The Experts Guide to Side Projects

SIDE-PROJECTS
THE 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
WHAT IS THE MAIN
REASON YOU DO
SIDE PROJECTS?

“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
WHAT IS THE MAIN
REASON YOU DO
SIDE PROJECTS?

“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
WHAT IS THE MAIN
REASON YOU DO
SIDE PROJECTS?
WHAT IS THE MAIN
REASON YOU DO
SIDE PROJECTS?

“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
WHAT IS THE MAIN
REASON YOU DO
SIDE PROJECTS?

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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”
HOW HAVE
SIDE PROJECTS
BENEFITTED YOU?
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
HOW HAVE
SIDE PROJECTS
BENEFITTED YOU?

“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
HOW HAVE
SIDE PROJECTS
BENEFITTED YOU?

“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
HOW HAVE
SIDE PROJECTS
BENEFITTED YOU?

“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
SIDE PROJECTS
BENEFITTED YOU?

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
HOW HAVE YOU
PROMOTED YOUR
SIDE PROJECTS?

“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
HOW HAVE YOU
PROMOTED YOUR
SIDE PROJECTS?

“90% HAS BEEN THROUGH PRODUCT HUNT, 5%
HACKER NEWS, 5% BUILDING IN PUBLIC, BLOGGING
ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCES ON OUR WEBSITE.”
FRED RIVETT
HOW HAVE YOU
PROMOTED YOUR
SIDE PROJECTS?

“THROUGH FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND WITH LINKS
FROM MY PORTFOLIO. STRAIGHTFORWARD, REALLY.”
DAVID AIREY
HOW HAVE YOU
PROMOTED YOUR
SIDE PROJECTS?

“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
HOW HAVE YOU
PROMOTED YOUR
SIDE PROJECTS?

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

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

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

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

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
WHAT IS YOUR
FAVOURITE SIDE
PROJECT YOU
HAVE WORKED
ON?

“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
WHAT IS YOUR
FAVOURITE SIDE
PROJECT YOU
HAVE WORKED
ON?

“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
WHAT IS YOUR
FAVOURITE SIDE
PROJECT YOU
HAVE WORKED
ON?

“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 YOUR
FAVOURITE SIDE
PROJECT YOU
HAVE WORKED
ON?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“DO IT.”
DAVID AIREY
WHAT ONE BIT
OF ADVICE
WOULD YOU
GIVE FELLOW
CREATIVES ON
SIDE PROJECTS?

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

The Experts Guide to Side Projects

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