I left my coding job, moved to a cheaper apartment, and built CatchingCheating

I used to be a "good employee."

Show up at 9. Write code. Go home. Collect paycheck. Repeat.

I was good at my job. Really good. My boss loved me. My team relied on me. But every single morning, I sat in my car outside the office for five extra minutes, just staring at the building.

I wasn't depressed. I was just... empty.

Then one night, a friend called me crying. She found out her boyfriend had been cheating for two years. She used one of those "cheater checker" websites. Paid $30. Got a fake report saying he was faithful. Believed it. Wasted two more years of her life.

That broke something in me.

Not because of the cheating. Because of the scam. Because some website took her money and lied to her.

I thought, "Someone should build something honest here."

Then I thought, "Why not me?"

So I did.

The leap

I quit my job in September 2025.

No safety net. No rich parents. No savings account that could cover me for a year. Just a laptop and a stupid amount of confidence that I could figure it out.

My boss was shocked. "You're making a mistake," he said. He was probably right. But I did it anyway.

The first two months were brutal.

I moved out of my one-bedroom apartment – the nice one with the good view – and into a tiny studio where the kitchen was basically a microwave. I sold my car. I stopped eating out. I told myself it was temporary.

I was freelancing to survive. Upwork. Fiverr. Whatever paid. Some months I made $5k. Some months I made $15k. It was unstable. But I was free.

And at night, after client work, I built CatchingCheating.com.

The website

CatchingCheating launched in October 2025.

It's simple. No fake databases. No "secret access to Ashley Madison." Just honest redirects to real background check tools that actually work. Spokeo, mainly. Their trial is 95 cents. Not $30.

I built it because I was tired of seeing people get scammed.

The first month: $300.

I almost gave up. $300 wasn't rent. Wasn't even groceries.

But traffic kept growing. Slowly. Month by month.

November: $800.
December: $1,500.
January: $2,200.
February: $2,800.
March: $3,100.

Slow. Steady. Real.

How it works

People search for "how to know if my husband is on Ashley Madison" or "legally check dating site registration."

They land on my site. They search a name, email, or phone number. I redirect them to a legitimate background check tool. If they buy, I get a small commission.

That's it. No magic. No hacking. Just honest referrals.

I don't scam people. I don't lie. I don't promise "instant results."

I just help people find answers. And they pay for that help.

The numbers (real, not flexing)

Freelancing: ~$10k/month (varies, but consistent enough)
CatchingCheating.com: ~$3k/month and growing
Total: ~$13k/month

I'm not rich. But I'm not sleeping on a friend's couch anymore either.

I moved back into a decent apartment last month. Not the fancy one. But one with a real kitchen. And a window that isn't bricked up.

What I learned

1. Scams exist because honest people don't build.

The "cheater checker" space is full of garbage. Fake reports. Hidden fees. Subscription traps. I didn't build something better because I'm smarter. I built it because I was angry enough to do it right.

2. Slow growth is still growth.

$300 to $3,000 in six months. That's 10x. If I can 10x again in the next six months, that's $30k. And if I can't? $3k is still $3k more than I had before.

3. Freelancing funds freedom.

I don't recommend quitting your job with no plan. I did. It was stupid. But freelancing saved me. It paid the bills while I built my own thing. If you're thinking of leaving, get a freelance client first. Then leave.

4. Indie Hackers is the real MVP.

I've been reading this community for years. Every story. Every failure. Every "I made $5 on my first month" post. You all made me believe I could do it. Thank you.

What's next

I'm not stopping.

CatchingCheating is growing. I'm adding email search and reverse image search next month. More features. More traffic. More revenue.

And I'm building other projects too. Because that's what indie hackers do. We build. We fail. We build again.

If you're reading this and you're stuck in a job you hate – start something. Anything. A blog. A tool. A newsletter. Just start.

You don't need to quit tomorrow. Just start tonight. After work. Before bed. One hour. That's enough.

P.S. I read every comment. If you have questions about the site, the freelancing, or how to leave your job without losing your mind – ask me. I'll answer.

P.P.S. CatchingCheating launched October 2025. It's still new. Still growing. And it's mine.