7 ms·

I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online for a good part of the past 10 years with a couple of failed startups and even more side projects

I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online for a good part of the past 10 years with a couple of failed startups and even more side projects that went nowhere. I envy anyone who can do this and I think it is truly an immeasurable amount of effort to make any kind of side income let alone something that replaces your salary. But I think articles like this one advertise it like it's something you can do in your sleep and that's just not how it works.

ZainRiz 4y ago
I spent years also thinking I had nothing I could teach that people would pay money for. Heck, I had a couple blog posts that made HN front page and still I didn't think that people would actually pay me money for that content. Then a couple months ago I realized I could take one of those posts about interview advice to software engineers and turn it into a more in depth video lecture. I was amazed to see people actually buying it (sold $7k worth of that course!) In case it provides inspiration, I wrote about what it was like making the course here: https://twitter.com/ZainRzv/status/1525211786710077449 https://twitter.com/ZainRzv/status/1525211786710077449
josephg 4y ago
It’s also a lot of luck. A friend of a friend made some trashy weekend website in php years ago which calculates profits from options trades. He somehow makes 6 figures from advertising on the site. Apparently he tried doing a big rewrite a couple years ago to fix the UX and whatnot, but his income dropped to 1/3rd of what it was after the change. Probably people spent less time on the site. So he put it back how it was.
- doppp 4y ago
  Did he advertise the site or optimize SEO or just put it up and then it just got traffic?
  - josephg 4y ago
    Sorry; too distant an acquaintance. I don't know the website's URL or any more detail than what I posted above.
- foota 4y ago
  ... https://www.optionsprofitcalculator.com/ https://www.optionsprofitcalculator.com/? I used this during some trading to double check things lol.
ehnto 4y ago
The missing component is luck I feel, you and I both have probably put the same smarts and effort in as those who were succesful but just haven't had opportunity, effort and luck all line up at the right time. I built four SaaS products while working full time as a software dev, I have started companies, tried some side hussles, I am a smart chap but I was never blessed with opportunity and luck at the time I was putting in the effort. Then I burned out, and now I am just happy to be enjoying software for a living again. It would take a really captivating idea for me to start another software side gig, and only if a concrete opportunity arises. For now I am happy working on being prepared to sieze that opportunity by building cash, skills and a network, rather than actively working on one that doesn't yet exist.
- nowherebeen 4y ago
  I am in the same boat as you. I realized I have all the technical chops needed to build my business, but have failed a few times now. I am now looking for a job. Who knows if the opportunity will ever arise, but I need to move on with my life. I can't be sitting waiting for an opportunity that might never come. It's been emotionally difficult for me to acknowledge this, but I take it one day at a time.
  - tasuki 4y ago
    > I realized I have all the technical chops needed to build my business I don't know much about business, but I think you need business chops to build a business.
    - nowherebeen 4y ago
      Absolutely, once you find the market, but at the ideation stage it’s more about spotting it in the first place. That’s much harder than it seems.
      - tasuki 4y ago
        Sure, it just seems the technical chops are way down the list of priorities...
bolt7469 4y ago
The classic YC advice is "make something people want." This video dives into how that looks in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C27RVio2rOs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C27RVio2rOs The guiding principle is simple, but in practice it can be hard and complex.
- ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
  I think a more succinct point would be to identify someone with a hair on fire problem. That I feel is more concrete. They do talk about this a bit later but I feel this is the starting point.
- roguas 4y ago
  Generally, you can go and "invent" business. But if you really do struggle there is another route, not as glorious. Make something cheaper, its also a good starting point for a lot of "inventive" startups (Spacex is spacex, cause they are cheaper than others). However you don't have to be inventive, just do similar/same thing but cheaper.
- amelius 4y ago
  > The classic YC advice is "make something people want." Ok, I want to make compilers. People want them but don't want to pay for them ...
  - adrianN 4y ago
    Make a compiler that supports a modern language for an obscure chip that is used in industrial machines that is also compatible with the dialect that the vendor's compiler speaks.
  - fxtentacle 4y ago
    I'm a paying customer of the Intel Compiler Suite. And I have been for many years. And I'm well aware that Intel is f-ing over AMD with vendor flags. But there simply is no alternative to MKL. So if you release something competitive to TBB+MKL for AMD, then you're in business ;) But be warned, it's like millions LOC and 500MB of pure compiled binaries to get to that level of functionality.
asicsp 4y ago
>I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online If you are really serious about $10 (and not some other larger number), here are some tips: * Pick a topic you know really well (programming, cooking, sea diving, whatever) * Make an infographic (get started on the topic of your choice, some specific and useful practical tip, etc) - picking a template from free tier Canva will go a long way in producing a good looking graphical post (you can even do animations) * Put this up under pay-what-you-want model on sites like Gumroad (so, minimum price free but users can pay if they wish) - see https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 for an example * Post a sample on sites like Twitter, Reddit, etc (just the nice looking graphic, add a link to Gumroad later in comments if the posts start getting attention) * Make a video to show demos (if applicable) * Be consistent! Give it your best shot for topics you are really confident about. Listen to feedback. Learn and Build in Public for better reach (see https://swyx.io/learn-in-public https://swyx.io/learn-in-public and https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/ https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/) If you want an example for someone making a living by doing things like this, check out Julia's https://wizardzines.com/ https://wizardzines.com/
- anitil 4y ago
  I recently threw $100 at jvns because of this model. I wanted the docker zine and it was $10 for one, or $100 for the lot. It doesn't take that many $100 purchases to be a respectable income source
  - asicsp 4y ago
    Depending on where you live, you can get discount too. For example, I get this: >Hello! It looks like you're in India, where this zine might be expensive. If you need it, please use code <redacted> at checkout to get 70% off the regular price.
    - rrishi 4y ago
      It's pretty cool jvns took the location of purchaser into account. Don't see that happening often.
kebsup 4y ago
I'm getting 10 USD once in one or two days from my project https://gifmemes.io https://gifmemes.io. It meant spending a few hundreds of hours of programming without any validation whatsoever and then hoping for the best.
- sgc 4y ago
  a few hundreds of hours of programming without any validation whatsoever The function returning the right response is its own reward!
rozenmd 4y ago
I think what most people miss in replies to your comment is "building trust at scale". Folks will launch courses that net $1m a year, sure. But what you miss is the years beforehand building goodwill with their community by helping out, writing articles, attending conferences and giving talks, etc. I do this myself with React at https://maxrozen.com https://maxrozen.com, and most folks that end up buying my book found my site dozens of times first.
iamflimflam1 4y ago
I started a YouTube channel during lockdown (https://www.youtube.com/c/atomic14 https://www.youtube.com/c/atomic14 please like, subscribe etc...) and now get $100+ per month advertising revenue. It's definitely possible to grow it to a replacement salary (I know several full time YouTubers now) but it does require a certain amount of luck and a huge amount of effort. Not really different from any other endeavour...
- roguas 4y ago
  I think even without growing part. You can milk 24k+ subs channel way beyond $100 per month. Especially in tech space. I know youtubers with 60-70k and its become profitable fulltime job for them.
zivkovicp 4y ago
Don't feel bad, there is a lot of luck involved. I used to be able to (late 1990s/early 2000s) make a living on a mixture of niche websites, affiliate marketing, CPC arbitrage, and similar; but it just started drying up as more people gravitated to social media platforms, and unless you can skill up on social media marketing while getting lucky with their algorithms, you probably won't get far. I decided to just move on because I never really liked the platforms and wanted stable employment for a while, but even now that I would be willing to risk the unpredictable income, it's nigh on impossible to get anything rolling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- lampshades 4y ago
  Similar situation here. I built several very successful sites back around 2000/2001 and made money with affiliate marketing. Can’t seem to get traction on anything anymore. Although, the amount of money that makes it worthwhile for me has increased drastically.
p0nce 4y ago
That point is adressed under the "Become more product-minded" sub-point. My advice is to remember the situations where _you_ have spent $10 online and just analyze what was in place to help you spend that money.
lampshades 4y ago
Same. I don’t seem to be able to do it which is why I ended up pursuing another option he gave: day trading and investing. Going much better than building products/businesses.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
runako 4y ago
People will tell you this essential approach lots of different ways, but here is my attempt. Hopefully this phrasing helps. - Find a problem people have, ideally something they are paying to solve now (this includes hiring people to solve it). - Write down/screenshot the places online/offline where you have seen people indicating that they have this problem and are paying to solve it. - Make a solution that is different in some way that is important to some subset of people (e.g. "X, but it works with Linode" or "Y, but it's in Portuguese"). Sometimes, the people posting/asking about solutions to the problem will ask specific questions that tell you how to differentiate. - Post your solution in the same places you saw people talking about the problem This has worked for me in the past, hopefully this approach will help you. The key point here is obviously that you know where and who to sell to before you make anything, so you are more likely to be able to sell your offering once you make it.

ZainRiz 4y ago

I spent years also thinking I had nothing I could teach that people would pay money for. Heck, I had a couple blog posts that made HN front page and still I didn't think that people would actually pay me money for that content. Then a couple months ago I realized I could take one of those posts about interview advice to software engineers and turn it into a more in depth video lecture. I was amazed to see people actually buying it (sold $7k worth of that course!) In case it provides inspiration, I wrote about what it was like making the course here: https://twitter.com/ZainRzv/status/1525211786710077449 https://twitter.com/ZainRzv/status/1525211786710077449

josephg 4y ago

It’s also a lot of luck. A friend of a friend made some trashy weekend website in php years ago which calculates profits from options trades. He somehow makes 6 figures from advertising on the site. Apparently he tried doing a big rewrite a couple years ago to fix the UX and whatnot, but his income dropped to 1/3rd of what it was after the change. Probably people spent less time on the site. So he put it back how it was.

doppp 4y ago
Did he advertise the site or optimize SEO or just put it up and then it just got traffic?
- josephg 4y ago
  Sorry; too distant an acquaintance. I don't know the website's URL or any more detail than what I posted above.
foota 4y ago
... https://www.optionsprofitcalculator.com/ https://www.optionsprofitcalculator.com/? I used this during some trading to double check things lol.

ehnto 4y ago

The missing component is luck I feel, you and I both have probably put the same smarts and effort in as those who were succesful but just haven't had opportunity, effort and luck all line up at the right time. I built four SaaS products while working full time as a software dev, I have started companies, tried some side hussles, I am a smart chap but I was never blessed with opportunity and luck at the time I was putting in the effort. Then I burned out, and now I am just happy to be enjoying software for a living again. It would take a really captivating idea for me to start another software side gig, and only if a concrete opportunity arises. For now I am happy working on being prepared to sieze that opportunity by building cash, skills and a network, rather than actively working on one that doesn't yet exist.

nowherebeen 4y ago
I am in the same boat as you. I realized I have all the technical chops needed to build my business, but have failed a few times now. I am now looking for a job. Who knows if the opportunity will ever arise, but I need to move on with my life. I can't be sitting waiting for an opportunity that might never come. It's been emotionally difficult for me to acknowledge this, but I take it one day at a time.
- tasuki 4y ago
  > I realized I have all the technical chops needed to build my business I don't know much about business, but I think you need business chops to build a business.
  - nowherebeen 4y ago
    Absolutely, once you find the market, but at the ideation stage it’s more about spotting it in the first place. That’s much harder than it seems.
    - tasuki 4y ago
      Sure, it just seems the technical chops are way down the list of priorities...

bolt7469 4y ago

The classic YC advice is "make something people want." This video dives into how that looks in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C27RVio2rOs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C27RVio2rOs The guiding principle is simple, but in practice it can be hard and complex.

ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
I think a more succinct point would be to identify someone with a hair on fire problem. That I feel is more concrete. They do talk about this a bit later but I feel this is the starting point.
roguas 4y ago
Generally, you can go and "invent" business. But if you really do struggle there is another route, not as glorious. Make something cheaper, its also a good starting point for a lot of "inventive" startups (Spacex is spacex, cause they are cheaper than others). However you don't have to be inventive, just do similar/same thing but cheaper.
amelius 4y ago
> The classic YC advice is "make something people want." Ok, I want to make compilers. People want them but don't want to pay for them ...
- adrianN 4y ago
  Make a compiler that supports a modern language for an obscure chip that is used in industrial machines that is also compatible with the dialect that the vendor's compiler speaks.
- fxtentacle 4y ago
  I'm a paying customer of the Intel Compiler Suite. And I have been for many years. And I'm well aware that Intel is f-ing over AMD with vendor flags. But there simply is no alternative to MKL. So if you release something competitive to TBB+MKL for AMD, then you're in business ;) But be warned, it's like millions LOC and 500MB of pure compiled binaries to get to that level of functionality.

asicsp 4y ago

>I've been wrecking my brain how to make $10 on anything online If you are really serious about $10 (and not some other larger number), here are some tips: * Pick a topic you know really well (programming, cooking, sea diving, whatever) * Make an infographic (get started on the topic of your choice, some specific and useful practical tip, etc) - picking a template from free tier Canva will go a long way in producing a good looking graphical post (you can even do animations) * Put this up under pay-what-you-want model on sites like Gumroad (so, minimum price free but users can pay if they wish) - see https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 https://mathspp.gumroad.com/l/cheatsheet_list_comps_101 for an example * Post a sample on sites like Twitter, Reddit, etc (just the nice looking graphic, add a link to Gumroad later in comments if the posts start getting attention) * Make a video to show demos (if applicable) * Be consistent! Give it your best shot for topics you are really confident about. Listen to feedback. Learn and Build in Public for better reach (see https://swyx.io/learn-in-public https://swyx.io/learn-in-public and https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/ https://chriscoyier.net/2012/09/23/working-in-public/) If you want an example for someone making a living by doing things like this, check out Julia's https://wizardzines.com/ https://wizardzines.com/

anitil 4y ago
I recently threw $100 at jvns because of this model. I wanted the docker zine and it was $10 for one, or $100 for the lot. It doesn't take that many $100 purchases to be a respectable income source
- asicsp 4y ago
  Depending on where you live, you can get discount too. For example, I get this: >Hello! It looks like you're in India, where this zine might be expensive. If you need it, please use code <redacted> at checkout to get 70% off the regular price.
  - rrishi 4y ago
    It's pretty cool jvns took the location of purchaser into account. Don't see that happening often.

kebsup 4y ago

I'm getting 10 USD once in one or two days from my project https://gifmemes.io https://gifmemes.io. It meant spending a few hundreds of hours of programming without any validation whatsoever and then hoping for the best.

sgc 4y ago
a few hundreds of hours of programming without any validation whatsoever The function returning the right response is its own reward!

rozenmd 4y ago

I think what most people miss in replies to your comment is "building trust at scale". Folks will launch courses that net $1m a year, sure. But what you miss is the years beforehand building goodwill with their community by helping out, writing articles, attending conferences and giving talks, etc. I do this myself with React at https://maxrozen.com https://maxrozen.com, and most folks that end up buying my book found my site dozens of times first.

iamflimflam1 4y ago

I started a YouTube channel during lockdown (https://www.youtube.com/c/atomic14 https://www.youtube.com/c/atomic14 please like, subscribe etc...) and now get $100+ per month advertising revenue. It's definitely possible to grow it to a replacement salary (I know several full time YouTubers now) but it does require a certain amount of luck and a huge amount of effort. Not really different from any other endeavour...

roguas 4y ago
I think even without growing part. You can milk 24k+ subs channel way beyond $100 per month. Especially in tech space. I know youtubers with 60-70k and its become profitable fulltime job for them.

zivkovicp 4y ago

Don't feel bad, there is a lot of luck involved. I used to be able to (late 1990s/early 2000s) make a living on a mixture of niche websites, affiliate marketing, CPC arbitrage, and similar; but it just started drying up as more people gravitated to social media platforms, and unless you can skill up on social media marketing while getting lucky with their algorithms, you probably won't get far. I decided to just move on because I never really liked the platforms and wanted stable employment for a while, but even now that I would be willing to risk the unpredictable income, it's nigh on impossible to get anything rolling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

lampshades 4y ago
Similar situation here. I built several very successful sites back around 2000/2001 and made money with affiliate marketing. Can’t seem to get traction on anything anymore. Although, the amount of money that makes it worthwhile for me has increased drastically.

p0nce 4y ago

That point is adressed under the "Become more product-minded" sub-point. My advice is to remember the situations where _you_ have spent $10 online and just analyze what was in place to help you spend that money.

lampshades 4y ago

Same. I don’t seem to be able to do it which is why I ended up pursuing another option he gave: day trading and investing. Going much better than building products/businesses.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

runako 4y ago

People will tell you this essential approach lots of different ways, but here is my attempt. Hopefully this phrasing helps. - Find a problem people have, ideally something they are paying to solve now (this includes hiring people to solve it). - Write down/screenshot the places online/offline where you have seen people indicating that they have this problem and are paying to solve it. - Make a solution that is different in some way that is important to some subset of people (e.g. "X, but it works with Linode" or "Y, but it's in Portuguese"). Sometimes, the people posting/asking about solutions to the problem will ask specific questions that tell you how to differentiate. - Post your solution in the same places you saw people talking about the problem This has worked for me in the past, hopefully this approach will help you. The key point here is obviously that you know where and who to sell to before you make anything, so you are more likely to be able to sell your offering once you make it.