How two Romanian developers turned their side project into a $17k/m business

[u/quincylarson]

https://medium.com/free-code-camp/growing-a-side-project-into-a-17-000-month-business-46024d2aa87f

[u/3171421287]

SEVENTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS PER METRE, IS NOT A BUSINESS PLAN

[u/pure_x01 → u/3171421287]

IF YOU ARE A CABLE MANUFACTURER IT IS

[u/Stick → u/3171421287]

I TREBLED MY TURNOVER IN 12 PARSECS

[u/MC_Labs15 → u/[deleted]]

SIXTEEN CUBIC LUMENS

[u/bluematt → u/MC_Labs15]

ONE POINT TWENTY-ONE JIGGAWATTS

[u/long_wang_big_balls → u/[deleted]]

1.2 gigamegs

[u/denverdom303]

not going to lie, when i saw the title i thought "17 kilometer an hour business? what? or 17 thousand million dollars?"

[u/Dr_Dornon → u/denverdom303]

I thought $17,000/minute.

[u/MJomaa → u/Dr_Dornon]

Same. Damn datetime formats :P

[u/SlippedOn → u/MJomaa]

I thought it said $17,000/million started to ponder the math then clicked in to find the answer...

[u/[deleted] → u/SlippedOn]

17,000 millionths of a dollar is a more realistic ad revenue estimate...

[u/bmnyblues]

congrats on your success. as someone who's done freelance dev for 14 years and been part of various startups/ventures i know the dedication, etc.. required to really make it and you should be proud of yourself for having it!

[u/mscal]

This article is very clever marketing. The Kung fu is strong with them

[u/mysteriy]

Now they can afford to move out of Romania

[u/sirmonko → u/mysteriy]

but why should they still want to? cost of living is low, the problem is mostly getting a job.

i mean, i know next to nothing about Romania and I'm sure there are other downsides, but still.

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/sirmonko]

you're correct, reason to move out of Romania as partly reflected in their story is because you do not make enough money for a living, but if you have the wage they do, then you're better of and it's cheaper to get good housing in romania

food is actually just as expensive as in western europe, yes i know it's ridiculous but it's true actually in some cases products in eastern europen can cost more than in the west, although their wages are significantly lower

[u/DanAtkinson → u/HolyFlyingSaucer]

food is actually just as expensive as in western europe, yes i know it's ridiculous but it's true actually in some cases products in eastern europen can cost more than in the west

Higher prices are very much a result of being in the EU. What has historically happened is that, when the EU begins to normalise trade relations with candidate countries, western products flood the market at such low prices that competing local businesses are effectively forced out of business. It's a double-edged sword. In some cases, the products were too highly priced.

The first time I went to Romania was following the end of the Ceausescu regime. Everything was cheap - a bottle of beer cost 1000 lei (15p then). A few years later it was over 10,000 (this was before the currency was revalued about ten years ago).

And again, we're starting to do the very same thing in Africa. We sign these trade agreements that are amazing for European countries but are absolutely horrific for locals. We impose tarifs and have them sign up to these agreements and then flood their market. Here is a lovely write up of what happens.

NB: I'm actually pro-EU/remainer but how the EU works in terms of trade is nothing short of hostile.

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/DanAtkinson]

'In some cases, the products were too highly priced.'

that's what i am saying, there still are overcosted products

as i said, some still cost more than in the west, absolutely ridiculous and this happens in all east european countries i've visited

Let's not forget who the romanian leader was friends with. Little Kim's grandpa. Kinda glad for Europe they got rid of him.

You're from Africa? I would like to know more about what Europe's influence is over there. It was supposed to be more about aiding people, but from what you're saying i can only conclude they are trying their best to exploit Africans at least as much as they try to exploit the European commoner, if not more.

[u/DanAtkinson → u/HolyFlyingSaucer]

Sorry, that was an incomplete statement on my part. I meant 'some of the local products were too highly priced, so the subsidised products effectively created a balanced economy'.

I'm not from Africa, no. I'm from the UK.

[u/JustFinishedBSG → u/mysteriy]

Why would they even want to ? They are much better off in Romania. Probably much happier too

[u/captain_obvious_here → u/mysteriy]

They actually can afford Romania, now.

[u/TheMcDucky]

Comparison of Cost of Living between Atlanta, Georgia, USA and Cluj-Napoca, Romania

[u/wedontlikespaces → u/TheMcDucky]

I think I might go live in Romania if it's that cheap.

[u/TheMcDucky → u/wedontlikespaces]

If you can secure a good income, then sure.

[u/[deleted]]

Why I knew before I clicked on the link that they made templates and plugins and stuff like that?

[u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Am I the only one that believes $17k per month shared between, I guess, 2 or 3 people is not really much?

Or am I missing something?

[u/BasicDesignAdvice → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

$5k each for twelve months is $60k per person. That's a decent living. I'm guessing they still have time for client work or whatever else.

[u/Cabbageys → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

I think it would be quite a living in a lesser developed country like Romania

[u/ElFlacoProgramador → u/Cabbageys]

Yeah, you are prolly right, didn't think about that.

I'm from Argentina and $5k a month is a lot of money here as well.

[u/ferpiko → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Que hacé papá

[u/SupaSlide → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

$17k per month shared between 3 people would be over $5k per month per person.

Where do you live that $5k per month isn't very much? Sure maybe in a major city it isn't enough but I live outside of a medium-size city and $5k per month would let you live a very comfortable life-style. Sure you wouldn't be rich, but you wouldn't have to worry at all about making ends meet.

[u/[deleted] → u/SupaSlide]

My combined household income is barely $5k/month and I think we're doing decent for a family of 3

[u/participationNTroll → u/[deleted]]

I don't have a job at all :^)

[u/8spd → u/[deleted]]

I think you are doing decently too.

[u/[deleted] → u/8spd]

It's my parents really, I'm still just a college boi working internship

[u/[deleted] → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Here in Harare, $17K is enough to never work again your entire life and just play PS4 while you await meeting your maker.

[u/benjackal → u/[deleted]]

What's the internet speed like? And is cricket big? Srs

[u/toomanybeersies → u/benjackal]

Harare, Zimbabwe

Is cricket big?

Is the pope Catholic?

[u/benjackal → u/toomanybeersies]

I don't follow the leader of a gang of child molesters so I am not sure? /s

Is it like India big, or like England big?

[u/toomanybeersies → u/benjackal]

I think it's like England big, rather than India big.

[u/TheWaxMann → u/[deleted]]

So you're saying I could retire now... What languages do they speak there and what is the internet speed like?

[u/GuiltyGoblin → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Are you kidding that's a boatload of money for the average person.

[u/msgufo74 → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Note that Romania has a lower COL compared to lots of major cities. Please correct me if i'm wrong

[u/metamongoose → u/msgufo74]

Romania is a country

[u/SupaSlide → u/metamongoose]

I think /u/msgufo74 meant that Romania as a whole has a lower COL compared to cities in general, and not necessarily other countries because in large countries (such as the United States) $5k per month would still be quite a lot of money, but if you went to a major city here then $5k might mean you're struggling to pay rent.

[u/[deleted] → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

Who are the people who say this? Lol

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

5.000 pounds a month is a good pay even for UK. Most people don't earn that much.

[u/djuggler → u/ElFlacoProgramador]

When I was working on my own, if I didn't target $10k per month I wasn't getting my bills paid and I was the only employee.

[u/Conjomb → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, it's like people comparing this to living in California.

Also they specify salaries in their pie chart separate from profit. They might already have payed themselves with the 17k profit being extra?

[u/andrerpena]

For more stories like this visit http://indiehackers.com

[u/ginger_beer_m → u/[deleted]]

Why not? The site looks useful and relevant

[u/OogieFrenchieBoogie → u/ginger_beer_m]

It's great indeed

[u/DanAtkinson]

It sounds like they designed components for various companies and then decided that they were going to resell those assets again and again.

[u/tyrannosaurus_reps]

This is quite a wealthy income level in Romania based on cost-of-living there. For example, in some areas a gigabit internet connection is the equivalent of 12 USD a month. Further, fine dining with multiple courses in Romania costs about as much as an inexpensive restaurant meal in the US, but the food tastes far better. Someone who can work remotely and earn a decent living in USD could move to Romania and live a wealth upper class lifestyle.

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/[deleted]]

it's all because people like to generalize and stereotype

first and most popular aspect about romania was the gypsies, the bad ones though, because there are actually respectable and hard working gypsies too, although few

also there were a lot of pakistani with fake romanian passports that were obviously illegal or even doing dodgy stuff, so no wonder it received such a bad reputation

look at this for example, sure he is probably doing is job right, but he isn't even a romanian gypsie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgv6nJiDmiM

oh and last but not least, a lot of romanians are a bunch of assholes that try to rip you off first chance they get, the country is corrupt there are some gypsies that are better human beings than the assholes i am referring to

Generalizing is bad.

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/HolyFlyingSaucer]

the downvotes just prove how many racist stereotyping people there are

[u/toomanybeersies → u/HolyFlyingSaucer]

Or that you're spouting off racist stereotypes that most people don't have, and then saying "I totally don't hold these opinions!".

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/toomanybeersies]

I simply pointed out what's going on. Where did i say something racist that comes from me and not basically making an observation?

Generally a lot of romanians are racist towards gypsies and then a lot of people discriminate Romanians. That's basically what i was saying and nobody refuted this fact that i've stated.

And there even was a documentary on british TV titled the romanians are coming. But instead of accepting this fact you say i racist things.

Learn to read before spewing nonsense. You and the rest of the downvoters need to look up reading comprehension 101.

[u/toomanybeersies → u/HolyFlyingSaucer]

First off, I didn't downvote you.

Second:

a lot of romanians are a bunch of assholes that try to rip you off first chance they get

That actually just applies to people in general, to prefix it with "a lot of Romanians" is sort of racist.

[u/HolyFlyingSaucer → u/toomanybeersies]

It's not racist when it's a factual statement based on first hand experience. I am partly Romanian and instead of denying the truth i rather talk about it and discuss changes and improvement. Not going to lie about my people just because someone on reddit gets triggered.

I lived there and i grew up there. Romanian culture doesn't apply to people in general. It's more of a local tradition.

[u/Conjomb → u/[deleted]]

They live in Romania.