How have you found buyers for your projects?
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Side projects I've built since 2009
61–70 of 146 posts
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#62very nice! where did you sell your "sold" apps?
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#63I should make a page of ‘Every Side Project I haven’t quite finished building since 2009’ But it would be so huge I can’t afford the hosting bill.
Good. I don't see this as a bad thing. Most people make side projects for fun, trying knew things, solidifying knowledge, etc. I mean, if you have a goal of starting a SaaS and you've spent years starting and stopping a bunch of projects that you never follow through on then yeah, you should improve on that. But that's not most people with a bunch of unfinished side projects.
Excellent point
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#64I wish I had this energy again. I've got a list of side projects to get on with. I've made little progress in the last year, and suspect its burn out to blame - I'm just constantly exhausted. I think if you have the energy, this is awesome fun. It might even get to the point where one of them makes some decent income. But if you don't, like me, just realise that there is a reason for that, and it's OK. You need rest…
totally feel you, I also have a list of projects I wanted to jump in, but I feel exhausted, and blame myself for not working on them.
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#65Virtual hat tip to ya! I finally have four ideas that I think worthy to build that I would like to monetize. All would be well within my abilities to build. No vision of grandeur that I'd retire from any of them and if I made $100 from one site I'd be ecstatic. Two are simple games, one a directory and one a utility type site. No AI, no sign-up, no affiliate marketing, no upselling, just simple sites with ads. Howeve…
> However, my "paralysis by analysis" affliction is strong. The solution is to remember that nothing is perfect, and that all code is eventually thrown away and replaced. So just start writing code and have fun!
Strongly agree. I struggled with the same. A key discovery for me was that this "paralysis by analysis" is a form of perfectionism.
I always thought perfectionism was someone who was productive but way too hard on themselves, overworking to achieve some end that's just not worth it. Not necessarily - it can also mean DOING NOTHING because you dont see a way to do it perfectly.
This has helped me a lot with writing. Sometimes you just have to write down incoherent slop. Let the ideas flow and be content with knowing they will have to be revised later. By all means if you write with more purpose and structure without getting too bogged down to continue then do so.
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#66Virtual hat tip to ya! I finally have four ideas that I think worthy to build that I would like to monetize. All would be well within my abilities to build. No vision of grandeur that I'd retire from any of them and if I made $100 from one site I'd be ecstatic. Two are simple games, one a directory and one a utility type site. No AI, no sign-up, no affiliate marketing, no upselling, just simple sites with ads. Howeve…
I think you have the motivation wrong. The cost-benefit economics work if you want to have fun building something, learn a lot and share it with others. It doesn't work if the goal is to make up to $100/month selling ads; getting a part-time job would be a better path. In this scenario not finishing your side project is the correct decision, and not starting an optimization of that.
I've noticed it depends on one's personality.
To me, trying to make money with random projects is the most motivating thing. A dollar earned from some little project is emotionally to me worth many times that of the same dollar I'd earn as salary (as long as I don't starve). Most of my friends do not seem to share this feeling.
Also the internet is very big. You can sometimes have success with something, even it's a very silly badly implemented little thing. What people like, how you happen to get traffic, it's all quite unpredictable.
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#67Virtual hat tip to ya! I finally have four ideas that I think worthy to build that I would like to monetize. All would be well within my abilities to build. No vision of grandeur that I'd retire from any of them and if I made $100 from one site I'd be ecstatic. Two are simple games, one a directory and one a utility type site. No AI, no sign-up, no affiliate marketing, no upselling, just simple sites with ads. Howeve…
I think you have the motivation wrong. The cost-benefit economics work if you want to have fun building something, learn a lot and share it with others. It doesn't work if the goal is to make up to $100/month selling ads; getting a part-time job would be a better path. In this scenario not finishing your side project is the correct decision, and not starting an optimization of that.
Lots of truth to this.
However, I have difficulty in doing a personal site just for my own benefit and pleasure.
I enjoy learning, I enjoy the THOUGHT of building and doing but my execution sucks.
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#68I wish I had this energy again. I've got a list of side projects to get on with. I've made little progress in the last year, and suspect its burn out to blame - I'm just constantly exhausted. I think if you have the energy, this is awesome fun. It might even get to the point where one of them makes some decent income. But if you don't, like me, just realise that there is a reason for that, and it's OK. You need rest…
> I wish I had this energy again. I used to think my youthful energy was gone forever. Then about 3 months ago I had an idea for a project I truly believed in. I was able to write code for 16 hours straight, day after day, for most of the last 3 months. And it's not exhausting, it's rejuvenating . I feel like a young man again, despite my gray hairs! (I was planning on releasing it today actually, but this weekend I…
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Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#69I wish I had this energy again. I've got a list of side projects to get on with. I've made little progress in the last year, and suspect its burn out to blame - I'm just constantly exhausted. I think if you have the energy, this is awesome fun. It might even get to the point where one of them makes some decent income. But if you don't, like me, just realise that there is a reason for that, and it's OK. You need rest…
> I wish I had this energy again. I used to think my youthful energy was gone forever. Then about 3 months ago I had an idea for a project I truly believed in. I was able to write code for 16 hours straight, day after day, for most of the last 3 months. And it's not exhausting, it's rejuvenating . I feel like a young man again, despite my gray hairs! (I was planning on releasing it today actually, but this weekend I…
Congrats on finding something like that, and can't wait to see the Show HN thread!
What do you think made it something you could believe in? Was it the opportunity, that it aligned with something you were personally interested in or something else?
I had a project a few years ago that was a bit like that. I'd be coding it up every hour I could find around the day job, and loved it. Perhaps I need to reflect on that some more.
Re: Side projects I've built since 2009
#70I wish I had this energy again. I've got a list of side projects to get on with. I've made little progress in the last year, and suspect its burn out to blame - I'm just constantly exhausted. I think if you have the energy, this is awesome fun. It might even get to the point where one of them makes some decent income. But if you don't, like me, just realise that there is a reason for that, and it's OK. You need rest…
Side projects lately feel the same as creating a blog: why bother, no one is ever gonna read it? And it’s not going to make much money or gain you karma.