I work full time and was already spending a couple of hours a day reading AI-related content across forums, tech news sites, and blogs just to stay current.
Around March 2025, I decided to organize what I was already reading into a simple format. At first, this was purely for myself — mainly to reduce mental overhead and avoid re-reading the same things across different platforms.
From Personal Notes to a Side Project
Over time, a few people asked if they could follow along.
So I kept it going.
The project takes around 8–10 hours a week, and it only works because I:
- Batch everything
- Stick to a fixed routine
- Don’t try to be everywhere
The first few months had almost no traction. But the structure itself was useful, so I didn’t stop.
What Actually Drove Early Growth
Most of the early growth didn’t come from sharing links.
It came from:
- Being genuinely helpful in relevant discussions
- Answering questions
- Adding context without pitching
Narrowing the focus helped a lot. Broad platforms like social media and SEO never really worked for me. Staying specific did.
The Real Challenge Now
The biggest challenge isn’t growth — it’s capacity.
Balancing this alongside a full-time job means constantly deciding:
- Do I invest more time and try to grow it?
- Or keep it lightweight and sustainable?
Right now, I’m leaning toward keeping it small and consistent rather than turning it into another job.
A Quick Note on Rebranding
Originally, the project used a generic template-based look.
I tried AI image generators, but text consistency was a problem. Eventually, I switched to a branding-focused design tool and redid the logo and headers in about 90 minutes.
The result:
- Conversion rate went from 1.2% to 3.8%
- The project instantly felt more credible
If your side project has any visual component at all, this kind of cleanup is usually worth it.
Final Thought
This didn’t start as a business idea.
It started as something I was already doing every day.
If you’re already spending time on something consistently, there’s often a low-effort way to turn it into a small side project — without forcing it into a startup.
Curious if others here have done the same, and how you decided how far to take it.