Note:This case study was compiled from publicly available sources including Marc’s YouTube channel, X account, and IndiePage profile. He did not contribute directly.
Path to Nomadism
Early Disconnection and Academic Pressure
Marc Louvion grew up near Paris in a town called Nogent-sur-Marne. As a kid, he loved building things and spent hours with Legos in his room. But that creativity didn’t fit into the French school system. By middle school, he was disengaged, labeled the “disturbing kid,” and placed at the back of the classroom. His parents, both engineers who had worked their way out of poverty, pushed him hard to succeed academically. But Marc couldn’t connect with school, and he began to feel like he was failing everyone.
From Video Games to Burnout
He scraped through high school and got into a university to study computer science, but once he moved out on his own, things got worse. He became addicted to World of Warcraft, playing up to eight hours a day. After one year, he had spent 65 days inside the game and failed enough classes to get kicked out of school. His parents pleaded with the university to let him back in, and Marc made yet another promise to graduate, just to keep things afloat.
The Wake-Up Call: A Failing Internship Abroad
In 2015, his girlfriend got accepted to study in Hong Kong. Terrified of being left behind, Marc set a new goal: follow her. Despite poor grades and weak English, he found a workaround by landing an internship. He taught himself English by switching all his devices from French and forcing himself to learn through immersion. Somehow, he got accepted into an internship in Hong Kong.
That experience turned out to be both transformational and humiliating. The company quickly realized he didn’t know how to code, and he was nearly fired. But living in Hong Kong shifted something in him. He saw a world full of ambition, culture, and opportunity. Even though he returned home feeling like a fraud, the trip left a mark.
From Waiter to Wannabe Founder
Back in France, Marc moved in with his parents again and tried to build his first app—a Tinder-style platform for people who liked the same sports. To make ends meet, he took a job as a waiter making 10 euros an hour. He hated it but learned something unexpected: smiling at customers got him bigger tips. That was his first real lesson in marketing. By day he waited tables, and at night he hacked together code without knowing what he was doing. After a year of work, the app completely fell apart.
That failure crushed him. He cried with his girlfriend, unsure how to explain the pain of building something that nobody wanted. It felt like another dead end.
Rock Bottom in South Korea
When an old friend invited him to build a startup in South Korea, Marc jumped at the chance. They raised some money and built a tool that predicted flight prices. But again, the product failed. They had no customers and no marketing plan. When the startup ended, Marc was stuck in Korea with no job, weak coding skills, and no direction.
Things got dark. He and his girlfriend lived in a tiny underground apartment in Seoul that cost $500 per month. There were centipedes, no natural light, and no savings left. He picked up gigs as a background actor to scrape together money. His confidence was gone. After years of trying, he had nothing to show for it.
A Turning Point with $300
Then came a small breakthrough. He cold emailed an escape room owner in Australia with a pitch for a gamified marketing tool. Somehow, she said yes. She paid $300 upfront and $99 per month after that. It was the first time Marc made money online with just a computer and an idea. That tiny win changed everything.
He kept going, refining the product and closing more clients. The business grew slowly. He quit smoking, started exercising again, and left Korea for Bali. In a place where rent was low and the waves were good, Marc rebuilt his life from the ground up.
Rebuilding Confidence and Gaining Momentum
After COVID killed his escape room SaaS business, Marc took a remote job as a software engineer. The structure and salary helped him reset. He used the time to read, learn proper coding fundamentals, and focus on his mental health. The job didn’t last, but it gave him space to rethink his path.
In late 2021, Marc decided to try building products again, but with a new approach. He would ship fast, share his journey publicly, and focus on process over perfection. The new mindset led to one experiment after another. By 2023, his small projects were making real money, and he was finally living the life he had dreamed of during those long, difficult years.
How Marc Makes a Living Now
Marc Louvion earns a full-time income through a portfolio of small software projects he’s built and launched on his own. His business model centers around micro-SaaS products — simple tools that solve specific problems, typically for indie hackers, solopreneurs, or small businesses.
Main Revenue Streams
As of mid-2025, Marc reports making over $60,000 USD per month from a mix of digital products, software subscriptions, and product sales. At the peak in April 2024, his projects brought in $143,000 USD in a single month.
His current income is spread across roughly 8 active projects, including:
- CodeFast — An online course teaching people how to build and ship software products. This is his top performer, reportedly generating $100,000+ in a single month.
- ShipFast — A prebuilt SaaS boilerplate to help developers launch faster. This is breakout product, making $80,000+/month for a while.
- DataFast — An analytics SaaS with a simple, engaging user experience.
- ByDispute — A Stripe chargeback prevention tool.
- LogoFast — A fast and free logo generator.
- Zenvoice — Invoicing software to help people avoid Stripe invoice charges.
- IndiePage — A portfolio builder for solo creators.
All of these projects were launched quickly and publicly, usually within a few weeks, using a repeatable process Marc developed over time.
Past Exits
Marc has also sold several earlier projects, including:
- MakeLanding (an AI website builder) — sold for $35,000
- Habits Garden (a gamified habit tracker) — sold for $10,000
- An escape room software tool — sold for $4,000, even though it was still making $50/month in recurring revenue at the time
These exits helped him declutter his portfolio and double down on more profitable or scalable products.
Growth Levers
His revenue growth has been closely tied to his audience-building efforts, particularly on Twitter and YouTube. He shares everything publicly — from revenue to product decisions — which builds trust, attracts attention, and feeds into product launches.
He also avoids traditional startup overhead. No office, no full-time employees, no investors. It’s just him, a laptop, and a tight feedback loop with his users.
Tools and Workflow
Marc runs a lean, remote-friendly solo business using modern tools, consistent routines, and a repeatable launch strategy. His entire income is powered by a laptop and a few core systems that help him ship fast, market effectively, and work from anywhere.
Software Stack
Marc builds and maintains his projects using a simple but effective tech stack:
- React, Node.js, Tailwind CSS: core for most of his web apps
- Vercel: for hosting and deployment
- Supabase: for lightweight backend and database needs
- Stripe: for payments
- Gumroad: for digital product sales
- Plausible: for analytics
- MUX: to serve course videos efficiently
- Submagic: to stylize captions for short-form video content
- Discord: to host his student community for CodeFast
- Google Search Console: for SEO performance and keyword tracking
His boilerplate ShipFast helps him launch new SaaS projects quickly by bundling common components like auth, payments, and UI into a single setup.
Daily Workflow
Marc follows a routine that balances focused work and freedom:
- Morning surf or workouts
- 30 minutes of marketing, 30 minutes of coding, and 30 minutes of exercise as a daily baseline
- Afternoon deep work sessions for building features or editing videos
- Time blocks for Twitter engagement or YouTube filming
He sets process-based goals, such as shipping one new product per month or uploading one YouTube video per week. This keeps him consistent without fixating on metrics.
Creative Systems
To keep momentum, Marc uses several small systems:
- He builds in public on Twitter, sharing everything from revenue charts to project failures
- He tracks his launches and experiments as part of a larger personal challenge
- He uses past projects as stepping stones — selling or sunsetting what doesn’t scale
- He avoids overbuilding by shipping small, then adjusting based on user response
He credits this tight feedback loop as one of the biggest reasons his products convert well, even without a large team or budget.
Devices & Gear
Marc’s setup is intentionally minimal:
- Laptop-only workflow, likely on a MacBook
- iPhone for filming product launch videos and short ads
- Cloud-based tools that let him work from anywhere — whether in a café in Bali, an Airbnb in New Zealand, or a villa in Portugal
His products run with minimal infrastructure, and most cost just a few dollars per month to maintain. This low-overhead setup is what makes his remote lifestyle sustainable.
Travel and Lifestyle
Marc lives what many would consider the ideal “slowmad” lifestyle. He travels regularly, but at a pace that allows him to work deeply, stay healthy, and enjoy each place without burning out.
Preferred Regions
He’s spent long stretches living and working in Bali, South Korea, France, Portugal, and most recently, New Zealand. He tends to favor places with nature, surf, and strong internet — often prioritizing lifestyle over digital nomad hotspots.
Pace & Rhythm
Marc’s travel style is intentional. He typically spends several weeks to a few months in each location, using Airbnbs as temporary home bases. Rather than country-hopping, he focuses on settling into a new environment, building a daily routine, and keeping his workflow steady.
He often films YouTube videos from wherever he’s staying — whether it’s a beach villa in Bali, a remote cottage in New Zealand, or a quiet apartment in Lisbon.
Lifestyle Anchors
Several rituals help keep him grounded no matter where he is:
- Morning surf sessions (when near the ocean)
- Daily workouts, often with his wife
- Reading with coffee as a way to start the day
- Minimalist packing and a laptop-only work setup
- A focus on sunlight, sleep, and exercise as non-negotiables
He often speaks about how much freedom and joy come from being able to make money while traveling. For Marc, the goal isn’t to travel constantly, but to have the flexibility to live well from anywhere.
Vision and Philosophy
Marc is driven by the belief that there’s another path — one that doesn’t require traditional credentials, funding, or a team. Much of his journey is shaped by a desire to prove that you can build a meaningful life and business from scratch, using nothing but the internet and a laptop.
Redefining Success
After years of burnout, failure, and low self-confidence, Marc rebuilt his life around process goals rather than outcomes. He stopped chasing the perfect startup and instead committed to shipping small products consistently, learning from each one. This mindset shift gave him both creative momentum and emotional stability.
He often talks about freedom not as passive income or early retirement, but as the ability to choose how he spends his time. Surfing in the morning, working on fun ideas during the day, and enjoying evenings with his wife — for Marc, that’s the real success.
Building in Public
Marc shares his full journey openly, from revenue numbers to product failures. His goal is to inspire others to start small, iterate fast, and stay consistent, even when no one’s watching. He doesn’t claim to have the answers, but hopes that showing his process can help others feel less alone in their own.
He also pushes back against the glorification of big startups. His philosophy leans more toward sustainable solo entrepreneurship, where freedom and enjoyment matter more than scale.
Future Plans
Marc continues to launch new software projects, with a focus on tools that solve his own problems. He’s expanded into courses (CodeFast) and YouTube, where he posts weekly videos documenting his work and experiments. His audience and income are both growing, but he’s cautious not to overextend.
For now, the plan is simple: keep shipping, keep learning, and keep living well.
Lessons and Takeaways
Marc’s story is filled with lessons for anyone looking to build freedom through online work. His path wasn’t smooth or linear, but it shows what’s possible when you’re willing to experiment, stay consistent, and learn in public.
Start Small. Iterate Fast.
Marc doesn’t wait for perfect ideas. He launches quickly, gathers feedback, and adapts. His advice for beginners is simple: build something — anything — and ship it. Every project, even the failures, becomes part of your learning curve.
Process Over Perfection
He stopped chasing big outcomes and started focusing on things he could control: daily workouts, coding sessions, marketing blocks, and weekly YouTube uploads. By keeping his goals tied to actions rather than results, he stayed consistent even during slow periods.
Use Feedback Relentlessly
One of Marc’s most powerful habits is asking users why they didn’t buy — often just 24 hours after launch. He rewrites landing pages based on objections, reads every email, and views customer feedback as his most valuable asset.
Don’t Underprice Your Work
He talks openly about pricing psychology and the importance of perceived value. Many indie hackers charge too little. Marc believes it’s better to price slightly higher, especially if you’re delivering something useful — the price alone can influence how people view your product.
Build for Profit, Not Vanity
Marc avoids bloated tech stacks, large teams, or unnecessary features. Most of his products cost just a few dollars a month to run and deliver profit margins around 95%. He reminds creators that you don’t need millions in revenue to live well — a few solid products can do the job.
Read What Matters
Books have played a huge role in Marc’s transformation. A few that stand out in his story:
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker — shifted his view on productivity and health
- The Expectation Effect by David Robson — recommended by a Twitter friend, became a favorite
- He also mentions Atomic Habits and draws parallels to identity-based behavior
Keep Showing Up
Marc often says the turning point wasn’t luck — it was consistency. He coded every day, marketed every day, and didn’t stop during the 18 months when nothing seemed to work. That persistence, combined with creative experiments and public sharing, eventually paid off.
Where to Follow Him
You can follow Marc and explore his projects here: