How I Got My First Paying Customer 8 Months Into an After-Work Side Project
This isn’t meant to show off revenue—just writing it down for the record.
At first, I set a goal of “1 hour a day after work,” but honestly, I didn’t stick to it even half the time. There were many days when my body couldn’t keep up, so I switched to batching work on weekends. That actually helped me focus better.
What I built is a Chrome extension that automates one Notion template. It’s nothing special, but I posted a promo once in a community and 40 people installed it in a day. Then three weeks later, I got my first payment notification, and when I heard that sound, I actually let out a yell.
It’s priced at 4,900 won, so it’s about the cost of coffee per month. But the experience of someone paying to use something I made has become a much bigger asset than my development skills. Next, I’m preparing to try moving toward B2B.
If you’re interested, I’d love to hear advice or similar experiences.
5 answers
That first payment notification sound is truly unforgettable for life lol. I also clapped to myself at dawn when I made my first 3,900-won payment. Congrats!
Well, at 4,900 won, that’s honestly just enough to recoup the hobby costs, isn’t it? What worries me most is the “preparing to try B2B” part—serving individual users and serving companies are a completely different game. A ton of people hit their first wall there and come back to B2C. I think it’d be better to focus on growing the extension’s user base while things are going well.