01

Before becoming an indie developer, I spent 2 years doing traffic monetization (ad-based content).

On and off, I made some money. When I saw others earning more, I'd jump back in. When traffic dried up, I'd quit. Then repeat. This cycle went on for two years.

Until last October, I stopped completely.

Only after stopping did I realize—I'd been doing something that made me deeply uncomfortable for two years straight.

02

First, it relies on luck, not skill.

Traffic monetization is 98%+ luck. Anyone who's done it knows—article quality barely matters. Good luck today means more traffic, more money. Bad luck tomorrow means less. Fundamentally no different from the crowds I saw as a kid in my hometown, gathered around a big spinning wheel, waiting for chance.

I come from a programming background. I've always believed technical skills are an iron rice bowl no one can take away. Yet these past years, I'd been eating mostly by luck.

One day I asked myself: how did I regress this much? This isn't what I wanted.

Li Xiaolai once shared a formula: Success = Skill + Luck. Do more things that lean on skill, and luck won't fail you too badly.

Traffic monetization was the exact opposite.

Second, low-value knowledge, yet I had to charge for it.

I wrote a course on traffic monetization—account setup, multi-account isolation, finding benchmarks, picking niches, prompt templates. That's about it. Even if I expanded, it'd just be niche-specific prompts. Nothing more.

A friend suggested I gradually raise prices after recruiting enough students. At the time, it sounded reasonable.

But when it came time to actually charge, I knew in my heart—this project's value was low. So I could never bring myself to charge much.

Because I deeply believe one thing: value determines price. Once you do something that conflicts with your core values, you'll feel anxious all day, sleep poorly, feel deeply uncomfortable.

Even selling that course for just ¥99, I was internally exhausted every single day.

Now I sell Pay4SaaS for ¥999, and I feel zero guilt. Because I wrote it, I tested it, I know exactly where its value lies. No fear, no anxiety.

A friend asked me, "So what happened in the end?" In October, I refunded every student's tuition. Peace of mind matters far more than money.

Third, fighting platform rules is not dignified.

Business, spatially speaking, comes in two types: offline or online.

For someone like me—no background, no capital, no network—offline business is impossible. The only option is low-cost online business, which inevitably relies on platforms.

But traffic monetization is essentially fighting platform rules. You're constantly worried about being banned, throttled, suppressed.

Long-term, this isn't sustainable. It's like building a sandcastle—the moment the platform's wind shifts, it all collapses, and you start over. Exhausting, with nothing to show for it.

And honestly, most people doing it know deep down—it's not something you can talk about openly.

A few days ago, a fellow programmer who'd been doing traffic monetization brought up income rules with me. I cut him off immediately. Because once you step out of it, you realize—programmers doing this is genuinely lowering their own intelligence and capability. He later said, "After that one viral wave last year, I never got traffic again. It's so tiring." That's the reality for most people in this space.

03

After leaving traffic monetization, I asked myself two questions:

• If my best friend came to me asking about this project, how would I describe it? Would I recommend they pay for it?
• Would I write a book about this project? (If I can't publish a book on it, it means it can't see the light of day.)

My answer: No.

That made things very clear. So once I decided to stop traffic monetization, I never touched it again—not even for a day.

Some money is better not earned.

Not out of moral superiority, but because you can only go far and feel free doing what you truly believe in.

04

After becoming an indie developer, I found myself again. My passion for work reignited.

No more anxiety about sudden account bans. No more courses I couldn't sell with integrity. No more exhausting cat-and-mouse games with platforms.

After choosing indie development, I made a clear decision between traffic business and value business—build high-value, focused SaaS products. Never rely primarily on ad monetization.

For 4 months now, I've been consistently creating content—whether practical or emotional—and I genuinely enjoy writing it. When I sell the product, I feel grounded.

Some paths become clearer the more you walk them. Choose the wrong direction, and every step drains you. Choose right, and every step compounds, gradually bringing you closer to the life you want, and the person you want to become.