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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

#561

Post by crobertsbmw »

jcims wrote: post #169
crobertsbmw wrote: post #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 em…

Nice! I just ordered two, one for my brother's first grandson (9mo) and one for my first grandchild on the way (-6mo).

Thank you!

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

#562

Post by trkulja »

dylan604 wrote: post #263
trkulja wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes sir. You can YouTube it as some people have posted the algos they discovered. :)

I assumed since it's the same-ish principle. I find it fun how people will strive to work so hard to "ruin" a game, but it is definitely impressive to see how they go about to learn the solve. That should be a Show HN in and of itself.

Oh definitely, the whole arduous process of finding a solution and then getting the best time possible is fascinating. We actually wrote a bit about it here in terms of the Rubik's cube itself: https://www.eclidus.com/our-story.html

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

#563

Post by faldore »

crobertsbmw wrote: post #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 em…

No post body was provided.

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

#564

Post by fm2606 »

plasticbugs wrote: post #2

My 'side project' is pretty conventional, but it surprises people to learn how much I've earned from it with very little effort. At least once or twice a week, I use my lunch break to walk to the local thrift store. I look up items on eBay as I browse and buy anything that would net me $20+ (basically to cover my lunch). I stick to the 'hard goods' section (things like electronics, games, DVDs, home appliances, books…

Same here, though I'm more keen on finding free items on the curb and/or posted on FBMP and CL. I also buy a fair amount from those places as well. We sold a Jeep Wrangler interior carpet set for $175 + shipping that we picked up for free from FBMP.

Right now making about $500/month with $150 going to a 10x10 climate controlled storage unit. At the door going into our unit is a dumpster and we found about 5 huge bags of toys that my wife is going through and listing. We've sold about $30 worth of free stuff from that single dumpster.

In July 2021 I did really well but was going balls to the wall with it and probably made close to $1000 that month. But I got burnt out quick and slowly started getting back into it. My wife has pretty much taken over it as her part- to full-time job (once she gets started on something she can't stop). She has successfully listed about 5 items a day for the past month.

Absolutely correct about the thermal label printer. Bought a brand new one for a fraction of the cost off of FBMP ;-)

I bought a tape gun and wasted more tape than what actually got on the box so ditched that.

Agree with don't skimp on shipping products. Makes life way easier.

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

#565

Post by vegesm »

binwiederhier wrote: post #39
vegesm wrote: post #10

I have an android app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.algeo.alge... ). It brings in right around $500 a month. It is fun to develop, especially that I can dabble into frontend and UI design which is quite far away from what I'm doing daily. Interestingly, it used to bring in much more but the heydays of apps are over.

This is really cool. Thank you for sharing. It's kind of shocking though that 1 million downloads equals "only" $500 in ad revenue. I would have expected a much higher value. May I ask what the install base is?

As others said, the active number of downloads is way lower (50k). Even then, I'm pretty bad at marketing and have no idea how to grow it or optimize the monetization.

It seems from 10 ideas 9 doesn't work and even the 10th brings only modest results.

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

#566

Post by SuoDuanDao »

adossi wrote: post #149
aerovistae wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biggest question that comes to my mind - if you can make this profit so consistently, why not triple your rig? Or even x10, or x50?

That’s the plan! But I’m already at 80% maxed out on a 30A 240V breaker. Sure I could add more breakers, but I really don’t want to turn my basement into an industrial mining zone (not to mention the HOA might have a thing or two to say). I’ve already used some soundproofing (Rockwool) in the room that all the mining equipment is in, the noise is real! Also I need more airflow, I’m exhausting extra heat out a small b…

I recently bought a house in Canada that's heated with all electric baseboards, I am not looking forward to my electricity bill. I'd love to partner with an experienced miner who was willing to pay for the rigs up front and do a lot of the fetch-and-carry in exchange for the waste heat. I have no doubt there are plenty of other homeowners who'd feel the same way. Waste heat's a valuable resource, at least for half the year.

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

#567

Post by [deleted] »

jonathanzufi wrote: post #555
deanmoriarty wrote: post #511

After reading all this, I admit I feel kind of silly for working so hard (50-60h a week on average) to earn my Silicon Valley FAANG comp. I am wondering how much survivorship bias is at play here, some ideas look relatively simple compared to the amount they bring in. Or maybe one really has to take the leap of faith and trust that there is demand for virtually anything? Maybe it’s not so simple, my partner opened a…

Congratulations on your own success! I think you answer this question when you say you “never considered it worthwhile to invest [your time] in a side project” but: how much of that perspective is based on comparing ways of earning income vs the desire to want to build something yourself?

[deleted]

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

#568

Post by deanmoriarty »

jonathanzufi wrote: post #555
deanmoriarty wrote: post #511

After reading all this, I admit I feel kind of silly for working so hard (50-60h a week on average) to earn my Silicon Valley FAANG comp. I am wondering how much survivorship bias is at play here, some ideas look relatively simple compared to the amount they bring in. Or maybe one really has to take the leap of faith and trust that there is demand for virtually anything? Maybe it’s not so simple, my partner opened a…

Congratulations on your own success! I think you answer this question when you say you “never considered it worthwhile to invest [your time] in a side project” but: how much of that perspective is based on comparing ways of earning income vs the desire to want to build something yourself?

I think for me it’s pretty clearly about maximizing the total income (immediate and cumulative for passive sources) per unit of time invested, as opposed to building something myself. This might also be the reason why I never actually started anything, which is just a different way of stating what you quoted from my previous message.

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

#569

Post by vladstudio »

blunte wrote: post #485
vladstudio wrote: post #439

I've been drawing pictures and publishing them as desktop wallpapers for ~20 years now, selling Vlad.studio accounts with unlimited access to downloads [0]. In 2021, I earned $4761, which means ~$400/month. It's not horribly little amount, especially for Russia (where I live), given it's a side project. However, I feel I need to do something more active, rather than just drawing new pictures. Promoting and marketing…

Oh man! I've been a lifetime member for ...wow, two decades indeed!, and I have saved hundreds of your pictures. These have been my favorite desktop backgrounds almost exclusively (although I now make some generated art which sometimes is worth showing/using). This might not be your cup of tea, but if you had facebook (even though I don't like them, this is how it's done) and twitter where you post one image every we…

Thank you! I do have Facebook and Instagram and they seem to be my main source of traffic. Every week / month is the hardest part, but I'm hoping to make it happen in 2002!

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

#570

Post by Gasp0de »

deanmoriarty wrote: post #550
Rastonbury wrote: post #542

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if its realistic calculus to think you'll be easily able to make $1m passive income side project. Would you trade $1m a year for $100k passive?

It’s clearly tough to say without having a real opportunity in front of me, but if the passive income was diversified enough and with minimal time investment, I would most definitely trade my 60h/week job for a side project bringing a fraction of my current income (the exact fraction would be on a case by case). I think I personally am at the point where time is a scarcer resource than money. Getting a lower paid job…

You're already earning 50k/year through dividends, if you can live with a lot less money then just quit and start some side project. Or just take a part time job and live for a while.
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