Ben Huffman built a company everyone called stupid. Until more than 1M people were using it.

In this episode of State of Play, the Contra's design founder shares how he went from college dropout to building a new path for creative independence.

We get real about the pain cave: that brutal, lonely gap between your vision and the world’s doubt, and how to keep going when no one believes in you.

If you’re building something and feel like no one gets it, this one’s for you.

Get the UX Tools Newsletter
Join 100,000+ designers for weekly insights on creative software and the people shaping it: https://uxtools.co

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Why investors laughed
02:04 - Getting your first client
03:03 - Trust issues with platforms
04:32 - Building with 0% commission
05:40 - The sting of rejection
07:36 - Near burnout and losing it all
08:57 - How Contra makes money
10:02 - A 20-year-old earns $50k
12:24 - $50k/month playbook
13:40 - Why it’s a great time to be creative
14:25 - The “Hollywood model” shift

SPECIAL THANKS:
- Sam Chapman: https://x.com/editedbysam
- Mapal Berenson: https://www.youtube.com/@mapal
- Bernabe Bolanos: https://www.youtube.com/@BernabeBolanos
- Adam Stewart: https://www.instagram.com/adnastu/
- Tom Fox: https://catalog.tomfox.site/

ABOUT TOMMY GEOCO
I spent 15+ years in tech and design. Former military. Father of five. Now building Internet Enjoyers, a weird little media + product studio rediscovering soul in creative tech. This show is how I stay sane and spotlight the outsiders reshaping how we enjoy the internet.

ABOUT STATE OF PLAY
A narrative podcast about building things that matter told through deep conversations with designers and builders.

LINKS
UX Tools Newsletter: https://uxtools.co
Follow Ben: https://x.com/_BenHQ
Check out Contra: https://contra.com