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Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

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Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#151

Post by lohszvu »

SegFaultCDumped wrote: post #95
MrFoof wrote: post #84

I buy cars, repair them and recondition them to my level of satisfaction, and send them back out the door, typically targeting 55-65 year olds. I focus mostly on entry level luxury crossovers around 7 to 10 years old, though starting to also do hybrids since there’s more profit in it since everyone is seemingly allergic to batteries and pack replacement/rebuilds. Parts are cheap, I listen to music or a podcast, I do…

Can you make YouTube videos about it? I watch Chris Fix all the time, not for educational purpose (I don't own a car), but because they are so freaking satisfying to watch. Seeing things go from 'meh' to 'wow.'

Watch south main auto or mustie1

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#152

Post by mrfusion »

hkhanna wrote: post #15

I'm a lawyer who doesn't do much (any) marketing. But when someone gets referred and calls or sends an email asking for help with setting up an LLC, helping wind-down or sell their business, or even something small like reviewing an NDA, I can jump in. I'm solo, so I don't have any overhead and I can charge far less than anyone else. This is also entirely a side gig, so volume is so low that I can be responsive, help…

You should put contact info in your profile. Or would you mind emailing me so I have your info next time I need some work?

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#153

Post by clubm8 »

stcredzero wrote: post #87
clubm8 wrote: post #27

Poker. I'm not able to make enough for it to be a full time job, but it's more pleasant than driving an Uber. Sometimes makes for good networking too.

I had a coworker who literally did a rant, slammed the door of the conference room and quit. He was earning some side money playing online poker then made a go of it full time. His conclusion: This is a lot less fun when it's your sole source of income.

Yeah, even if you are good enough to make a decent wage, it can be boom or bust. On a long enough timeline, there will be times you say, make a bet with 4 aces but get beat by a straight flush[1]

Also, most poker players are American - so they're going to need to cover health insurance.

Maybe when I retire I'll give it a go, but I don't think it's practical to envision retiring early to play poker unless you amassed enough savings you could live without the poker income.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker_probability#Frequency_of...

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#154

Post by mdorazio »

mrfusion wrote: post #129
gottebp wrote: post #32

Breville coffee grinders are impossible to get internal parts for. I designed a 3D printed upgrade for the main wear-part in their BCG800XL and BCG600SIL Grinders. The storefront is through ShapeWays[1] and I use iFixit[2],[3] to drive the traffic. It passively makes enough to cover my own coffee needs forever. I spend about 20 minutes per month fielding questions. This all happened because my grinder failed and I co…

Is it good grade plastic? Do you print it yourself? Want to team up on an a milk gallon jug attachment to pour cleanly?

If OP is selling via Shapeways, it's printed and shipped by Shapeways in the user's choice of material. From the link, it looks like the only option for this one is Nylon, but that's about the strongest plastic you can get for things like gears.

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#156

Post by harrygeez »

MrFoof wrote: post #84

I buy cars, repair them and recondition them to my level of satisfaction, and send them back out the door, typically targeting 55-65 year olds. I focus mostly on entry level luxury crossovers around 7 to 10 years old, though starting to also do hybrids since there’s more profit in it since everyone is seemingly allergic to batteries and pack replacement/rebuilds. Parts are cheap, I listen to music or a podcast, I do…

that's really cool man I'd like to check out some of your wares some time. I'm very interested in giving old things new leases of lives and just refurbishing some of my old stuffs

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#158

Post by tonyarkles »

xfitm3 wrote: post #50
cgriswald wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you get started? I've been wanting to get into this for awhile, but find myself procrastinating mostly out of uncertainty and fear of failure; but somewhat out of just having no idea where I should start, what tools I need to start, and what is achievable for a beginner.

Start with something you want to build and work backwards. How about a simple picture frame?

> simple picture frame

:D

To get a solid feeling of satisfaction from that project, I’d recommend a picture frame that doesn’t require mitres in the corners. Getting the length and angle exactly right is pretty frustrating for a beginner.

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#159

Post by mdorazio »

denormalfloat wrote: post #72

Invest in an S&P 500 ETF. This is probably the lowest effort side project you can have which still makes money. Also, if you learn about the stock market, it makes you more confident in how your savings looks, how your retirement will look, how to manage money, etc.

As an alternative if you want cash flow instead of long-term margins, you can go for a dividend-oriented ETF and get 5%+ for doing literally nothing.

Re: Ask HN: What is your money-making side project outside programming?

#160

Post by Sholmesy »

gottebp wrote: post #83
rschapman wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife bought your part and it worked perfectly. She was really happy when she found it. Thanks for making this part available.

This makes my day. Full circle to Hacker News. Enjoy your espresso.

I have no need for your parts, but cheers for keeping a line of products out of landfill for a little while longer.
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