No business is really a luck game. Most of the time, you put in quality work, stay consistent, learn from what doesn't work and slowly start seeing results.

The same goes for any type of online business, especially if you consider digital products. I see so many people now want to get into this. A few days back, one of my cousins asked me about this business, so I shared some lessons I have learned along the way.

Here are the biggest ones:

1. Product creation is actually very easy. But marketing? Hell no! So put more effort into marketing your products. For me, its 80-20 rule. 80% goes into your marketing, and the rest goes into product creation. I used to give more time to my product research and creation. But now it's marketing most of the time. I actually spent the whole day creating content and engaging on social media
2. When I was starting out, many told me to collect emails. But I didn't listen! Create an email list from the start! You'll definitely thank me later for this!
3. Track your finances. I started tracking my money in 2024. So it's almost 2 years now, and my accounts are getting better. Previously,, I used to spend mindlessly. But that's not the case anymore. Also, marketing requires a budget after a while 😄
4. I have seen that not all months' revenue is the same! Some are really good, while some are really, really bad. Some months I can afford to travel abroad, while other days I sometimes cannot pay my rent. The results are sometimes unpredictable, so it's necessary to work on it every single day!
5. Dont bother too much about the niche! You can always figure it out later!

This is all!

Tell me what the biggest lessons you have learned from your digital product journey so far are.

Do share with us 😄

I know this subreddit is for side hustles. But hear me out.

When you're juggling multiple side hustles from the same four walls, things can get overwhelming pretty quickly.

I've experienced this more times than I can count.

Currently, I manage THREE different side hustles -

• My ebook Business
• My Google Sheets business
• My Instagram Music store, which I run on weekends

From the outside, it probably looks like I am always making progress.

I am always creating something.

Building something.

Trying a new idea.

But there is one more side of the journey that I rarely talk about.

The days when I don't feel motivated anymore.

When I am sitting in the same room, staring at my laptop, wondering what I am doing!

And sometimes I feel completely lost and LONELY.

That's when my productivity took the biggest hit.

I tried fixing it the way most people probably do.

I bought productivity tools/

Tried different apps.

Changed my daily routines.

Looked for better systems.

But in the end, I realized something uncomfortable.

The problem wasn't my tools. It was me.

I didn't need any productivity tools. I just needed to change the way I approached my work and my life.

That's when I started exploring Japanese philosophies. My cousin introduced me to them, and at first, I honestly didn't think much of it.

But the more I learned, the more I started seeing my work - and my struggles- with a completely different perspective.

The Japanese Teaching That Increased My Productivity

1. Nemawashi - Prepare before you act -> For this, I have started making a list before I start my day's work. I handle multiple businesses, so better to have a list before I open my laptop.
2. Danshari - Let go of unnecessary things -> This has helped me a lot. When the noise in your life is removed, you have more time and energy for your work. Most people call this MONK MODE. Remove tasks, tools, commitments, business ideas you no longer need.
3. Kintsugi - Your failures are part of your story -> It took me 6 months to make my first sale from digital products. If I had given up during those 6 months and gone back to my 9-5, I honestly don't think I would be where I am today. Sometimes, you don't need a better idea. You just need to stay long enough to see your idea work.
4. Oubaitori - Don't compare your journey -> I am mostly called a perfectionist. But honestly, I think a big part of it came from comparing myself to others. I would look at someone else's business, success, or progress and wonder why I wasn't there yet. This taught me that everyone has their own pace.
5. Montainai - You know the shiny object syndrome? I used to start one project and then suddenly find a new idea that looks more exciting. I already have so many unfinished digital products with me right now because of this. This philosophy taught me to stop wasting what I already have. So instead of chasing the next idea, I now always ask - "can I make better use of what i already have?"

This is all from me for now!

How do you stay productive when working on your side hustle? I would love to hear what works for you.

I know this subreddit is for side hustles. But hear me out.

When you're juggling multiple side hustles from the same four walls, things can get overwhelming pretty quickly.

I've experienced this more times than I can count.

Currently, I manage THREE different side hustles -

• My ebook Business
• My Google Sheets business
• My Instagram Music store, which I run on weekends

From the outside, it probably looks like I am always making progress.

I am always creating something.

Building something.

Trying a new idea.

But there is one more side of the journey that I rarely talk about.

The days when I don't feel motivated anymore.

When I am sitting in the same room, staring at my laptop, wondering what I am doing!

And sometimes I feel completely lost and LONELY.

That's when my productivity took the biggest hit.

I tried fixing it the way most people probably do.

I bought productivity tools/

Tried different apps.

Changed my daily routines.

Looked for better systems.

But in the end, I realized something uncomfortable.

The problem wasn't my tools. It was me.

I didn't need any productivity tools. I just needed to change the way I approached my work and my life.

That's when I started exploring Japanese philosophies. My cousin introduced me to them, and at first, I honestly didn't think much of it.

But the more I learned, the more I started seeing my work - and my struggles- with a completely different perspective.

The Japanese Teaching That Increased My Productivity

1. Nemawashi - Prepare before you act -> For this, I have started making a list before I start my day's work. I handle multiple businesses, so better to have a list before I open my laptop.
2. Danshari - Let go of unnecessary things -> This has helped me a lot. When the noise in your life is removed, you have more time and energy for your work. Most people call this MONK MODE. Remove tasks, tools, commitments, business ideas you no longer need.
3. Kintsugi - Your failures are part of your story -> It took me 6 months to make my first sale from digital products. If I had given up during those 6 months and gone back to my 9-5, I honestly don't think I would be where I am today. Sometimes, you don't need a better idea. You just need to stay long enough to see your idea work.
4. Oubaitori - Don't compare your journey -> I am mostly called a perfectionist. But honestly, I think a big part of it came from comparing myself to others. I would look at someone else's business, success, or progress and wonder why I wasn't there yet. This taught me that everyone has their own pace.
5. Montainai - You know the shiny object syndrome? I used to start one project and then suddenly find a new idea that looks more exciting. I already have so many unfinished digital products with me right now because of this. This philosophy taught me to stop wasting what I already have. So instead of chasing the next idea, I now always ask - "can I make better use of what i already have?"

This is all from me for now!

How do you stay productive when working on your side hustle? I would love to hear what works for you.

Note - This post is from my newsletter.

Creating products is never easy. And most importantly, to find what's selling, what the audience wants, is very difficult.

I spent countless hours going from one digital product to another just to find what fits my audience's needs.

My first digital product was an ebook. It was just under 5000 words. Didn't sell much. My second book followed the same. After a few months, I actually improved my second book a lot, and that led to good success. The book still sells on various marketplaces.

My point is, if we know what the audience wants, then instead of just guessing and going back and forth with your product creation, you can spend time marketing it.

And in reality, more than 80% of my energy goes into marketing my business. Doesn't matter if it's AI or not; you still need to get involved in your business.

If you are still thinking of what's next for your digital product idea, then this list will help you out. I have more ideas in my directory, but only giving you what's selling most right now.

Design & Visual Assets

1. Social post templates - Many creators I see buy templates to save time. Give a customization option with this.
2. Brand kits - Colours, logo, launch kit, templates for social media, and so on.
3. Website templates - Themes that you will see on Evanto.
4. AI stock visuals - The best platform I know is Adobe because I sell there personally. But there are many stock sites to sell your mini images.
5. Pinterest pin templates - Canva is popular, but still, many business owners buy templates from an online store.
6. Instagram Carousel packs -Same as Pinterest packs. Etsy is best for selling this.

Templates & Systems

1. Notion Planner - I have never used it much, but I know many on this platform who have success with it. This productivity tool is trendy and very popular amongst solopreneurs.
2. Canva Templates - Easiest one on this list and free to create. Plus a lot of ideas to choose from. If you love designing, then this is right for you.
3. Google Sheets tracker - I love this personally. I use Google Sheets in my daily life, and I know many who do the same. Google Sheets often requires a little bit of knowledge of formulas, but even if you dont know, then still no worries. A lot of tutorials are available.
4. Launch planners - Best example - 14-day launch plan for a pet shop.
5. Social media planners - Everyone needs this already. If not, I highly recommend having one.
6. Client onboarding kits - If you are a freelancer, then you know the importance of this kit. Freelancers often deal with multiple clients, and keeping them on track is often a big challenge.
7. Finance Tracker - My fav one. Often, I see this with Notion, but there are many options to choose from. Covers, budgeting, saving, bill tracking, subscription tracker, debt tracking, income tracking, and so on.

Personal Use

1. Meal Planners - Track macros, grocery budgeting, shopping list, meal planning, pantry checking, expiry date notification, etc.
2. Printable wall art - You will see a lot of these small products on Etsy.
3. Self-care toolkit - Best for female solopreneurs or those who have niches targeting women.
4. Fitness planner - Everyone needs it right now, right?
5. Habit trackers - Trackers with visualization sell like hot cakes.

Automation tools

1. AI Art packs - Midjourney is getting really popular, and if you sell AI art, then you can sell art packs as well.
2. AI content systems - Think of this as workflows with a step-by-step guide. Pick a niche for this.
3. Ai prompt packs - Like ChatGPT prompt vault.
4. No code template. My favourite one right now is Framer and Notion.
5. Done-for-you AI setup - Sell this on freelancing platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Personally, Fiverr is the best one out there.

Education

1. Ebooks - This is my personal favorite, and a major part of my income comes from this. The trick is that it should solve one problem clearly.
2. Swipe files - I heard a lot about this, but I never knew exactly what this was until I tried it recently. Not much success, but it's worth trying.
3. Podcast - This is getting popular, and making audio is actually low-effort work. This works best if you have a paid membership.
4. Checklist - This works perfectly if you need to give away freebies for emails.
5. Mini courses - This often comes in bundle format and is most popular right now. I think you must have come across many courses like this one.

Pick only a few ideas -

I know this is overwhelming, but not all work for all of us. Even for me, only a few digital product ideas work because that's what my audience wants.

I recommend seeing what your competitors are selling. Pay CLOSE attention to what EXACTLY they are selling. How are they marketing?

Soon, within a few weeks, you'll see sales coming in.

I am writing this after getting messages from my audience, who are still finding it difficult to make their first digital product sale

I will be keeping this post short today, but I assure you that you'll find it very useful. Try and let me know how it goes.

How I Made My first Dollar Selling a Digital product

1. Traffic - If you need free traffic, then you need to pick a platform and a niche. I won’t advise you to branch out at an early stage. So pick one platform (Reddit is the best in my view) and a niche of your choice. Slowly,y you’ll start getting traffic to your store
2. Quality Content - If you are using AI, then good luck with that. Readers notice AI-generated content. Follow my advice. Write your own content. You’ll see your sales slowly increase.
3. Show up every single day - If you need consistent sales, you need to write consistently. Either write or engage or both. But do something every single day. Join the newsletter or read blog posts in your niche. If possible, make a list of content ideas.
4. Trendy niches make easy money - I mostly stick to evergreen niches. But there are times when it's not working,, then I see what's trending and start creating content around it. I keep 80% evergreen niche content and the remaining 20% trendy. This is the best combination I have found so far. When you see slow sales or no sales, then try creating trendy content niches (it should be close to your evergreen niche)
5. Newsletter pays in the long run - Start a newsletter from day one. I started mine after 3 years. Dont do this mistake. Many options available now. Free ones are Substack, Patreon, etc. Pick any one.
6. Bad comments can actually help - I dont think there is any creator who hasn't faced bad comments yet. I, too, get these kinds of comments from time to time. But sometimes, believe me, these bad comments can actually help you a lot. Before deleting or hiding, see whether it's useful to you or not.
7. Community matters - Join a community. What's your niche? Find a niche community and join it from day one. Join 2 or 3 doesn't matter, but do it. You'll definitely find a lot of useful advice that you'll never find anywhere. Reddit communities,, I have found the best so far!

Making the first dollar is difficult. I personally know so many good creators who made their first digital product sale after 4–5 months. But believe me, it’s not about luck.

It’s all about hard work. Consistently. Be persistent while doing so.

If you want to build your digital product business, comment “DP” and I’ll send you the steps to get started.