How did I get my first paying customers

Story 1

I built a PHP library for my own larger web project and decided to sell it as a separate product. I set up an e-commerce platform and launched a minimalist product website. On the very first day, shortly after the website launch, without announcing the product anywhere, I made my first sale! I couldn't believe it. I initially thought the product would sell like wildfire, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In the end, I didn't generate enough sales and had to shut it down.

Story 2

I developed a free Android app and published it on the Play Store during the early stages of the smartphone era. An user contacted me and expressed the need for certain features, offering to pay a certain amount for them. That's how it all began. More than 10 years later, the app is still generating sales, although not as much as before.

Lesson

Build what people actually need, not what you think is needed.