Day 23 of 28 · AI Challenge
Launching a Side Project
⏱ 7 min
📊 Beginner
Yesterday you learned how to freelance with AI. Today we go bigger.
A side project is different from freelancing. Instead of trading time for money, you're building something that can earn while you sleep — a product, a tool, a resource, a service with leverage.
The best part? AI compresses what used to take months into days. People are launching real projects in a weekend that would have taken a team and $50,000 just a few years ago.
The AI-powered launch formula
Every successful side project follows the same basic path. AI doesn't change the steps — it makes each one dramatically faster:
Step 1: Find a real problem. Not an idea you think is cool — a problem someone will pay to solve. AI can help you research and validate this in an afternoon.
Step 2: Build the simplest version. This is your MVP — Minimum Viable Product. Not a full app with 50 features. Just the one thing that solves the core problem.
Step 3: Create a landing page. You need somewhere to send people. AI can write compelling copy and you can launch a page in under an hour using tools like Carrd, Framer, or Webflow.
Step 4: Get it in front of 10 people. Not 10,000. Just 10 real humans who have the problem you're solving. Their feedback is worth more than any amount of planning.
Step 5: Iterate based on feedback. Use what you learn to make it better. Then get it in front of 100 people.
Knowledge Check
What's the most important step when launching a side project?
A
Getting 10,000 followers first
B
Finding a real problem someone will pay to solve — before you build anything
C
Building the most feature-rich product possible
D
Creating a beautiful website
No amount of features or design can save a product nobody needs. The most successful side projects start with a validated problem. If people are already paying for bad solutions to this problem, that's the strongest signal you can get.
Side project ideas that actually make money
These aren't hypotheticals. These are categories where real people are generating real income using AI:
Digital templates and resources — Notion templates, spreadsheet tools, Canva templates, prompt libraries. Low effort to create, sell for $9–$49 each. People on Gumroad and Etsy make $1,000–$10,000/month selling these.
Newsletters — Pick a niche, use AI to research and write consistently, grow a subscriber list, monetize with ads or paid subscriptions. Newsletters like The Hustle sold for $27 million. Yours doesn't need to be that big — $500/month from a niche newsletter is very achievable.
Online courses and guides — Package what you know into a course. Use AI to help outline, write, and create the content. Sell on Teachable, Gumroad, or your own site for $49–$299.
AI-powered services as a productized offering — Instead of custom freelancing, create a fixed-price, fixed-scope service. Example: "I'll create your company's complete social media content calendar for the next 3 months — $497." Same service every time, streamlined with AI.
Micro SaaS tools — Simple web tools that solve specific problems. An AI-powered blog title generator, a social media caption tool, a meeting notes summarizer. Charge $9–$29/month.
Knowledge Check
What's the advantage of a side project over freelancing?
A
Freelancing never leads to real income
B
Side projects can generate income without trading your time directly — they create leverage
C
Side projects don't require any work
D
Side projects are easier to start
Freelancing trades time for money — you stop working, you stop earning. A side project creates leverage: a template sells while you sleep, a newsletter generates ad revenue passively, a course earns money months after you create it. Both are valuable, but side projects scale differently.
I want to launch a side project. I'm a marketing professional and I've been using AI tools for 3 months. Help me validate an idea and plan a launch. I'm thinking of creating a collection of AI prompt templates for small business marketing.
Great instinct — let's validate it.
**Validation checklist:**
✅ **Problem exists** — Small business owners waste hours trying to get good results from ChatGPT because they don't know how to prompt well
✅ **People are paying** — Similar prompt packs on Gumroad and Etsy sell for $19–$49, and several have 500+ sales
✅ **You have expertise** — 3 months of hands-on AI use plus marketing background = real credibility
✅ **Low cost to build** — No code needed, just a well-organized document or Notion template
**Verdict: Strong idea. Here's your launch plan:**
**Week 1 — Build it:**
- Create 50 proven prompts in 5 categories: social media, email marketing, content creation, ad copy, customer research
- For each prompt, include: the template, an example output, and a tip for customizing it
- Package in a clean Notion template or PDF
- Price: $29 (sweet spot for impulse purchase)
**Week 2 — Launch it:**
- Set up a Gumroad page (free, takes 30 min)
- Write a landing page using this formula: Problem → Solution → What's Inside → Social Proof → CTA
- Create 3 LinkedIn posts showing before/after examples from your pack
- Send to your email list or personal network
- Post in 5 relevant communities (Reddit, Facebook groups, Slack communities)
**Revenue target:** 50 sales in the first month = $1,450
Want me to draft the landing page copy?
Yes, and also tell me what could go wrong so I can prepare.
**Landing page copy:**
*Headline:* "Stop Guessing. Start Prompting Like a Pro."
*Subhead:* "50 proven AI prompt templates that turn ChatGPT into your marketing team. Built by a marketer who actually uses these every day."
*CTA:* "Get the Templates — $29"
---
**What could go wrong (and how to handle it):**
1. **No sales in week 1** — Normal. Double down on distribution. Share more examples publicly. DM 20 people in your network.
2. **Someone says "I can just Google prompts for free"** — Your value isn't the prompts alone, it's the *curation and context*. Free prompts are generic. Yours come with examples, tips, and a system.
3. **Refund requests** — Expect 3–5%. It's normal for digital products. Have a no-questions-asked refund policy — it builds trust.
4. **Imposter syndrome** — You'll feel like you're not qualified enough. Ship anyway. You know more than 95% of small business owners about this topic. That's enough.
↻ Replay conversation
The one thing that separates launchers from dreamers
Everyone has ideas. The difference between people who launch and people who don't isn't talent, money, or connections. It's this:
Launchers ship before it's perfect.
Your first version will have typos. Your landing page won't be gorgeous. Your product won't have every feature you imagined. That's fine. It's supposed to be that way.
The purpose of launching isn't to be perfect — it's to learn. You learn more from 10 real customers than from 10 months of planning.
Here's a framework that works:
Version 1: Does it solve the core problem? Ship it.
Version 2: What did customers complain about? Fix that.
Version 3: What do customers love? Do more of that.
Version 4: Now it's a real product.
Knowledge Check
When is the right time to launch a side project?
A
When it solves the core problem — even if it's rough around the edges
B
When every feature is built and polished
C
When a business advisor tells you it's ready
D
When you have at least 1,000 email subscribers
Done is better than perfect when launching. Your first version exists to test whether people actually want what you're building. Feedback from real users will guide your improvements far better than any amount of planning in isolation.
Your launch toolkit
Here's what you need to launch — and it costs almost nothing:
Landing page: Carrd ($19/year) or a free Notion page. AI writes the copy.
Payment processing: Gumroad (free to start, they take a small cut) or Stripe + a simple checkout page.
Email list: MailerLite (free up to 1,000 subscribers) or Beehiiv (free tier available). Start collecting emails from day one.
Social proof: Ask your first 5 customers for testimonials. Offer the product free to 3 people in exchange for honest feedback.
Distribution: LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Reddit communities, Facebook groups, your personal network. You don't need ads. You need 10 genuine conversations.
Total startup cost: under $50. Often $0.
Final Check
What's the minimum you need to launch a profitable side project?
A
A development team, $10,000 in funding, and a business plan
B
A real problem to solve, a simple solution, a landing page, and 10 people to show it to
C
A large social media following and an email list
D
A patented idea that nobody else has thought of
The barrier to launching has never been lower. A validated problem, a simple solution (even a PDF or template), a basic landing page, and a handful of potential customers — that's enough to get started and learn. Everything else can be built as you grow.
🚀
Day 23 Complete
"The best time to launch is before you feel ready. AI handles the heavy lifting — you just need to start."
Tomorrow — Day 24
Market Research with AI
Tomorrow you'll learn to understand your market better than competitors who spend thousands on research.