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What are fast ways to earn 1k USD monthly with a side project?

11 points by jorisboris ↗ HN
I like to build stuff, so much so that I don't build for others, just for myself.

So I've set myself a challenge, earn 1,000 USD per month with a side project within 6 months.

Doable?

I would love to hear your stories and ideas!

6 comments

[ 4.8 ms ] story [ 23.4 ms ] thread
alegeaa
I think it's possible and doable but you have to provide some need to clients. If you find up to 10 clients and the product is very useful to them. Then charge them 100 per month, means you easily make 1000 per month. Personally, never done this but hoping to do so also cos I have so many side projects I cant even count anymore. xD. Will be following this thread to gain insights for sure.
rozenmd
You're going to want to start a service business (think consulting) or sell an info product.

Selling a recurring subscription is 500x harder than selling a one-off purchase.

quickthrower2
Look on indiehackers.com hundreds of businesses with revenue for inspiration.

Based on this broadly I think sell something that is highly valued. Which much of the time means selling stuff to marketers in some fashion or helping people directly sell more.

Another is anything that can help a team be better. A team can easily cost a million a year in salary.

Bad things are things people don’t care enough about or are freely available or the end user is poor. I think generally budget apps would be bad (user is trying hard to save at the buying point!).

jorisboris
Thanks!

I'm often browsing on Indiehackers, I was mostly looking for the unexpected, creative, fun stories op people finding a business somewhere they didn't expect!

hacky_engineer
I pay for a budget app. https://www.monarchmoney.com/ But somehow I got in on their beta, and felt like they did a good job and wanted to continue to support them. But they've been around for quite a few years now, so I think they are pretty successful..
aww_dang
Do not start with your idea of your dream product. This is sometimes satisfying, but much harder to turn a profit with.

Instead find a niche where you can easily reach those with the problem. Solve it simply with as little friction as possible. Eliminate as many barriers as possible. After you have proven the niche you can expand with features based on user feedback or your own creativity, if required.

All of the implementation details are second to finding the right problem to solve in a niche which is easily accessible. 90% of the value is in identifying the right problem to solve.

Deviations from this strategy have always made things more difficult than they need to be.