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I spent two years launching tiny projects

tinyprojects.dev

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Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#21

Post by soperj »

ohlookabird wrote: post #18
cjohnson318 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This idea comes up in painting. The rule of thumb is that it's done when there's nothing left to add; when adding the next thing does not provide much more value value than it costs in terms complexity. With coding, it seems like it's much more difficult question to answer.

With coding, I often find Antoine de Saint-Exupéry helping me to limit myself: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

I feel like this quote is why I can't have a removable battery, a headphone jack and an sd card in a new phone.

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#22

Post by drieddust »

While I want to execute the idea I am always put off by the essential administrative stuff such as user management, payment gateway linking, subscription management.

Are there any open source plug and play options available out there which can take away this tedious but important work?

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#23

Post by dcchambers »

Does anyone let the tax implications of launching (several) tiny projects prevent them from even starting?

I know LLCs allow for pass-through taxation and you don't have to file as a business, but I get frozen by the idea that generating a few hundred dollars in revenue from some silly side project means I have to spend hours/days of my time the next Spring figuring out how to properly pay taxes on it.

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#24

Post by danhak »

cjohnson318 wrote: post #15
dafelst wrote: post #6

As someone who perpetually overscopes side projects and ends up biting off more than I can reasonably chew given my free time, I really love this idea. What happens with me is I start a new project, then add a new feature here and there (because coding is fun) and end up never reaching anything close to "done" then getting into analysis paralysis of what to do next because there is so much. Ultimately it gets abandon…

This idea comes up in painting. The rule of thumb is that it's done when there's nothing left to add; when adding the next thing does not provide much more value value than it costs in terms complexity. With coding, it seems like it's much more difficult question to answer.

Unlike a painting, software can be continually improved and enhanced after it's released.

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#26

Post by strbean »

dcchambers wrote: post #23

Does anyone let the tax implications of launching (several) tiny projects prevent them from even starting? I know LLCs allow for pass-through taxation and you don't have to file as a business, but I get frozen by the idea that generating a few hundred dollars in revenue from some silly side project means I have to spend hours/days of my time the next Spring figuring out how to properly pay taxes on it.

Maybe you should start a tiny project called TinyTaxes to handle simple tax filing for such unprofitable tiny projects!

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#28

Post by axg11 »

drieddust wrote: post #22

While I want to execute the idea I am always put off by the essential administrative stuff such as user management, payment gateway linking, subscription management. Are there any open source plug and play options available out there which can take away this tedious but important work?

There are a few SaaS templates out there and services such as Memberstack that make it easier to implement the boilerplate SaaS features in Webflow. I'd also recommend just doing the boring work once and keeping that as a template for future projects.

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#29

Post by chrisa »

dcchambers wrote: post #23

Does anyone let the tax implications of launching (several) tiny projects prevent them from even starting? I know LLCs allow for pass-through taxation and you don't have to file as a business, but I get frozen by the idea that generating a few hundred dollars in revenue from some silly side project means I have to spend hours/days of my time the next Spring figuring out how to properly pay taxes on it.

You can launch multiple tiny projects under a single LLC, then just pay taxes on the total income from all of them for the year - you wouldn't have to do any separate filing

Re: I spent two years launching tiny projects

#30

Post by maxverse »

dcchambers wrote: post #23

Does anyone let the tax implications of launching (several) tiny projects prevent them from even starting? I know LLCs allow for pass-through taxation and you don't have to file as a business, but I get frozen by the idea that generating a few hundred dollars in revenue from some silly side project means I have to spend hours/days of my time the next Spring figuring out how to properly pay taxes on it.

A past manager once gave me great advice for situations like these when I was thinking about applying to grad school worrying about my then-job if I got in: "deal with this problem if you get in." The chances of you making a few hundred dollars in revenue by next Spring are statistically very low. And if you are persistent and talented and lucky enough to generate hundreds of dollars in revenue, you're certainly capable of paying taxes on your earnings.

The fact that you're asking this question means you're interested in launching things. If so, the cliched, true advice is: launch.

If you want practical advice: I run a one-person LLC in the US. Taxes on a few hundred dollars are nothing to worry about.

For inevitable naysayers: my manager's advice doesn't mean you shouldn't ever plan or prepare. Just that when your chances of success are very low, don't worry too much about the repercussions of success. I applied to grad school, and didn't get in. My career continued on just fine.

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