the experts guide to side projects

SIDE-PROJECTSTHE EXPERTS GUIDE TO

WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON YOU DO SIDE PROJECTS?

“SIDE PROJECTS GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH FELLOW CREATIVES. AND FOR A PERSON WHO GETS EASILY BORED AND SUFFOCATED BY ROUTINE SOMETIMES, THEY OFFER BOTH RELIEF AND NOVELTY. NOT TO MENTION THEY ALWAYS GROW YOUR AUDIENCE. OF COURSE, IF THE PROJECT IS UNDER YOUR BRAND UMBRELLA, MEANING RELATED TO WHAT YOU DO AND HELPFUL TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.”

VIOLETA NEDKOVA


“I’M ALWAYS TRYING OUT NEW IDEAS. I CALL IT “SKETCHING WITH CODE”. I FIND THAT WHAT I DO IN MY SPARE TIME OFTEN BLEEDS INTO THE WORK THAT I DO. IT’S A SAFE, STAGING AREA FOR IDEAS WHERE THERE ISN’T ANY PRESSURE TO HAVE A BUSINESS OBJECTIVE. I DO TINY “HACKS” AROUND SOMETHING I’VE SPOTTED AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THEY DON’T GO MUCH FURTHER, BUT THAT’S KIND OF THE POINT. IN KARATE THERE IS THE IDEA OF “KATA” THAT YOU PRACTICE CONSTANTLY. I APPLY SIMILAR THINKING TO SIDE PROJECTS — STRETCHING MY “MAKE A NEW PROTOTYPE” MUSCLES MEANS THAT I’M ABLE TO MAKE PROTOTYPES FASTER AND WITH MORE CONSIDERATION. GETTING BETTER AT GOING QUICKLY. OVERALL, SIDE PROJECTS ARE FUN, AND WHEN THEY’RE NOT FUN, I STOP THEM.”

STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“SIDE PROJECTS FOR ME ARE A LABOUR OF LOVE. EVER SINCE I FIRST LEARNT TO DESIGN & WRITE CODE I’VE BEEN DREAMING UP IDEAS AND WORKING ON SIDE PROJECTS, ALTHOUGH IT’S ONLY RECENTLY THAT WE’VE MANAGED TO SHIP CONSISTENTLY. SO I’D SAY THAT THE LOVE OF CREATING HAS BEEN THE INITIAL SPARK, BUT THESE DAYS WE’RE PRETTY FOCUSSED ON ACHIEVING OUR GOAL OF BOOTSTRAPPING OUR STARTUP, SO THAT DRIVES WHAT WE DO.”FRED RIVETT



“I STARTED MY LOGO DESIGN LOVE WEBSITE BECAUSE I ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT DESIGN AND SHARING WORK I ADMIRE. IN ADDITION, I KNOW THAT WEBSITES WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF VISITORS CAN HELP A LITTLE WHEN IT COMES TO EARNING AN INCOME.”DAVID AIREY


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HOW HAVE SIDE PROJECTS BENEFITTED YOU?

“THEY HAVE HELPED ME TEST MY BOUNDARIES AND DISCOVER WHAT I LIKE AND DON’T LIKE. FOR EXAMPLE, I’VE DISCOVERED THAT I LOVE WORKING WITH FELLOW WRITERS, BUT NOT SO MUCH WITH FELLOW MARKETERS. IT’S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS. :D”


VIOLETA NEDKOVA

“OFTEN IT’S THE SIDE PROJECTS THAT SPARK CONVERSATION AND CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE. IF YOU’RE ALWAYS FORCING YOUR STARTUP DOWN PEOPLE’S THROATS AT NETWORKING EVENTS IT CAN GET PRETTY BORING. HAVING A FEW INTERESTING COMMENT-WORTHY THINGS TO TALK ABOUT MEANS THAT CONVERSATIONS ARE MUCH MORE INTERESTING. “OH I DID A JEWELLERY IDEA A WHILE BACK — IT’S CALLED THE DATA NECKLACE”. I OFTEN THINK THAT SIDE PROJECTS ARE A GREAT WAY OF DOING MARKETING FOR YOUR MAIN THING TOO. I HAVE ATTENDING.IO AND PEOPLE LOVE IT, BUT IT DOESN’T MAKE MONEY FOR ME — IT’S JUST A NICE THING THAT PEOPLE KNOW ME FOR HAVING CREATED.”

STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“I’LL MOSTLY DO SIDE PROJECT PROMOTION THROUGH MY PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND ALSO FROM THE EMAIL LIST I’VE BUILT AT MY PERSONAL SITE. SOMETIMES THE SIDE PROJECTS WILL INCLUDE A BIT OF BUILT-IN PROMOTION. MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR INSTANCE IS A SIDE PROJECT AND A PROMOTION EXPERIMENT AT THE SAME TIME. :) SOME OTHER OPTIONS:

MEDIUM GUEST BLOGGING SLACK COMMUNITIES / COMMUNITY SITES (INBOUND/GROWTH HACKERS)”

KEVAN LEE


“THEY’VE TAUGHT ME HOW TO GO FROM CONCEPT TO LAUNCH, TO TAKE AN IDEA, LET IT BREATHE, SMOOTH OFF THE ROUGH EDGES, AND SHIP IT. IT’S BEEN ABSOLUTELY VITAL, AS WITHOUT LAUNCHING YOUR IDEA IS WORTHLESS. ON TOP OF FINALLY SHIPPING SOME OF THE IDEAS WE’VE HAD FOR A LONG TIME, THERE’S BEEN SO MANY BENEFITS. FROM GETTING INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, TO FINALLY STARTING TO WRITE, TO LANDING A GREAT JOB AT AN EXCITING STARTUP, LAUNCHING SIDE PROJECTS HAS HAD A MASSIVE IMPACT ON MY LIFE. IN TERMS OF MY WORK LIFE IT’S CHANGED PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING.”

FRED RIVETT


“PEACHPIT PRESS — A PUBLISHER IN THE UNITED STATES — APPROACHED ME OUT OF THE BLUE AFTER VISITING THE LOGO DESIGN LOVE SITE. I WAS ASKED IF I’D WRITE A BOOK ABOUT LOGOS. THE FIRST EDITION WAS PUBLISHED BACK IN 2010, AND I’VE ATTRACTED CLIENTS WHO FOUND ME THROUGH THE BOOK. SO THERE’S THE BOOK ROYALTIES I RECEIVE EACH QUARTER, AND THERE’S CLIENT PAYMENTS, TOO.”DAVID AIREY


HOW HAVE YOU PROMOTED YOUR SIDE PROJECTS?

“I PROMOTE MY SIDE PROJECTS LIKE I PROMOTE EVERYTHING ELSE — WITH MY UNIQUE MARKETING SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES: GIVING VALUE, FOCUSING ON THE SOCIAL CHANNELS I LIKE, AND BUILDING MY TRIBES. I DON’T REALLY SEE THE POINT IN DOING SOMETHING IF IT’S JUST COOL OR INTERESTING OR FUNNY. IT WOULD HAVE TO FIT WITH MY OVERALL STRATEGY.”VIOLETA NEDKOVA


“USUALLY VIA TWITTER. THAT TENDS TO BE WHERE I PUT THINGS AND THEN IF PEOPLE LIKE THEM THEN THEY GROW BY WORD OF MOUTH. I DON’T PAY FOR ADVERTISING ON THEM.”STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“90% HAS BEEN THROUGH PRODUCT HUNT, 5% HACKER NEWS, 5% BUILDING IN PUBLIC, BLOGGING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES ON OUR WEBSITE.”FRED RIVETT


“THROUGH FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND WITH LINKS FROM MY PORTFOLIO. STRAIGHTFORWARD, REALLY.”DAVID AIREY


“I CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE ONE SIDE PROJECT GOING: SWEAT THE PRODUCT. OTHER THAN THE OCCASIONAL CASUAL CONVERSATION, I DON’T REALLY PROMOTE IT OUTSIDE OF WHEN I PUBLISH A NEW INTERVIEW WITH A PRODUCT PERSON. WHEN I DO PUBLISH A NEW INTERVIEW, I EMAIL THE MAILING LIST, POST IT TO TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INDIVIDUALLY EMAIL PEOPLE I THINK MIGHT FIND IT INTERESTING.”SPENCER FRY


ARE THERE ANY DANGERS, RISKS OR DOWN SIDES OF DOING SIDE PROJECTS?

“YEP, THEY CAN DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR GOALS. I MEAN, I’D LOVE TO BE WORKING ON MY NOVEL RIGHT NOW, BUT MAYBE ONCE I ESTABLISH MY BUSINESS FIRST. THE FIRST YEAR IS THE HARDEST AND NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO WRITE FICTION. HOWEVER, I AM CONSIDERING SOME FUN CHALLENGES AND COLLABORATIONS FOR 2016, WHICH WILL ALSO HELP MY BUSINESS GROW, SO WIN WIN!”

VIOLETA NEDKOVA


“IT CAN BE DISTRACTING TO BE DOING SIDE PROJECTS. IF YOU HAVE INVESTORS THEY MIGHT TAKE A DIM VIEW UNLESS YOU CAN SHOW A BENEFIT, SAY LIKE THE CREW FOLKS HAVE SIDE PROJECTS THAT BENEFIT THE CORE BUSINESS. AND IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY, YOUR TIME CAN GET CHOPPED UP INTO PIECES. IF PEOPLE ARE PAYING YOU FOR A SIDE PROJECT THEN SUPPORT ISSUES KICK IN AND IT CAN GET PRETTY DEPRESSING WHEN YOU’RE BUG-FIXING LATE AT NIGHT.”

STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“IT DEPENDS ON YOUR GOALS. IT’S AN INVESTMENT IN THE LONG TERM, FOR ME. SOME PEOPLE WILL DO IT FOR FUN ONLY, AND IN THAT CASE THERE’S NO RISK AT ALL. FOR ME THAT’S PART OF IT, BUT MY GOAL IS TO START MY OWN BUSINESS, SO IN A SENSE IF I DON’T EVER ACHIEVE THAT GOAL THEN MY INVESTMENT (TIME) COULD HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN ANOTHER WAY.”FRED RIVETT


“THEY CAN TAKE UP MORE TIME THAN FIRST EXPECTED, SO DON’T LET THEM DETRACT FROM WORK THAT PAYS THE BILLS. SIDE PROJECTS MIGHT EVENTUALLY PROVIDE YOUR INCOME, BUT THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IF MONEY WORRIES MEAN YOU NEED TO DITCH THEM MID-FLOW.”DAVID AIREY


WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SIDE PROJECT YOU HAVE WORKED ON?

“GRIM5NEXT. IT WAS AN ANTHOLOGY OF SCIENCE FICTION STORIES (MOSTLY DYSTOPIA & POSTAPOCALYPTIC) WRITTEN BY 36 AUTHORS, EDITED AND ILLUSTRATED BY A BUNCH OF OTHER CREATIVES. IT WAS FUN UNTIL I REALIZED IT WAS TOO MUCH AND I CRUMPLED UNDER THE PRESSURE. THIS WAS BEFORE I BECAME A MARKETER AND LEARNED TO DELEGATE. STILL REGRET LEAVING IT.”

VIOLETA NEDKOVA


“OH GOSH, I HAVE SO MANY. RIGHT NOW IT’S MAKELIGHT.IO — I HELP MY WIFE ON THIS IN MY SPARE TIME, BUT IT’S QUICKLY BECOMING A FULL-ON STARTUP.”STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“PROBABLY OUR FIRST, HOWSITGOIN. IT’S QUITE SIMPLE BUT TOOK A LOT OF HARD WORK, AND BEING OUR FIRST PROPER PROJECT WILL ALWAYS HOLD FOND MEMORIES.”FRED RIVETT


“I HAVE OTHER SIDE PROJECTS ON THE GO, BUT LOGO DESIGN LOVE IS PROBABLY THE FAVOURITE BECAUSE I ALWAYS SMILE WHEN PEOPLE SEND POSITIVE FEEDBACK. WORKING ON MY OWN IS SOMETIMES ISOLATING, SO IT’S REALLY NICE TO KNOW THAT WHAT I PUBLISH IS OF USE TO OTHERS.”DAVID AIREY


WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SIDE PROJECT SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD?

“CAN’T THINK OF A SUCCESS RIGHT NOW. IT SOUNDS LAME, BUT IT’S ALWAYS EITHER BEEN PROJECTS JUST FOR FUN OR WORK FOR MONEY. I’D SAY MY CURRENT BUSINESS IS A BUDDING SUCCESS, BUT I DON’T WANT TO JINX IT, AND BESIDES, IT’S NOT A PROJECT. IT’S MY LIFE NOW.”

VIOLETA NEDKOVA


“AFRAME.COM — I WAS BUILDING THIS UP IN MY SPARE TIME WITH A FRIEND, DOING PROTOTYPES AND SKETCHES, THEN WE RAISED MONEY AND TURNED IT INTO A 40+ PERSON BUSINESS.”STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“PROBABLY LAUNCHING FOUNDERSKIT, PARTNERING WITH OVER 60 GREAT COMPANIES TO PUT TOGETHER A SWEET PACKAGE OF DISCOUNTS. IT WENT DOWN REALLY WELL ON PRODUCT HUNT, WITH JUST UNDER 1200 VOTES, THE THIRD HIGHEST THAT MONTH, AND HAS MADE SOME GOOD MONEY TOO.”

FRED RIVETT


“SOME OF THE DESIGNERS I FEATURED IN MY BOOK HAVE GAINED CLIENTS ON THE BACK ON THEIR INCLUSION. THAT MAKES ME PARTICULARLY HAPPY, BECAUSE THE CONTRIBUTORS GAVE UP A LOT OF THEIR TIME TO HELP ME FINISH THE CONTENT.”DAVID AIREY


WHAT ONE BIT OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FELLOW CREATIVE ON SIDE PROJECTS?

“WHEN YOU GET AN INSPIRED IDEA, GRAB IT. RUN WITH IT. LEARN FROM IT. DON’T EVER DESPAIR IF IT DOESN’T WORK OUT AND DEFINITELY DON’T START WITH THE IDEA OF MAKING MONEY. SIDE PROJECTS SHOULD BE FUN FIRST. IF YOU’RE NOT HAVING FUN, NOBODY ELSE WILL.”

VIOLETA NEDKOVA

WHAT ONE BIT OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FELLOW CREATIVES ON SIDE PROJECTS?

“LET YOURSELF QUIT.”STEF LEWANDOWSKI


“GO FOR IT! I’VE NOTICED FOR MYSELF THIS HESITANCY TOWARD SIDE PROJECTS BECAUSE OF TIME OR ENERGY, WHICH I’D IMAGINE IS TRUE FOR MOST FOLKS. INTERESTING, I’VE FOUND THAT THE TIME SPENT ON SIDE PROJECTS CAN BRING ABOUT MORE ENERGY, MORE EXCITEMENT, AND LEAD TO SOME REALLY GREAT BENEFITS FOR THE DAY JOB, TOO. SEEMS THAT STARTING SMALL CAN SOMETIMES BE THE IMPETUS TO GET GOING, TOO. BREAKING DOWN A BIG PROJECT INTO LITTLE BITS AND TREATING THE LITTLE BITS AS SIDE PROJECTS OF THEIR OWN (SIDE PROJECTS OF SIDE PROJECTS?) CAN WORK WONDERS.”

KEVAN LEE


“START SMALL, SET A DEADLINE, NAIL YOUR SCOPE, TELL SOMEONE AND MOST OF ALL, SHIP IT. MOVE PAST YOUR FEARS AND HIT THE BIG SHINY LAUNCH BUTTON.”

FRED RIVETT


“DO IT.”DAVID AIREY


“I THINK THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE IS TO NOT OVER THINK YOUR SIDE PROJECT. IT’S A SIDE PROJECT — NOT A BUSINESS VENTURE — SO YOU SHOULDN’T TREAT IT THE SAME WAY. GO WITH THE FLOW, TRUST YOUR GUT AND JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT.”SPENCER FRY


the experts guide to side projects

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