Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#161

Post by exceltrading » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:24 PM UTC

jontas wrote: post #137

exceltrading wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, about half my code and effort is handling stuff that an "app store" usually would.

I don't know much about this ecosystem but do you see an opportunity for a business to supply these tools (or be the app store) for excel/google sheets addons?

There definitely is for excel. Both for consumer add-ins and internal business add-ins. I've thought about it, and even started on the idea a few times, but have given up. There are just so many components of the system that are outside of your control as a developer. Someone with the appropriate resources might be able to do something neat.

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#162

Post by scruple » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:25 PM UTC

I won't get super into the details, but... A friend and I co-founded a small startup / lifestyle business in a niche hardware / hobby market. Built a platform around it. It's now inching close to 6 figures in 6 years. Not earth shattering, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's more than paid for itself and our time investment. Especially considering that my time investment as the primary developer is somewhere around 10 hours a year for maintenance purposes.

We grow the user base slowly, organically, deliberately. Our quite reasonable cost can be a barrier to entry for some users but our particular solution to this particular problem can save people many thousands of dollars over the course of a few years.

edit/ Typos...

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#163

Post by jonathan-adly » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:26 PM UTC

DeathArrow wrote: post #98

jonathan-adly wrote: post #54

I built https://joyful.gifts a couple of years ago. Nice lunch money and was a good technical challenge. I did it to be able to call myself a full-stack software dev. Basically, get over my imposter syndrome.

But that seems to need human input, at least to buy and send the gift. Or did you manage to automate that?

90% there - buy ya - I don't trust the recommendation engine to fly solo yet. Maybe if I can stop my day job and work on it 100% - but I am not there yet.

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#164

Post by Disruptive_Dave » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:28 PM UTC

throwaway-donut wrote: post #149

I have a web app that caters to the adult live video chatting industry. It makes about 4 or 5k a month completely passively. Unfortunately I’m too embarrassed to talk about it with anyone.

Love to hear more. I've had an e-comm idea for that industry for a while now.

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#165

Post by brad0 » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:31 PM UTC

verigit wrote: post #160

I wrote a Git server with an iCloud backend: https://easygit.app It is making approximately $0 per month :)

This sounds really interesting from a technical point of view!

What was your motivation in building it?

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#166

Post by ohwellhere » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:33 PM UTC

tessierashpool wrote: post #151

xnorswap wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nor is OP if you take their 20% discount into account. Scalping tickets designed to be heavily discounted for fans, then re-selling them to anyone for profit is scummy even if the price still comes under the non-fan price. At best you're just denying other fans the chance to get discounts for your own profit.

it's just arbitrage. scalping tickets isn't morally distinct from any other form of "buy low, sell high."

I see your point. I'm not sure you're objectively wrong. But it feels wrong. :)

Where there is sufficient demand for things to sell out to people who want the product, but are unable to get it because someone has used a bot to scoop them up at superhuman speeds... that doesn't feel exactly like the moral equivalent of other forms of arbitrage.

_Especially_ when the sellers themselves would prefer that not happen. The bands want the tickets to go to the fans at no higher than the price the venue sets. Sony wants more gamers to have PS5s at the price they set.

It feels like the marketplace would function perfectly fine, and the true seller and the final buyer want it to work one way, but third party interlopers are taking advantage of other aspects of the scale and technological basis of our marketplace.

Market makers provide value; scalpers rent seek. I think that's a valid moral distinction.

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#167

Post by CodeSgt » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:34 PM UTC

scruple wrote: post #162

I won't get super into the details, but... A friend and I co-founded a small startup / lifestyle business in a niche hardware / hobby market. Built a platform around it. It's now inching close to 6 figures in 6 years. Not earth shattering, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's more than paid for itself and our time investment. Especially considering that my time investment as the primary developer is somewhere…

Feel free not to reply to this, but why the hesitancy to provide specifics?

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#168

Post by scruple » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:36 PM UTC

CodeSgt wrote: post #167

scruple wrote: post #162

I won't get super into the details, but... A friend and I co-founded a small startup / lifestyle business in a niche hardware / hobby market. Built a platform around it. It's now inching close to 6 figures in 6 years. Not earth shattering, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's more than paid for itself and our time investment. Especially considering that my time investment as the primary developer is somewhere…

Feel free not to reply to this, but why the hesitancy to provide specifics?

I would 100% dox myself.

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#169

Post by ternaryJimbo » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:42 PM UTC

slivanes wrote: post #76

I created an online market for a game that sold in-game items with revenue at its peak of over $300k USD per month. Initially it just used eBay affiliate links, but since I would track the sellers in my database, I reached out to the big wholesalers and encouraged them to go nearly exclusive on my market for a similar cut. It was all built over a few years and it runs mostly on autopilot, all marketing, hosting, and…

Which game? Guessing an mmo

Re: Ask HN: Side projects that are making money, but you'd not talk about them?

#170

Post by rubyron » Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:43 PM UTC

Three years ago I started a side hustle in the golf industry to pay for my obsessive love for the game.

Never really talked about it in my software circles (until now), but it’s probably time, as we’re doing mid 7-figures/yr, growing rapidly, and have three ft employees (sales and shipping). It’s become my ft gig as well and I couldn’t be happier.

Currently I’m considering hiring another dev with a similar passion for the game, ideally someone with computer vision experience. Austin location preferred but would consider remote.