The Side Hustle Show 733: $25k/Mo From a Vibe Coded App, $10k/Mo Selling “Fake” Watches, and More
12 snips
Apr 9, 2026 Jason VanDevere, serial side hustler and author of Dream Driven, shares fast, unusual business ideas. He covers vibe-coded apps and rapid app iteration, productized services like car-negotiation businesses, influencer-driven physical products like mindfulness watches, low-cost arbitrage and mailer-based subscriptions. Short, punchy stories of unexpected ways to make real income.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Car Sales Skill Flipped Into $200k/Month Service
- Tommy McCoola turned his 33 years as a car salesman into a paid negotiation service that booked hundreds of deals and scaled via social video.
- He proved it by doing 50 free Reddit deals, used viral videos to get leads, and then charged ~$1,000 per deal while hiring assistants.
Novel Mindfulness Watch Grew After Five Quiet Years
- The Now Watch is a physical mindfulness product that simply displays the word "now" and sells for $29–$89 as a novelty reminder to be present.
- The founder spent five years with almost no revenue until an influencer post made it viral, proving patience and influencer reach matter for niche gifts.
Simple Phone Lock App Scaled With Distribution Not Just Speed
- Mao Baron's PrayerLock app locks phones until a prayer session completes and scaled to ~$25k/month by combining quick build tooling with ASO, influencer seeding, and paid ads.
- The three-day build used vibe-coding, but Mao had three years of prior app attempts and focused heavily on distribution to reach profitability.
