A 6-Month Side Project Retrospective: Why I Eventually Shut It Down
Last week, I shut down a side project I started late last year. It was a small community app, and it had reached around 200 users.
Here's a rundown of why I shut it down.
- No monetization plan. I was afraid ads would drive users away, and nobody was buying a subscription.
- I couldn't handle operations solo. Handling reports, answering inquiries, and blocking spam took more time than development.
- I chose the tech stack for fun. I picked it because I wanted to try new technology, but I was the only person maintaining it, so it became hell later.
- More than anything, it stopped being fun. Once I was only doing maintenance rather than adding features, I couldn't bring myself to touch it.
Still, I got something out of it. Properly setting up a deployment pipeline, integrating payments, and experiencing real user support were experiences I couldn't get at work.
Next time, I'm going to start with something that can be finished within three weeks, no exceptions. I'm never doing a six-month project again.
3 answers
200 users isn't bad for a side project, but it's a shame. But honestly, I think the biggest thing was starting without a monetization plan. As users grow, only your operating costs go up, and the fun gets worn down along with it. When I start something, I first ask, 'Can I make at least 50,000 won a month from this?' If it can't, I just do it as a toy for three weeks and stop.