The 6 Weekends I Wasted Building Something Nobody Would Pay For

Three side projects sit in my GitHub right now, collecting digital dust. A CLI tool I was convinced would revolutionize Kubernetes config management. A Discord bot that exactly four people used. And something called "BetterCron" that ate six weekends before I admitted nobody was going to pay for it.

Sound familiar?

After years in tech, working my way from help desk to Staff Engineer, here's what I've figured out: most developer side projects never make money because we build first and ask questions later. We're coders. Building things is what we love. But building's the easy part.

The thing that finally clicked was embarrassingly obvious: stop treating side projects like hackathons and start treating them like businesses. That means validating before coding, scoping ruthlessly, and protecting energy like it's a finite resource. Because it absolutely is.

This guide is for developers with full-time jobs who want to turn coding skills into a business in 2024 without sacrificing sanity, sleep, or relationships. No 5 AM wake-up calls. No hustle-until-you-collapse advice. Just a sustainable path to building something that actually generates income.

Section 1: The Validation Sprint—How to Test Demand in 48 Hours

Before writing a single line of code, answer one question: will anyone pay for this?

Yeah, I know. Not as fun as spinning up a new repo and debating tech stacks. But learning how to validate a side project idea before building is the difference between profitable projects and expensive hobbies.

My 48-hour validation sprint looks like this:

Hours 0–4: Build a Landing Page

Use Carrd, Framer, or even a simple HTML template. The page needs three things:

• A headline describing the problem you solve
• Three bullet points on what the solution does
• An email capture form

Don't overthink design. Ugly pages that convert beat beautiful pages that don't.

Hours 4–24: Find Your People

Go where potential customers hang out:

• Reddit communities related to the niche
• Indie Hackers forums
• Slack and Discord groups for specific tools or industries
• Twitter/X hashtags

Post genuinely helpful content and mention you're working on something. Don't spam. Engage like a human.

Hours 24–48: Send Cold DMs

Uncomfortable? Absolutely. Do it anyway.

Find 20–30 people who might have the problem you're solving. Send them a short message:

"Hey, I noticed you [specific thing they posted about]. I'm building a tool to help with [problem]. Would you pay $X/month for something that [specific benefit]? Totally cool if not, just trying to validate the idea."

Track responses. Getting crickets from 30 DMs? That's a signal the idea needs refinement.

Why 48 Hours Matters

Can't generate meaningful interest, like 15+ email signups or five people expressing willingness to pay, within 48 hours? Often that's a signal to pivot or move on. The future version of you will be grateful.

Section 2: 15 Profitable Micro-SaaS Ideas for 2024

Here's a curated list of developer side project ideas that make money, organized by realistic time investment. All of these are based on patterns I've seen work for folks in my Twitch community and across Indie Hackers.

5 Hours per Week Projects

These tools can be built and maintained with minimal ongoing effort:

1. Browser Extension for Developer Workflows – Think JSON formatters, API testers, or GitHub enhancement tools. Low maintenance, one-time purchase or small subscription.

2. Email Template Validator – Helps marketers preview emails across clients. Simple API, clear value proposition.

3. Cron Job Monitor – After my BetterCron failure, I learned the actual money is in monitoring cron jobs, not replacing them. Alert when jobs fail.

4. Documentation Linter – Integrates with Git workflows to catch outdated docs. Developers hate outdated docs. Their managers hate them more.

5. Simple Uptime Monitor – Yes, this market's crowded. But niched-down versions, just for Shopify apps or just for Notion integrations, still work.

10 Hours per Week Projects

These require more active development but offer higher revenue potential:

6. API Aggregator for a Specific Industry – Combine multiple APIs into one simple interface. Real estate data, sports statistics, or financial information.

7. No-Code Database Frontend – Let non-technical users query and visualize database data. Slack integration is gold here.

8. Invoice Automation for Freelancers – Connect with Stripe, generate PDFs, handle reminders. Specific beats general.

9. Social Proof Widget Builder – Those "X people bought this recently" notifications. E-commerce stores pay monthly for these.

10. Content Repurposing Tool – Turn blog posts into Twitter threads, YouTube descriptions into blog posts. Content creators have money and need time.

15 Hours per Week Projects

These take real commitment, but the payoff matches the effort:

11. Vertical SaaS for a Specific Profession – Scheduling for tattoo artists. Inventory for plant shops. Pick a niche nobody else cares about.

12. Developer Tool with Team Features – Environment variable management, feature flag systems, or deployment helpers. Teams mean higher prices.

13. Automated Reporting Dashboard – Connect to marketing tools, generate weekly reports automatically. Agencies pay well for time savings.

14. AI-Powered Code Review Bot – Not replacing human review, but catching common issues first. Building and selling a micro-SaaS in 2024 often means finding smart ways to use AI.

15. Webhook Management Platform – Debug, retry, and monitor webhooks. Every developer has cursed at webhooks. Solve that pain.

What do the best side hustles for developers with full-time jobs have in common? Clear value proposition, a small target market you can dominate, and technical complexity that creates a moat.

Section 3: The Anti-Burnout Build Schedule

Let's talk about a SaaS side project roadmap for beginners that won't wreck your health.

How long does it take to build a profitable app? Most people underestimate this wildly. My honest answer: it took me 11 months to hit $500 MRR on my first successful project, and I've talked to developers who've done it in 4 months and others who took 18. Plan for 6–12 months minimum.

Here's a realistic 6-month roadmap:

Month 1: Validation + Foundation

• Weeks 1–2: Run validation sprints on 2–3 ideas
• Weeks 3–4: Pick a winner, set up basic infrastructure
• Time commitment: 8–10 hours/week

Month 2: MVP Build

• Core functionality only. I mean it.
• Whatever feature you're thinking of adding, cut it.
• Time commitment: 10–12 hours/week

Month 3: First Users

• Launch to a small group, beta testers and your email list
• Talk to every single user
• Time commitment: 8–10 hours/week (mostly talking, not coding)

Month 4: Iterate + Fix

• Address the top 3 complaints
• Add one feature users actually asked for
• Time commitment: 8–10 hours/week

Month 5: Monetization

• Add payment (Stripe's your friend)
• Launch publicly
• Time commitment: 10–12 hours/week

Month 6: Growth Foundations

• Set up basic marketing, content, SEO, maybe ads
• Automate what you can
• Time commitment: 6–8 hours/week

What Actually Works for My Schedule

I've tried a lot of approaches. Here's what I've found sustainable while working full-time:

• Weekday evenings: 1 hour max, focused work only
• Saturday morning: 3–4 hour block (real progress happens here)
• Sunday: OFF. Completely. No exceptions.

Why is Sunday non-negotiable? I watched a dev in my Twitch community ship features seven days a week for three months straight. He ended up taking a two-month break because he couldn't look at code anymore. The brain needs rest. Relationships need attention. A side project isn't worth losing either.

Section 4: Side Project vs. Freelancing—An Honest Comparison

People ask me constantly: developer side project vs. freelancing, which is better?

Neither. It depends on you.

Choose Freelancing When:

• Income is needed within 30–60 days
• Specific skills match what companies actively hire for
• Variety in projects sounds appealing
• Sales and client management feel manageable
• The goal is eventually replacing salary

Choose Side Projects When:

• Waiting months, or longer, for meaningful income is fine
• Building something once and selling it repeatedly sounds ideal
• Working alone or with a small team is preferable
• Time tracking and client calls sound miserable
• The goal is passive income for programmers, step by step

A Hybrid Approach

Several developers in my network have made this work:

Start with freelancing to build capital and skills. Use freelancing income to fund side project development time. As side project revenue grows, reduce freelancing hours.

The safety net of freelancing income stays in place while building toward something more scalable.

Decision Framework

Ask yourself:

1. How urgent is the need for additional income? Urgent points to freelancing.
2. How much uninterrupted time is available? Fragmented time suits freelancing, blocked time suits side projects.
3. Does client interaction sound enjoyable? Yes means freelancing.
4. Is uncertainty comfortable? Yes means side project.

There's no wrong answer. Just honest self-assessment.

Section 5: Monetization Playbook—From First Dollar to $3K MRR

Getting the first paying customer is a high unlike any other. But how to monetize a side project as a software engineer isn't intuitive for most of us.

Pricing Strategies That Work

Start higher than you think. Seriously.

I've watched so many developers price their tools at $5/month because charging more feels weird. Then they need hundreds of customers to make meaningful money. Does that math make sense?

Try this instead:

• Tier 1: Free or cheap, $0–9/month. Understand this is marketing, not revenue.
• Tier 2: Core product, $29–49/month. This is where most paying customers land.
• Tier 3: Premium, $99–199/month. Team features and priority support.

Prices can always drop. Raising them is much harder.

Launch Tactics

The launch doesn't need to be a big event. Small, repeated launches work better:

• Soft launch to the email list first
• Post on Indie Hackers, Product Hunt, and Hacker News (spread these out over weeks)
• Reach out to newsletters in the niche
• Create a "launch week" with daily content

Growth Levers for Profitable Side Projects for Programmers

Once the first $500/month is coming in:

1. SEO Content: Write about problems the tool solves
2. Integration Directory Listings: Integrations with other tools? Get listed in their marketplaces
3. Referral Programs: Give existing customers incentive to spread the word
4. Cold Outreach: Yes, it still works. Target specific companies who need the solution.

Moving from $500 to $3K MRR usually involves doubling down on one channel that's working rather than spreading thin across many.

Turning Coding Skills into a Business in 2024

This year brought AI tools that can scaffold entire projects in minutes and a job market that's made side income more appealing than ever. The fundamentals haven't changed though: solve real problems, charge fair prices, and take care of customers.

Enough reading. Time to act.

Day 1: Brainstorm 10 problems you personally experience or have seen others complain about. Pick the top 3.

Days 2–3: Build a simple landing page for idea #1. Carrd works. Framer works. Whatever gets you live in 2 hours.

Days 4–5: Post in 3 relevant communities about the problem, not the solution. Gauge interest. Send 10 cold DMs.

Day 6: Evaluate responses. Got interest? Start planning MVP scope. Got nothing? Return to Day 2 with idea #2.

Day 7: Rest. You've done more validation work than most developers ever do.

That's a step-by-step guide to launching a side project that actually works. No 4 AM mornings required. No heroic hustle. Just systematic progress.

After building profitable projects and spectacular failures, here's what I believe: developers who succeed aren't smarter or more talented. They're the ones who validate before building, protect their energy, and stay in the game long enough for something to work.

The developer side project ideas that make money are out there. Go find the one people actually want to pay for.

And hey, build something cool? Hit me up on Twitch. I love seeing what folks create.