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Alex
Alex

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I Built a Side Project That Earns $500/Month - Here's the Exact Stack

After 3 failed side projects, I finally found a formula that works. Here's exactly what I built, the tech stack, and how it generates consistent revenue.

💰 The Numbers (March 2025)

Metric Value
Monthly Revenue $487
Monthly Costs $12
Monthly Profit $475
Users 2,300+
Time to Build 3 weekends

🏗️ The Tech Stack

Frontend

  • Next.js 14 (App Router) + Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
  • Deployed on Vercel (free tier!)

Backend

  • Supabase (PostgreSQL + Auth + Storage)
  • Edge Functions for API logic
  • Total cost: $0/month (free tier)

Payments

  • Stripe for subscriptions + Lemon Squeezy as fallback

🎯 Why It Works

  1. Solves a real pain point - not a "nice to have"
  2. Low competition in a specific niche
  3. SEO-driven growth - 80% organic traffic
  4. Low churn - 4% monthly (industry avg 8%)

📈 Growth Timeline

  • Week 1-2: Built MVP (ugly but functional)
  • Month 1: 50 users, $0 (free beta)
  • Month 2: 12 paying users ($108)
  • Month 3: SEO kicked in, 45 paying ($405)
  • Month 6: 54 paying + annual plans ($487)

🔑 Key Lessons

  1. Ship ugly, iterate pretty - users care about functionality
  2. Pick boring technology - Next.js + Supabase = reliable
  3. SEO > Social Media - 20 blog posts = 80% of traffic
  4. Talk to users weekly - 2-3 calls per week

🚀 Start Building Today

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