Is it disgraceful for an indie to sell shovels?

I know this title is weird, let me explain.

A couple of discussions caught my attention recently.

It basically boiled down to this: some thought that indies who failed at building profitable businesses (presumably for end-users or companies) end up trying to make money by teaching how to be an indie.

There’s a quote, sometimes attributed to George Bernard Shaw, saying: “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.”

So, on one hand, some seem to think that resorting to teaching, instead of “actually” building things, means you’re failing as an indie and going for the easy way out.

But on the other hand, there’s a saying along the lines of: “During a gold rush, you should sell shovels.”

Presumably, you’ll act smarter and make more money (or at least be safer) by taking advantage of the gold-rush situation rather than trying to find gold yourself.

This also means selling tools around indie development, or teaching.

Two opposite takes, so what is it in the end?

I personally think there’s a better way to look at it. There are, for sure, people today “selling shovels” in an unethical way, and those deserve the derogatory comment on teaching.

But in the end, teaching is a valid indie path.

Teaching and selling tools are also building, and buyers judge both.

Building tools around your craft and distilling knowledge requires a deeper understanding than the one needed to build. Try it if you don’t agree. It often is harder (albeit perhaps less random) than just building things.

If you’re able to teach and/or “sell shovels” and make a living from it, you most likely deserve that success, unless you’re actively scamming people. (Again, there are tons of those today; if you’re one of them, you’ll know it.)

In the end, you achieved what most couldn’t: you built something, launched it, marketed it, and confronted it with the harsh realities of business.