean UI and good UX, which is crucial for a project that needs to clearly display data.
Analyse is the project I'm most passionate about. I've put blood, sweat, and tears into this, and it's finally at a point where it looks professional enough that it would certainly help me if I ever needed to get a job.
Final Notes
I honestly couldn't feel prouder. A project close to release that has been an idea for more than 2 years. I'm thankful to each friend I've met and every person on Twitter I've connected with.