Introduction
Hello there! If you're like many aspiring entrepreneurs (including me), you've probably had your fair share of bright ide...
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I would add "Mistake #6: Launching only once". I did this myself and saw others do it: you launch, and that is it, now you go back to building till you have something big again to launch, in 3 or 6 or 9 months. But that is not good, it means you are putting your project out there only couple of times per year! You should never stop launching. Keep writing about your project, write about how you are building it, write about each specific feature of it (yes you can launch each feature, even if you already launched the whole project!), write about smaller improvements you are doing, ask for feedback, ... . It doesn't all have to be a mega big launch, it can be a lot of small launches. Ideally you should be writing something each week and doing a mini launch every couple of weeks. There are so many places and communities out there where you can participate and share about your project. This is a lot of work, it means you will be spending less time coding, but it is important.
And if it feels like you are being too loud, and launching too often: most of the time, not many people will see your launch. Only a very small portion of the people on the internet will get to it each time. So forget about those fears and keep launching!
Such an awesome comment, @martinsos! Thanks a lot! Agree with you on every aspect, keep launching, even if it's not big, every change matters!
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Personally, I think it foolhardy to expect every side project to become a side hustle. So, my advice is to regard every side project more as a learning exercise and an opportunity extend your skills and knowledge through exploring new techniques, tools and technologies.
With that in mind it does not matter if the project fails, in fact, as has been said by many others "You learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes."
Thank you a lot @tracygjg, for your thoughtful comment! I completely agree with you.
Viewing side projects as learning opportunities is crucial, regardless of their financial success. My article aims to help improve your chances of monetizing them successfully, but I also don't think that every side project should become a side hustle (and maybe the way I set the point here would be more beneficial if I said so explicitly).
The core message is to enjoy the journey (even when you have to let go/face a failure) and embrace the valuable skills and insights gained along the way. This approach ensures that every side project is a win, even if it's not a financial one!
For me, the most important thing has been marketing it well. Creating a launch plan is really good advice, but it's hard to talk about your product well on places like Reddit without getting banned. Twitter/X is better for that kind of stuff, I'd say.
Totally! I'm still kind of growing a twitter/x base, but it really seems a good place to showcase stuff!
I would say add "Not writing enough" about what you've build, why you've build and market yourself- IMHO you must learn to "Market yourself" and Blogging can set you up as an expert in your field and it allows you to get in front of various networking and business opportunities that you might not find otherwise. This can help you find your next big opportunity, be it either a great job or even the start of a successful collaboration with someone.
Blogging helped me meet some amazing developers. With some of them, I’m currently working on some exciting projects. This would have not been possible if I wouldn’t start blogging.
Totally agreed @tyaga001! I was actually thinking on writing a whole separate article about the importance of marketing yourself well and how I reached that through writing! Blogging is really a simple step to a great path!
Thanks for your comment!
A very good summary! I think it boils down to action instead of waiting for something. The more you push and get feedback, the closer you are to something which works.
Totally agreed, @matijasos ! Being active instead of reactive is something really important and we should practice it every day!
Thank you very much for sharing, I needed this.
You're more than welcome, @ezilemdodana! Glad that it was useful for you!
Great post, I see myself in most of the reasons you mentioned. I didn't do the last one yet - "A shy launch" - just because my personal projects never made it to production. I am currently in the middle of developing an app and I hope that this time I will release it to the public, collect feedback, and won't do a shy launch 🙂
So awesome to hear that you're crating something, @webdevqueen! That's totally the spirit, get feedback, release it and have fun throughout the journey!
That's a very good list and article. Gives me confidence that none of my side projects will ever succeed, so I can use my time for something more productive ;)
Thanks a lot! Keep launching and keep trying, @katafrakt!
Awesome post!
@sreno77 thanks! Glad that you liked it :)
Great Post
Thanks, @programmersoham! Glad that you liked it :)
Thanks for sharing this valuable information!
You're welcome, @me_priya! Glad that it was useful for you!