Hey, if you're a newbie dev and you love making games, and want to do your own thing AND get paid?

There are a couple of ways that you can go about doing this.

1. Bootstrap - make games while you work for others in your day job (may or may not be games ) until you hit it big.

2. Raise money - get other people to support/fund your games. Design a great pitch, a demo/MVP, and activate your network!

A - Crowdfund - maybe you've got a few of your own games under your belt or some experience and cred from working with a team/studio.

B - FFF money - often referred to as Friends, Family, and Fools - this is about making a compelling case for those closest to you to shore up some bucks and loan/invest in your company.

C - Publishers - got a killer idea and the hustle to pitch and land a publishing deal

D - Investors - investors typically invest in a company & its team, not just a single game concept. Got a great technology that you've built? That might just be your ticket!

Is it easy to raise money? Some folks say yes. But the truth is, there are very real barriers to being able to raise funds.

In the general investment space, less than 2% of funding goes to women-lead companies despite higher ROI. Marginalized founders face similar challenges.

Folks who have the privilege of experience might not see how timing plays a big factor in their funding - maybe they got their first startup off the ground 10, 20, 30 years ago and they're onto their 4th startup. Sure, money is easy to raise for an experienced founder.

First time founders have a harder time. We're more likely to make mistakes (boy, have I made my fair share!).

How do you mitigate this? By growing a team of knowledgable hands-on mentors and advisors who are committed to your vision.

1. Know WHY you want to create your games and build your studio. Is it because you want to run a business that happens to make games or because you love making games? One you can do without formally going into business, FYI.

2. Accept that if you're going into business, that there's a lot you won't know off the bat. Rarely is there a dev who starts out with the full complement of knowledge in programming, art, audio, sales & marketing, PR, accounting, and legal.

Get GOOD help. Listen for red flags.

3. Make & ship some of your own games. See if this is something you want to turn into a career. Be committed to the discipline of being a business owner with all that it entails. Want to worry about payroll and other people's lives? Welcome!

Accept that you'll fail sometimes.

4. Understand that your success and failure at making/shipping games and keeping your business running doesn't make you a good or bad person. Your business is not your identity. You are a person who runs a biz, you are not your biz.

This is a hard one to learn, trust me.

So if you want to jump into making a biz of being your own indie dev boss and possibly the boss of others, know that it is hard work. That you CAN succeed and that success itself doesn't guarantee longevity. Many a successful indie studio folds after a subsequent bad game.

It isn't for the faint of heart which is why I say bootstrapping is a great way to go. Make games in your spare time, with dedication and earnestness. Use that experience to work for others who will take care of payroll.

I say this with 6+years indie dev boss experience.

This is the hardest thing I've ever done - we've raised over $500K in FFF money (which is "not real money" to some folks), built a game engine, published 7 games and several award-winning games, and still haven't hit it big YET in our 6+ years.

We're still at it. Resilience!

What I wish I knew 6 years ago - so many indie devs are not earning a sustainable wage from the sales of their games. So if that's you, don't be so hard on yourself.

If you've got to take other work so that you can keep the lights on for your dream, do it. You've got this.