My Side Project with 0 Users Raised My Salary
1. My 'Garbage' Built Over 6 Months
When I was job hunting, I decided to build "The SNS that will change the world." React, Node.js, AWS, Kubernetes... I used every buzzword tech I could find. I locked myself in cafes every weekend for 6 months purely coding.
The day I finally deployed, I had 0 users. Even my friends signed up and left because it was slightly buggy. Bugs exploded, and I was bleeding $50 a month in server costs.
Interviewers didn't care about my "Grand Architecture." When asked, "So what problem does this solve?" I was speechless. I hadn't solved a problem; I had put on a Tech Show.
2. The Weekend Tool That Changed Everything
After getting a job, I hated manually converting Excel data to JSON. One Saturday afternoon, I spent 3 hours hacking together an "Excel to JSON Converter" webpage. Design? None. Login? Didn't bother. Just one feature: Upload file -> Get JSON.
I pushed the code to GitHub and posted a one-liner in a dev community: "Use this if you need it."
Next day, GitHub Stars crossed 100. Traffic nearly crashed the server. I even got a job offer from another company. "Looking at your code, you solve problems very practically. Our team needs that."
It was a shock. A 3-hour converter proved my worth more than the 6-month SNS aimed at changing the world.
3. The Real Value of Side Projects
Many developers mistake this: "Side Project = A portfolio to show off tech skills."
No. The real value is the "Experience of making End-to-End decisions."
- At work: "Use AWS", "Use React" are decided for you.
- Side Project: "Vercel or AWS?", "Do I really need a DB?" You decide everything.
This process builds the 'Engineering Muscle' to answer "Why?" And most importantly, you learn the power of "Done."
4. Done is Better Than Perfect
My SNS failed because of Perfectionism. "The code is too messy to show," "Just one more feature before launch."
But software without users is dead code, no matter how clean it is. Undeployed code has zero value.
The key to side project success is "Start Small, Ship Fast, Get Feedback."
- Login feature? Drop it.
- Design? Use Bootstrap.
- Just get the core feature working and put it out there.
5. What Should I Build?
For those saying "I have no ideas," here are 3 recommendations:
- Scratch Your Own Itch: Build something you need. You are the first user. (e.g., My blog theme, My expense tracker)
- Clone Coding + α: Clone an existing service but change just one thing. (e.g., Instagram but for dogs only)
- Open Source Contribution: Imporving someone else's side project is also a great project.
7. Monetization: From Toy to Product
Building for fun is great, but building for Profit forces you to level up your engineering skills. To make money, Revenue must exceed Cost. This forces you to Optimize naturally.
3 Ways to Monetize
- Ads: Easiest but low return. Adding Google AdSense teaches you about script loading performance and layout shifts (CLS).
- Subscription (SaaS): Charge even $1/month. Implementing Payment Gateways (Stripe), dunning management, and refunds teaches you "Real Business Logic."
- Donation: Buy Me a Coffee. If your tool solves a real pain, people usually happily buy you a coffee.
A story like "I acquired 1,000 users and covered my $50/month server costs" is much more impressive to others than "I used Kubernetes."
8. Marketing: The Developer's Weakness
Building is not the end. If you don't market it, it doesn't exist. Developers usually spend 90% on Code, 10% on Marketing. To succeed, aim for 50/50.
- Launch on Product Hunt.
- Post on Reddit / Hacker News ("Show HN").
- Share your journey on Twitter (X) (#buildinpublic).
Learning marketing teaches you to distinguish between "Features that sell" and "Features that look cool." This improves your product sense.
9. Failure Stories: Learning from Mistakes
My first SaaS failed. I spent 6 months coding but 0 days marketing. I built a "Perfect" architecture with Kubernetes for 0 users.
Mistakes to Avoid:
- Over-engineering: Do not use Microservices for a side project. Use a Monolith.
- Ignoring SEO: If Google doesn't know you, nobody knows you.
- Giving Up too Early: The "Dip" comes after the initial excitement. That's when the real work begins.
10. The Tech Stack for Solo Founders
Don't waste time choosing tech. Use what helps you ship fast.
- Frontend: Next.js (App Router) + Tailwind CSS + Shadcn UI.
- Backend: Supabase (Auth + DB) or Firebase.
- Payments: Stripe (Lemon Squeezy is easier for global tax).
- Hosting: Vercel (Development is free, and it's fast).
- Analytics: PostHog (Free tier is generous).
Pro Tip: Don't build your own Auth. Don't build your own Admin Panel. Buy or use libraries. Your core value is the feature, not the infrastructure.
11. The Nightmare of Global Taxes (MoR)
If you sell SaaS globally, you must pay VAT/GST in every country where your customers live. If a user in Germany buys your $10 app, you owe ~19% to the German government. Doing this yourself is impossible for a solo founder.
Solution: Merchant of Record (MoR) Use Lemon Squeezy or Paddle.
- They act as the reseller.
- They handle all global taxes.
- They send you one single payout.
- Fee: ~5% (Worth every penny).
Stripe is just a payment processor. You still have to calculate and remit taxes yourself (though Stripe Tax helps, MoR is easier).
12. Conclusion: Just Ship It
90% of you reading this are thinking, "I'll do it when I have time." "When I have time" never comes.
Open your terminal right now and type npm create vite@latest.
You don't need a grand plan.
Build something tonight that you can show a friend tomorrow.
Those small experiences of "Completion" will stack up and make you a real developer.
What raised my salary wasn't a fancy tech stack, but "The experience of solving discomfort with code and shipping it."
13. Recommended Reading for Solopreneurs
- "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you.
- "Company of One" by Paul Jarvis: Why staying small is the next big thing for business.
- "Make" by Pieter Levels: A bootstrapper's handbook to building startups.