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Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

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Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#21

I'm a SWE turned diy biologist and among the services I offer is bioprospecting for biotech startups. My most recent client hired me to gather soil samples from different biomes and running assays from my home lab to determine if there are any enzyme-producing organisms of interest.

Do you have an automation process? I've always been curious about how much of the bio-worlds testing could be automated.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#22
I built a board game in 2021 that has been just breaking the cutoff for this post, all I do is mail out a few games a week as we get orders. We do all our own fulfillment to save money. Currently trying to design a real video game. I got lucky with the board game because it targeted a really niche audience (rock climbers) and so we weren't really competing with the full board game market, which is honestly super saturated. I think launching a real video game will require taking a similar strategy, and I have some good ideas for this. If you know how to do 3D modeling and animation and have always wanted to make a game as a side project, send a message.

For anybody thinking of following on this path, I would say it's not really worth it except as a fun hobby. I didn't keep track of hours designing/testing very well but we're almost certainly way below minimum wage on the project. Although I've learned a lot about how to make games which has been really cool. You'll make a lot more money if you don't have to manufacture a real product and deal with the high costs of freight and postal shipping. If anybody is curious you can look up "5.15 climbing card game" on google and you'll find it!

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#23
My clone of OhLife called https://ahhlife.com has been making over $500 per month for years now. Daily journal, handled by replying to a prompt email. Marketing is all word of mouth and an occasional mention like this one on HN. Server costs are stable, no maintenance or new features needed, and only a few customer service requests per year.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#24
My Patreon makes >$100/mo. Currently sitting at $100. https://patreon.com/shawwn

I figure since people are posting things making many times the $500/mo threshold, I should post something making many times less. :)

It's actually pretty cool to just wait a few months and come back to a stash of money. Bought a Quest 2 the other day and didn't give it much thought, partly because of little eggs like this.

The effort to grow it is pretty high relative to the returns, but it's also a lot more "sticky." Normal profit streams dry up if you ignore them, whereas I've had my band of faithful patrons for a long time now. People just like supporting those doing work that resonates with them.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#25
My little hardware book, Computer Engineering for Babies launched on Kickstarter a few months ago and blew my mind by raising almost $250k. It’s a simple book with buttons and LEDs to demonstrate different logic gates.

I just shipped out the first batch of books a week ago and now waiting for the next batch of books. It’s gotten pretty demanding pretty quickly but I’m really excited about it. I’m hoping I can soon employ my little sister to manage all the shipping. She’s been an Amazon driver for the last 2 years and I think she’d appreciate a change of pace.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#26

I make a Safari ad blocker app for iOS and macOS - Magic Lasso Adblock - https://www.magiclasso.co/ It's free to use and download with an optional Pro subscription that includes additional features and makes > $500/month. Key things that have helped the revenue in 2021: - Released a major new version 3.0 which blocks all YouTube ads and has kicked along sales and improved the conversion rate considerably - Apple's sm…

Wait, it's possible to have an ad locker on iOS safari? I thought this thing is impossible and unlock etc don't exist on iOS.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#27
I'm an author. I write books of science projects you can perform on your loved ones.

For each of my four books, I got paid a decent advance. One of the books has been quite successful and has earned back its advance, so I now get royalty checks. An audiobook deal and half a dozen foreign-rights deals have sweetened the pot.

It's not what I would call a passive income method, however, because a lot of work goes into it, even years after publication.

If you are considering writing a book, I'd highly suggest finding a literary agent. Worth every penny of their 15% commission.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#28
I own 4 shares in the S&P 500. I developed trading strategies to sell my shares and buy them back at key points using Fibonacci retracements. Best business ever. And if I leave it it still makes money.

I’m nowhere near $500/month but learning to trade simply has taken me years and I’m very proud of my smol accomplishment.

Re: Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell

#29
post #22

I built a board game in 2021 that has been just breaking the cutoff for this post, all I do is mail out a few games a week as we get orders. We do all our own fulfillment to save money. Currently trying to design a real video game. I got lucky with the board game because it targeted a really niche audience (rock climbers) and so we weren't really competing with the full board game market, which is honestly super satu…

That's a very cool looking game. I'll have to keep it in mind for my wife closer to her birthday.
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