I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains • Hacker News Board

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#261

Post by ungreased0675 » Mon, Aug 04, 2025, 11:40 AM UTC

parpfish wrote: post #50

tangential question for the HN side-project crowd: i have lots of ideas for fun little side projects that would never be revenue generating. i'll go on a tear and start building it, but when it comes time to figure out how much it'd cost each month for domains/cloud services/etc I talk myself out of it. I'm not talking about big LLM bills here, just things like $25/month for the database, $10-50/year for a domain, et…

You could be spending far less on proof-of-concept websites. I maximize Azure free tier services, and only projects that create revenue earn their own domain name.

My side projects cost me about $15 a month, and the biggest cost there is LLC registration.

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#262

Post by pillefitz » Mon, Aug 04, 2025, 3:48 PM UTC

danudey wrote: post #231

skeeter2020 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not really ADHD but simply the fun part of new projects. The exciting start vs. the grind. Is the difference between 17 abandoned side projects and an overnight success ten years (or more) in the making.

You've just described ADHD perfectly, I'm sorry to say. People who don't have this sort of ADHD level of executive dysfunction are capable of completing projects. The "exciting start" vs "abandoning them as soon as they're not exciting" thing is a core criteria for ADHD in my experience. Neurotypical people don't have this same experience; they don't start something new because they're excited about it and then bail…

What compells neurotypicals to start projects, then?

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#263

Post by p0d » Tue, Aug 05, 2025, 8:09 AM UTC

My advice, make a time machine and travel back 20 years and take your side projects with you. I made a thing 18 years ago that has been making money ever since. If I made it now I would be like an apple in a barrel of apples.

If it's a business you are looking to build then learn to do business. This was my problem and why I made a 6 figure sum over 18 years and not 7.

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#264

Post by flippyhead » Tue, Aug 05, 2025, 12:46 PM UTC

I've started and abandoned loads of projects! I started to notice that, often, ONLY after putting in considerable effort would I discover competitors or other projects doing the same thing.

Sometimes this would get me down. Other times it would motivate me. Either way I got sick of at least not knowing from the beginning.

Naturally I started a project to scratch this itch, which aims to help me quickly know in advance if my dumb saas idea is already* out there, so I can then go focus on building, customers etc.

* https://already.dev

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#265

Post by wainguo » Wed, Aug 06, 2025, 5:17 AM UTC

Haha this hits home.

Just renewed a 10-year domain to build a tiny website screenshot tool for my non-tech friends. No login, no tracking, just “paste URL → get image.” https://websitescreenshot.online, Will anyone use it? Probably not. But I love it anyway.

Most of my side projects end up as ghost towns too, but each one leaves a trail of git commits, lessons, and a bit of joy.

Keep building. We’re all in the same club.

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#266

Post by huncyrus » Mon, Aug 11, 2025, 8:40 AM UTC

jonplackett wrote: post #7

I have now reached the point where I won’t buy the domain name until I get a prototype ready. I’ve only bought one domain name since then and got the project out! I think the domain name is your reward for finishing your minimum viable product.

I am doing the same. I won't invest until I have a working MVP. Naturally, finishing it afterwards is challenging with little free time, but it can be slowly progressed.

Re: I launched 17 side projects. Result? I'm rich in expired domains

#267

Post by huncyrus » Mon, Aug 11, 2025, 8:43 AM UTC

I had side projects that died because the market shifted. When I was in middle school, I managed a small website for tabletop RPGs on a very limited market (a small European country), and the community was extremely toxic and kept copying my work and replacing the name in it, so after like 6-8 years of battling, I decided to close it. Now, after more than a decade, I plan to reopen it, uploading again my old stuff there as archives. I still have the domains.