Definition · also called side hustle, nights and weekends project
A side project is something you build in your spare time alongside a job, studies or a main business. It can be a tool for yourself, an experiment, a learning exercise or the seed of a company.
A side hustle is usually meant to earn money from the start; a side project may never be monetized. Most indie businesses in this directory started as one or the other.
Turning a side project into a business
- Scratch your own itch, then check others have it. Many indie products began as tools the maker needed.
- Ship small and charge early. A paid MVP tells you more than months of polishing.
- Protect a fixed time slot. Consistent hours (early mornings, two evenings a week) beat bursts.
- Set a quitting rule in advance. For example: quit when MRR covers living costs for three months, the ramen profitable line.
- Check your employment contract for IP clauses before you build on company hardware or time.
Side project in practice: how indie makers use it
Businesses in the directory that started as side projects:
Wrote Sublime Text on weeknights for almost two years before leaving his job at Google in November 2007 to work on it full time. (sources: en.wikipedia.org, sublimetext.com)
Launched Bidsketch in 2009 as a solo side project, building on nights and weekends while working full time, and quit once it replaced his salary. (source: saasclub.io)
Ran Designjoy on the side for several years, growing it from about $10K to $30K and then $80K a month while still employed. (source: highspirit.substack.com)
Started side projects during the pandemic while working at Cisco; after several duds, Testimonial.to grew while he was still employed, before he went full time. (source: creatoreconomy.so)
Built more than a dozen side projects (he wrote about shipping 13 in six years); MentorCruise started as a rough MVP worked on during a long commute. (sources: dmonn.com, starterstory.com)
Still builds OnlineOrNot as a side business, about two hours before each workday at a full-time engineering job. (source: onlineornot.com)
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a side project and a side hustle?
A side hustle is meant to earn money from the start; a side project may be for learning, fun or your own use and may never be monetized. Many businesses start as either.
How much time do successful side projects take?
Often a few focused hours a week. Jon Skinner built Sublime Text on weeknights for almost two years; Max Rozen works on OnlineOrNot about two hours before each workday.
When should a side project become a full-time business?
A common rule is when it reliably covers your living costs (ramen profitable) or shows strong enough growth that the extra hours would clearly pay off, with savings as a buffer.
Related terms
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Maker examples are paraphrased from the cited sources and from each maker's IndieMakerList profile; revenue is self-reported unless marked verified. Spotted an error? Tell us.