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Landing Page
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Strategy List
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Action Plan
Inspiration
Millions of people around the world dream of turning their hobbies into a source of income, but very few succeed. The gap between passion and profit is wide. We were inspired by this problem and wanted to create something that could genuinely help everyday people take their first step toward financial freedom—by doing what they love.
What it does
Monetise Me is a web app that helps people discover income opportunities tailored to their hobbies and personality. Users answer a few questions about what they enjoy and who they are, and the app generates monetisation strategies using AI. From there, users can pick an idea they like, and Monetise Me creates a step-by-step action plan to help them get started.
How we built it
We joined the hackathon just over one week before the deadline. With the help of a tool called Bolt, we were able to build and iterate on the user interface quickly.
Bolt provided a boilerplate starter, but it had limitations when integrating with libraries outside of its ecosystem. Similar to Claude, Bolt often generated UI with mock data, which was enough to fill the gap in our design skills. The frontend was built with React and deployed via Netlify.
Backend integrations were done manually. We used Firebase to integrate with Gemini (our main LLM for generating income strategies and action plans) to make future mobile portability easier if the application gains traction.
Supabase was used for authentication, user management, and data storage. We also used its Edge Functions to handle our low-code integration with Stripe for payments and fulfillment.
Since our team consisted of one technical and one non-technical member, we opted to use Google Sites to create our landing page. This allowed us to collect signups while the core application was still in development. Google Sites' low-code environment enabled our non-technical teammate to set up the landing page quickly and begin outreach through Discord communities.
Challenges we ran into
- Alpha testers uncovered a lot of issues when we first introduced the app. Strategies often didn’t generate, and usage tracking failed during signups—both of which required manual intervention.
- RevenueCat couldn’t be used due to limitations with web integration. We originally relied on it for managing paywalls, only to discover too late that it only supported mobile. We pivoted to Stripe instead, which we were more familiar with.
- Our LLM is very slow at generating strategies and plans. It currently takes 30–60 seconds to generate both, which our analytics show is the biggest deterrent for new signups. We mitigated this by setting expectations on the loading page, but we know this needs further improvement.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Successfully launched the MVP within one week of starting.
- Generated our first two real sales on day one, signaling early traction.
- Received positive user feedback that confirmed the app’s value and usability.
- Created a tool that makes starting a side hustle feel achievable for everyday people.
What we learned
- Building something meaningful doesn’t require a large team or months of development—just the right tools and a focused vision.
- Fast iteration and early validation are crucial—Bolt helped us test and refine ideas quickly.
What's next for Monetise Me
We’re actively collecting feedback and already working on:
- More granular goal tracking and progress management.
- Community support features to help users connect and stay motivated.
- Smarter, more personalised AI recommendations based on user feedback and outcomes.
- Expanded monetisation strategies, including digital products, creator tools, and niche marketplaces.
- Mobile integration.
Our long-term vision is to help millions of people earn a living doing what they love.
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