Why Most Side Projects Fail (and How to Avoid It)

Let me guess. You've started (and abandoned) at least three side projects in the last two years.

Don't feel bad. Most of us have a project graveyard that would make a cemetery jealous. Half-finished apps, domains we bought but never used, GitHub repos that haven't been touched in months.

Here's what I've learned from watching hundreds of indie hackers (including myself) crash and burn: we don't fail because our ideas suck. We fail because we make the same predictable mistakes.

Mistake #1: Nobody Can Find Your Brilliant Creation

This kills more projects than bad code ever will.

You spend months building the perfect tool. It works flawlessly. The design is clean. You're proud of it. You launch... and crickets.

Why this happens: You built in a bubble. No audience, no SEO strategy, no marketing plan. Just "if you build it, they will come" magical thinking.

How to not do this: Start building your audience while you build your product. Tweet your progress. Write about what you're learning. Join communities where your target users hang out. Be helpful, not spammy.

Mistake #2: Giving Up When It Gets Hard

Indie hacking has a brutal feedback loop. You can work for months and see nothing. No users, no revenue, no validation.

Most people quit right before things start working.

Why this happens: We expect startup-movie montages where everything clicks in 3 months. Reality is messier and slower.

How to not do this: Commit to a timeline before you start. Six months minimum before you even consider quitting. Track small wins: first signup, first piece of feedback, first dollar. Celebrate the tiny progress.

Mistake #3: "I'll Figure Out Money Later"

This is the classic developer trap. Build something cool, assume monetization will be obvious later.

Spoiler alert: it won't be.

Why this happens: We love solving technical problems. Business problems are harder and less fun.

How to not do this: Figure out how you'll make money before you write your first line of code. Even a rough plan. Ad revenue? Subscriptions? One-time purchases? Affiliate marketing? Pick something and test it early.

Need help with this? Check out our website monetization challenges and complete monetization roadmap.

Mistake #4: Trying to Beat Google at Their Own Game

Some markets are just too competitive for solo developers. "I'll build a better Gmail" is not a viable side project strategy.

Why this happens: We see big problems and think we can solve them better. Usually we can't, at least not without massive resources.

How to not do this: Find underserved niches instead of trying to topple giants. Look for problems you personally experience that aren't perfectly solved yet. Research market size but don't go after markets that are either too small or dominated by huge players.

Mistake #5: The Shiny Object Syndrome

You have four different projects going at once. When one gets boring or hard, you start another one. None of them get the attention they need to succeed.

Why this happens: Starting is more fun than finishing. New ideas are exciting. Dealing with real users and their problems is work.

How to not do this: One project at a time. Period. When you want to start something new, write it down and revisit it after your current project either succeeds or clearly fails.

The Hard Truth

Most side projects fail because indie hacking is actually hard. Not the coding part—the business part.

You need to:

• Understand your market
• Build something people want
• Get those people to find you
• Convince them to pay you
• Keep them happy enough to stick around
• Do all of this while maintaining your day job and personal life

That's not a weekend hobby. That's a real skill that takes time to develop.

What Actually Works

The indie hackers who succeed do a few things differently:

1. They pick realistic problems in markets they understand
2. They start marketing before they finish building
3. They have a monetization plan from day one
4. They commit to timelines and stick with them
5. They focus on one thing until it works or clearly fails

Want to actually succeed this time? Try our 30-day website building challenge or aim for a clear target with our MRR goals framework.

And if you want someone (or something) keeping you accountable, Indie10k breaks down the whole process into weekly missions. Because sometimes you need an AI coach to prevent you from making the same mistakes everyone else makes.