How a Pet Project Turned into a $100K Business

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Today’s story is about a side project that took off unexpectedly, showing just how far a simple idea can go. This project started as a solution for a common problem: finding something interesting to do for the evening. For many, that means dating apps, and that’s where Andreas, a developer from Switzerland, saw an opportunity.

In late 2020, Andreas got tired of endless manual swiping on dating apps like Tinder, so he decided to automate it. He built a simple browser extension, Auto Swiper, which did the swiping for him in the background. It wasn’t a big business idea, just a personal project. But sometimes, those pet projects are the ones that surprise us the most.

From Hobby Project to Paid Version

For the first two years, Auto Swiper quietly gained traction. Andreas hadn’t intended to turn it into a business, so he left it in its rough, initial version. Still, people began downloading it organically, drawn to the simplicity of the idea: swipe on more profiles to increase your chances of matches.

By May 2022, with organic growth steadily picking up, Andreas realized he could add some premium features. So he created a paid version with enhanced swiping options for users who wanted more control over who they matched with. For example, users could now choose to swipe only on profiles within a 10-kilometer radius or on profiles with more than one photo—but only if they upgraded to the premium version.

This premium offering came with a simple landing page on auto-swiper.ch, making it easy for users to understand what they were getting.

Early Revenue and Growth

The premium model was a hit. In the first month, Auto Swiper brought in $166 MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) from 107 subscribers. Just four months later, that number had jumped to $500 per month. The project was gaining traction, and Andreas had found a market ready for his product.

By mid-2023, Auto Swiper’s MRR hit a peak of $6,000, with steady revenue around $3,700 per month afterward. The combination of automated swiping and targeted user features hit a sweet spot that kept users coming back.

The Power of a Niche Product

So, what makes this story so compelling? On the surface, this might not seem like a huge amount of revenue, but a closer look reveals a few key takeaways:

1. Organic Growth Can Be a Game Changer: Auto Swiper never had a big marketing push. It gained users through word of mouth and visibility in the Chrome Web Store. When your product solves a specific problem well, users are more likely to find it and stick around.

2. A Simple Premium Model: Andreas didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. He added premium options that improved the user experience without overcomplicating things. This simple paywall conversion strategy turned casual users into paying subscribers with ease.

3. Low Maintenance, High Value: This wasn’t a complex SaaS product with a massive team and ongoing development. Auto Swiper is a lightweight tool that does one thing really well, and it doesn’t require extensive updates or customer support. For Andreas, this means he can generate steady revenue with minimal work.

4. Potential for Growth: The dating app user base is huge. Tinder, Badoo, and similar apps have hundreds of millions of users worldwide. The audience for tools like Auto Swiper is equally massive, with a lot of room for growth.

What’s Next for Auto Swiper?

With steady monthly revenue and a proven demand, the project is now worth a significant amount on its own. Even with current revenue levels, it could likely sell for at least $100,000 based on its consistent earnings and growth potential. And given the sheer scale of dating app users globally, similar tools could potentially reach tens of thousands of dollars in monthly revenue with the right features and a bit of marketing.

So, while Auto Swiper might have started as a simple solution to avoid tedious swiping, it’s become much more than that. It’s a reminder of how powerful small, focused tools can be when they find the right audience.

This story shows that not every successful project starts with a big business plan. Sometimes, all it takes is solving a personal problem and letting organic growth do the rest. If you’re working on a side project, remember: even simple ideas have the potential to become valuable businesses.