I Sold My Side Project for $300: Here's Why I Knew It Was Time
Hey everyone!
Clemente from Ramen Road here.
Here's the story of how I knew it was time to sell my plant journal app, and what I learned from it.
My Leefwork Story
I recently sold my plant journal app, Leefwork. While it initially felt like a setback, I managed to turn it into startup capital for my next venture. Here are the key signals that helped me make this decision:
1. The Numbers Don't Lie (Trust Your Metrics)
You can’t fake product-market fit and your numbers will always tell the whole story. Track key metrics over 3-6 months:
- User growth rate
- User retention
- Revenue trajectory
- Customer acquisition cost
- Time investment vs. return
If these numbers consistently fall below your minimum viable metrics, it's time to reassess. After a couple of months I had zero retention, with no users choosing to extend their free trial. It was pretty evident that Leefwork wasn’t working
2. Market Response Was Lukewarm
Major red flags I encountered:
- Users understood the product but weren't excited
- High churn rates despite addressing feedback
- Couldn't find product-market fit after multiple iterations
- Marketing efforts had diminishing returns
The app worked technically, but I wasn't getting traffic or finding channel-market fit. User feedback was sparse and not actionable.
3. The Joy-to-Effort Ratio Was WAY Off
Consider these emotional indicators:
- You've lost enthusiasm for your work sessions.
- Problem-solving feels like a burden rather than a challenge
- You're more excited about other project ideas
- The project feels like an obligation rather than an opportunity
This is probably one of the biggest indicators of wanting to move on. Life is too short, you shouldn’t spend it on something you aren’t enjoying and isn’t generating any other benefit. I ended up hating having to work on Leefwork - I was exhausted and couldn’t find a single feature that really excited me.
Making the Exit
If you're in a similar situation, consider these options:
- Sell the project: Like I did with Leefwork, you might find buyers interested in your codebase, user base, or domain. You can even use it as starting capital for your next project.
- Open-source it: Let the community benefit from your work
- Put it in maintenance mode: Keep it running with minimal updates
- Clean shutdown: Close it properly, communicating clearly with users
I ended up selling my project for a small sum ($300) through Little Exits. The process was a breeze, got a couple of interested buyers and one ended up pulling the trigger. I also learnt a ton from the handoff process, but that will probably be another post :)
The Silver Lining
The real lesson wasn't in the failure but in the pivot. By selling Leefwork, I:
- Recovered some investment
- Gained valuable market insights
- Secured capital for my next venture
Sometimes what looks like a dead end is actually a detour to something better.
