Making a side project that actually ships

Be warned, making money is best way I've found to turn a hobby into a chore.

1. Pick a problem you've personally experienced in a past job

2. Spend a couple weeks exploring some simple solution

3. Make it barely sort of work

4. Deploy it

5. Do warm outreach to 5 people you know from these past jobs or communities, and cold outreach to 25 strangers on platforms like LinkedIn

6. Schedule a video call with anyone who responds ("Can you do tomorrow at ___ on Google Meet for 20 minutes?")

7. Show them your terrible MVP during the call

8. Ask them targeted questions to understand their needs better:

   • How do you currently handle this problem?
   • What frustrates you most about that?
   • How frequently does this issue come up?

9. At the end, ask directly how much they'd pay per month for your current solution

10. Do not speak while they answer. Wait until they completely finish speaking

11. Write down their answers and get their phone number

12. Text them the following week and ask:

    • "Do you have a better idea for something I should build that would solve your biggest problem?"

13. Consider whether to pivot. Iterate based on these insights, continue regular check-ins as you build and refine the product

14. Do more cold outreach with your improved idea to get customers

15. These original people you chatted with don't have to be your first customers!