Lemon Squeezy CTO on why he still makes side projects - Gilbert Pellegrom
Dec 20, 2023
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Gilbert Pellegrom, co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, discusses the value of side projects for learning, creativity, and overcoming challenges. He shares his journey in the WordPress space and the conception of Nivo Slider. Gilbert explains starting Lemon Squeezy as a side project, transitioning to full-time work, and his habit of launching side projects. He emphasizes the importance of intention and purpose in project creation and provides recommendations for inspiration and support.
Side projects can be a refreshing escape from big projects and help maintain passion for web development.
Scoping side projects well and starting small is crucial to avoid overwhelm and ensure clarity about desired outcomes.
Deep dives
The Value of Side Projects
Gilbert Pelogram, co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, highlights the importance of side projects as a creative outlet. He explains how working on side projects can be a refreshing escape from the monotony of big projects and a way to maintain passion for web development. Gilbert shares his personal experience of creating the Nivo slider as a side project during his university days, which unexpectedly gained millions of downloads. He emphasizes that side projects can foster creativity and provide opportunities to learn new technologies.
Start Small and Focus on Scoping
Gilbert discusses the importance of scoping side projects and starting small. He suggests creating a pared-down version of the eventual vision, such as a landing page or prototype, to validate the idea and get it out into the world sooner. Gilbert points out that scoping well is crucial, particularly for SaaS projects, to avoid the project becoming overwhelming or turning into a maintenance nightmare. He also emphasizes the need to be clear about the desired outcome of a side project: whether it is just a creative outlet or intended for profit.
Acquisition and Tips for Selling Side Projects
Gilbert briefly mentions that some of his side projects have been acquired through platforms like Flippa and FE International. He suggests isolating accounts for different projects, such as hosting, email, and billing, to make the selling process easier. Gilbert also recommends having separate accounts for cost separation and to facilitate the handover process when selling a project. However, he notes that these practices are more applicable when there is an intention to sell a project, rather than just building something for fun.
Gilbert Pellegrom, is co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, a platform for selling software and digital products online. Previously Gilbert created the Nivo Slider all in 2010, which grew to millions of users before selling it. He then went on to work with Orman Clark at ThemeZilla and Dunked, who he’s teamed up with again to build Lemon Squeezy. What’s interesting about Gilbert is that despite being the CTO of a rapidly scaling startup, he’s still making and shipping side projects, which we’ll talk about more on this episode.
If you want to hear more about Lemon Squeezy, I actually co-host their podcast called Make Lemonade, where I speak with their CEO JR Farr about the behind the scenes of building a bootstrapped company making millions.
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