Why Online Directory Should Be Your First Project as a Solopreneur

You acquired some digital skills recently like programming, SEO, or content writing.

And you found out it’s now a bit difficult to land a gig, find a client, or get your first project because of recent developments in the digital world, especially with how fast the digital space is evolving.

Or maybe you're just someone tired of the 9–5 routine and want to try your own ideas.

Now you're thinking about building a SaaS.

But here’s the thing:

Building a SaaS shouldn't be your first project as a solopreneur or indie hacker.

Yes, it’s true, building a SaaS product today is way easier than it used to be. Just 2–3 years ago, you needed a team: developers, designers, a project manager, QA — the whole setup.

Now? With AI and no-code tools, you can build on your own, just a one-person business.

But if you're just getting started, whether you're from a tech or non-tech background, I genuinely believe your first project should be an online directory.

Why start with a directory?

Because it’s simple, quick, and super educational.

You can easily build an online directory site using low code and no-code tools in a couple of days.

While building, launching, and promoting a directory, you will learn a lot more things that you can implement in your other projects. For example:

How to research and choose the right domain
Study user intent behind searches
Basics of on-page SEO
How to promote and distribute your project
Writing content that actually brings traffic

And even if your first directory doesn’t get traction or take off? It's still a win. The experience and knowledge you gain by working on this project are worth more than just the outcome.

First things first, if you don’t know what online directories are, here’s a quick definition for you, with an example:

What If I Told You… Product Hunt Is Also a Directory?

Yep, really.

At its core, Product Hunt is just a well-designed and community-powered directory of new products.

Every day, people submit listings, others browse and upvote, and over time, it’s turned into a massive discovery platform. But it started simple: a list of cool products, updated daily.

And it’s not just Product Hunt. Some of the most popular apps and websites you use are essentially directories in disguise: job boards, course finders, tools listings, even Airbnb started with a list of available apartments.

You got the point, right?

If you’ve decided to build an online directory, keep reading…

Now you might be thinking about a very essential question that comes into every founder’s mind:

How can I monetize my directory?

A founder often thinks about monetization even before building or development.

There are 4 ways to monetize a directory:

Paid Listings – You let people or businesses pay you to be on your list or to appear at the top
Gated Directory – Some parts of your list are “locked,” and people have to pay to access them
Affiliate Marketing – You add special links, and if someone buys something through them, you get a commission
Ads and Sponsorships – You integrate ad networks (like Tiny and Carbon Ads) in your directory, and they pay you based on impressions and clicks

Monetizing a directory isn’t rocket science. Start small, test what works, and scale as you grow. Even a few hundred dollars a month can make your side project feel real, and give you the motivation to keep going.

Tools to Build Your Directory (No Code Needed)

If you don’t want to write code or hire developers, these two tools make it super easy to launch your directory:

1. Unicorn Platform

This no-code tool lets you build a directory just by writing prompts. Unicorn Platform is built by a famous creator, John Rush, who himself launched and sold multiple successful directories. This tool also includes many built-in methods to monetize your directory via ads and paid listings (no headaches).

2. Directify Tool

Another easy to use no-code option is the Directify directory builder. It’s built specifically for creating and monetizing directories and requires zero coding knowledge.

Here are a couple of more resources that will help you learn and build your first online directory site project:

Open Source Next.js Directory Starter

If you or your co-founder know some basic coding (especially in Next.js), there’s a repository on GitHub Directory Site Starter, that’s perfect. Clone it, tweak it, add your content, then connect it to a domain and deploy it on Vercel for free. It will save you a couple of hours.

Directory Guide Course

A simple rule to decide whether you should purchase a course or not:

Has the creator of the course mastered the skill and implemented it successfully many times?

In simple words, we should always learn from someone who has done it themselves multiple times. The Directory Guide Course also has a Discord community where everyone shares their directories and experiences. (I’m also a member!)

You’ll learn faster, avoid common mistakes, and maybe even get some inspiration from others’ projects.

Design Inspiration for Directories

To stand out and make your directory site visually appealing, you may need some good design inspiration for your directory’s hero section, categories, product cards, etc.

Unicorn Platform and the Directify builder also come with built-in templates, which you can customize as per your needs.

For additional design inspiration, you can use lovable.dev.

I’ve already write an article on how I use Lovable as a developer for design inspiration and build MVPs fast.

Join the “Small Bets” Community

Last but not least, Small Bets is a growing group of indie makers out there testing small ideas and sharing feedback.

This isn’t specific to directories, but it has everything you need to build one.

Even one good tip from a fellow creator or expert can give your project the right direction to take off and eventually lead to success.

In short, a directory is the perfect first step. It’s low risk, low investment, and low effort to build, and full of valuable lessons. So if you’ve been thinking of launching something, start here.