Alright, so I’m gonna walk you through this little experiment I called “money generator.” Don’t get too excited, it’s not what you think! It’s more about automating a side hustle than creating a fortune overnight.
The Idea: I wanted to see if I could build a system that would consistently bring in a little extra cash each month without requiring too much active involvement.
Phase 1: Brainstorming and Choosing a Niche
First, I spent a good week just brainstorming. I looked at stuff I was already decent at or enjoyed doing. I bounced between blogging, freelance writing, and even dabbling in e-commerce. I eventually landed on a niche: creating simple, downloadable templates for small businesses. I noticed a lot of folks struggled with things like invoices, social media calendars, and basic budget spreadsheets. Figured I could fill that gap.
Phase 2: Building the Templates
- Tools: I used Google Sheets and Docs for the templates. Nothing fancy, just clean and functional.
- Design: I kept the design super simple. Focus was on ease of use. I made like 5 initial templates: invoice, budget, social media calendar, project tracker, and a simple to-do list.
Phase 3: Setting up the Shop
Here’s where things got a little more involved. I decided against building a full-blown e-commerce site. Too much hassle. I went with Etsy. It’s got built-in traffic, and setting up a shop is relatively straightforward.
- Etsy Account: Created an account, chose a shop name (something boring but professional), and linked my payment info.
- Listings: This took a while. I wrote descriptions for each template, took some decent screenshots, and set prices. I aimed for the lower end of the market – around $5-$10 per template.
- Keywords: I spent some time researching relevant keywords. “Invoice template,” “budget spreadsheet,” etc. I sprinkled these throughout my listings.
Phase 4: Automation (Kind Of)
This is the “money generator” part, haha. The goal was to make the whole process as hands-off as possible.
- Etsy’s Automations: Etsy has some basic built-in automations for sending thank you messages and order confirmations. I used those.
- Delivery: The files are automatically delivered via Etsy download after payment. So, zero involvement from me there.
- Marketing (Attempted): I tried a little bit of Etsy advertising, but honestly, I didn’t see a huge return on investment. I mostly relied on organic traffic.
Phase 5: The Results (The Good, The Bad, and The Meh)
So, did it work? Kind of. Over the first three months, I made about $150. Not exactly life-changing money, but it was passive income. I didn’t do anything, and money just trickled in. Not bad, right?
The Good:
- It was truly passive after the initial setup.
- I learned a bit about Etsy and online sales.
- The templates were genuinely helpful to some people (I got some positive reviews).
The Bad:
- Etsy fees eat into your profits.
- Competition is fierce.
- Scaling requires more effort (marketing, creating more templates, etc.).
The Meh:
- The income was unpredictable. Some months were good, others were slow.
- I didn’t really enjoy the Etsy experience that much.
Conclusion:
The “money generator” wasn’t a magic bullet, but it was a worthwhile experiment. It proved that you can create a small, passive income stream with a little bit of effort. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’d probably explore other platforms or niches. The key takeaway is: automate what you can, and don’t expect to get rich quick. It’s more of a slow burn. And remember to enjoy the process!
