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I've found that you have to work on something that you're passionate about, something you want to use. I don't have the magic formula for finding these things,

by tmuir 12y ago

I've found that you have to work on something that you're passionate about, something you want to use. I don't have the magic formula for finding these things, but after trying several side projects and having them fizzle out, I've finally found something that I want to spend almost all of my free time on, and I do. I do hope to sell the product, but what keeps me working on it 40 hrs a week, in addition to my full time job, is the promise of actually using the device. The closest I can get to making the process formulaic is to find a hobby that requires gear of some kind. Before you ever build something to improve that hobby, you need to enjoy the hobby. Then, find some aspect of that hobby that could be improved, most likely through some sort of automation.

mgarfias 12y ago
If only I could figure out how to make $ working on my car or playing with my kids.
- sweettea 12y ago
  Mechanics are people who enjoy working on cars; and beyond that, cars provide lots of space to tinker --- I remember being inspired by old Mother Earth News articles on converting your pickup to be wood-burning, or vegetable-oil-burning, or any sort of alternative fuel. Farming/gardening is a great way to play with your kids, and make a little money on the side too; the money is likely to not be significant, but the pleasure at making money from the work of your hands is personally palpable, since I normally am a knowledge-worker.
- tmuir 12y ago
  I realize that you're being somewhat facetious, but don't think of the hobby itself as the income generator. Think of something that is difficult or expensive, or time intensive about working on your car, and try to make it easier, cheaper and or faster to accomplish. Think of it from the perspective of people that work on cars for a living. Anything that saves them time/labor/equipment costs will be of interest to these people. The bare essence is this: find a problem that a large group of people experience, and find a way that allows people to solve that problem.
ssharp 12y ago
I've come up with a pretty cool project with obvious business model this exact way. I started with a new hobby last year, quickly saw some inefficiencies and ways it could be made easier with technology/computing and have started building it out. Although I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on it (newborn twins!), I'm definitely motivated and excited every time I crack open Sublime Text :)

by tmuir 12y ago

mgarfias 12y ago

If only I could figure out how to make $ working on my car or playing with my kids.

sweettea 12y ago
Mechanics are people who enjoy working on cars; and beyond that, cars provide lots of space to tinker --- I remember being inspired by old Mother Earth News articles on converting your pickup to be wood-burning, or vegetable-oil-burning, or any sort of alternative fuel. Farming/gardening is a great way to play with your kids, and make a little money on the side too; the money is likely to not be significant, but the pleasure at making money from the work of your hands is personally palpable, since I normally am a knowledge-worker.
tmuir 12y ago
I realize that you're being somewhat facetious, but don't think of the hobby itself as the income generator. Think of something that is difficult or expensive, or time intensive about working on your car, and try to make it easier, cheaper and or faster to accomplish. Think of it from the perspective of people that work on cars for a living. Anything that saves them time/labor/equipment costs will be of interest to these people. The bare essence is this: find a problem that a large group of people experience, and find a way that allows people to solve that problem.

ssharp 12y ago

I've come up with a pretty cool project with obvious business model this exact way. I started with a new hobby last year, quickly saw some inefficiencies and ways it could be made easier with technology/computing and have started building it out. Although I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on it (newborn twins!), I'm definitely motivated and excited every time I crack open Sublime Text :)