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Peter Levels: The $3M Solo Entrepreneur on Indie Hacking, Digital Nomadism, and European Tech

An in-depth conversation about building solo businesses, traveling the world, and the future of entrepreneurship

Date: December 1, 2025 Source: YouTube Interview Speaker: Peter Levels - Prolific indie hacker, digital nomad, founder of Nomad List, Remote OK, and Photo AI

Executive Summary​

Peter Levels, one of the most prominent indie hackers who generates over $3 million in annual revenue working solo, discusses his journey from failed projects to successful businesses, the philosophy of bootstrapping versus venture capital, and the challenges facing European entrepreneurship. The interview reveals profound insights about building sustainable online businesses, the transformative power of travel, and the importance of automation in scaling solo ventures.

Core Framework/Thesis​

Levels champions the indie hacker approach as a viable alternative to venture-backed startups, arguing that "most people don't get there [to unicorn status], and they do spend, like, five years, or I don't know, seven years of their 20s on that." His central thesis revolves around building honest, profitable businesses that solve real problems without external funding, maintaining 100% ownership, and using radical automation to scale without employees.

The Journey from Music to Multi-Million Dollar Businesses​

Early Internet Entrepreneurship​

"When I was a kid, I think I was like 12 years old, I was making websites, too. And I wanted to charge money on the internet." Levels' entrepreneurial journey began with his father signing a WorldPay merchant account contract with potential liability of $100 million - a risk that never materialized but demonstrated early determination to monetize online.

His breakthrough came through YouTube monetization while making drum and bass music: "I started making money, like $1,000 and $2,000 and $8,000 per month, a lot of money, and I was in university."

The Turning Point: Stripe's Arrival​

"When Stripe came to Holland, back then I lived in Holland, it was 2014, I think, then I was like, oh, shit, now I can start making money. And that was the year I started making money." This technological enabler became the foundation for all his future businesses.

The Indie Hacker Philosophy​

Validation Over Venture Capital​

Levels articulates a clear critique of the traditional startup model: "What I hate most about VC stuff is when you see people burn money. A company with no users raise $50 million, $100 million, and you're like, what is this product? Like, it doesn't have any traction."

His alternative approach emphasizes organic growth: "I think it's much more interesting to validate first and build a business first, and see if you get traction. Like, get to 50K or 100K a month."

The Success Statistics​

Current revenue breakdown:

  • Remote OK: $3.4 million in revenue
  • Nomad List: 700K in ARR
  • Photo AI: 600K in ARR

Remarkably, he's launched "70 projects, probably more" with the philosophy: "I like to keep the internet history existing. Like, it's sad to see all these websites disappear."

Digital Nomadism: The Untethered Life​

The Transformation of Travel​

"This changes you on such a fundamental level, going to the other side of the world. It's amazing. And it's way safer than you think." Levels has lived in more than 40 countries and 150 cities, working exclusively from his laptop.

However, he candidly addresses the challenges: "It was extremely lonely... You lose contact with the grounds of your own culture, your home country... You become untethered. And you have to rebuild that up. And that's a psychologically taxing process. It takes some years."

Safety and Misconceptions​

"In 10 years of Digital Nomad, nothing ever happens. I've never been robbed except in my hometown." This counterintuitive insight challenges common assumptions about international travel safety.

The Power of Personal Branding​

Building in Public​

"I tweeted like, I think 125,000 times over 10 years, so it's like 40 tweets a day." This dedication to public building has created a powerful personal brand, enabling him to sell $50,000 of pre-orders for his book before writing any of it.

The ChatGPT Revolution​

A stunning revelation about changing traffic patterns: "ChatGPT a month ago was 4% [of traffic]. And now it's 20%... it went 5X." This shift represents a fundamental change in how users discover and interact with online services.

Automation as Liberation​

AI-Powered Community Management​

Levels solved the challenge of moderating a 40,000-person community using GPT: "With GPT, it's actually neutral. Like it really, it's really good. I write down the rules of my chat group... it doesn't ban anymore. It just mutes people for like a day or 10 minutes."

His philosophy on hiring is clear: "I don't like hiring because I need to manage people and I don't really like to manage people because it's not my thing. I like to create things."

European Tech: Diagnosis and Prescription​

The Crisis​

"I think it's actually good that it's going so bad in Europe, because it's almost like the patient is so sick. Never waste your crisis." Levels sees the current European tech struggles as a potential catalyst for change.

The Solution Framework​

His EU Accelerationism movement identified key issues:

  1. "Number one is just like, remove the regulatory burden for new businesses"
  2. Standardize regulations across countries
  3. Change cultural attitudes toward wealth and entrepreneurship

"Getting rich is simply a representation of your added value to the world economy... In Europe, that completely does not, like they really think different."

The Political Paradox​

"What we need is like pro-business and federal Europe, like you need to be pro-Europe... and you need to be pro-business. So it doesn't exist." This identifies a fundamental gap in European political alignment.

Investment Philosophy and Personal Finance​

Index Fund Advocacy​

"I think index invest is very important... your cash disappears the moment you have it." Levels advocates for simple, low-cost investing, criticizing home country bias: "My parents, they're like, no, we're not gonna buy in America. We're gonna buy Royal Dutch Shell."

The Knowledge Gap​

"Most people don't know personal finance. Like, you don't get it in school." He emphasizes the critical importance of financial literacy for entrepreneurs.

Practical Applications and Strategic Insights​

For Aspiring Indie Hackers​

  1. Start with validation: Build businesses that reach $50-100K/month before considering external funding
  2. Embrace automation: Use AI and technology to avoid the complexity of managing employees
  3. Build in public: Consistent engagement builds brand equity over time
  4. Solve your own problems: "Making little creative projects that I needed to solve my problems"

For European Entrepreneurs​

  1. Look beyond local markets: Don't succumb to home country bias in business or investing
  2. Challenge regulatory norms: Advocate for business-friendly policies
  3. Embrace the global mindset: "There's nothing I can recommend as much as people just go travel"

For Digital Nomads​

  1. Prepare for psychological challenges: Understand the "untethered" phase is temporary but difficult
  2. Trust in safety: International travel is generally safer than perceived
  3. Rebuild foundations: Create new cultural and social anchors while traveling

The Future Vision​

When asked about the next five years, Levels remains flexible: "I think you need to be neuroflex, you need to be a little bit flexible with your neurons, and you can change your ways a little bit." He's begun angel investing (including in Cursor) while maintaining his core philosophy.

His contentment is evident: "I'm everyday grateful to be able to live this life, and it's so good."

Conclusion​

Peter Levels represents a new archetype of entrepreneur - one who rejects traditional venture capital paths in favor of sustainable, solo businesses powered by extreme automation and global thinking. His success demonstrates that with the right tools (particularly Stripe for payments and AI for automation), a single individual can build multi-million dollar businesses while maintaining complete freedom and ownership. His critique of European tech culture and advocacy for regulatory reform offers a roadmap for revitalizing innovation in traditionally bureaucratic environments. Most importantly, his journey illustrates that entrepreneurial success doesn't require armies of employees or billions in funding - it requires solving real problems, persistent public building, and the courage to live and work untethered from traditional constraints.