“in my free year I learned so many great things I got so much self-confidence I developed this two cool apps and a lot of people downloaded them already and that really developed my self-confidence so going back wasn't really that bad I even got a nice raise”

Failed app built skills and earned a salary raise

Lift Bear made $100 in six months — a failure by any revenue metric. But when Sebastian returned to employment, he negotiated a pay raise and carried measurably more self-confidence into his next role. The year built transferable technical skills, product intuition, and proof-of-execution that directly improved his next negotiation. A failed indie attempt is not a sunk cost: it compounds into your salary, your next app, and your understanding of what works.