When should I take a side project seriously?
So about 3 months ago I launched version 1.0 of my desktop app. I threw together a landing page, made a trailer for it, and posted on Twitter, Reddit and ProductHunt.
Since then, it's gotten more than 6,000 downloads!
I'm really surprised this happened; the organic growth is pretty amazing since I basically forgot the app existed for 3 months. Is there serious room for growth in this niche then? Or is this a more usual rate of adoption?
I'd want to make the most of this chance, but I begin university this fall too so my plate is quite full. I'll try putting together a Patreon, and if it's successful I can dedicate more time to this. The recent success FlowCV has with optional payment options gives me hope 👍
Do you want to take this side project seriously? What does serious mean for you?
What is your goal with the project? Do you want to learn? To grow a personal brand? To make money? To replace your job?
I'd love to take it seriously – and by that I mean spend X amount of hours on it weekly, developing features and also working the marketing game. (Right now, I work on it in short bursts every 1 – 2 months.)
My primary goal was to provide a useful app that fills a need, and I've mostly done that. I use the app myself almost daily.
Now, I'm trying to gradually earn money from it. Since it's not a service a direct subscription doesn't make sense – ideally I'd have a successful Patreon, but if that doesn't work out I could try and create a "lite" and "pro" version.
(I've also started looking into some tailored ad networks, although I would prefer to avoid this method if possible.)
Really, I'm trying to play the long game. I think I'll focus on building up more of an audience and increase the number of users while getting a Patreon going.
(Sorry for the late reply, by the way!)