From Side Project to Six Figures: How One Guy Built a $400,000/Year Business in 6 Days

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4 min read

Meet Julien Nahum. Most people think building a business means sacrificing years, giving up weekends, or spending months just fine-tuning an idea. Julien? He went from zero to a six-figure run rate in six days, all while holding down a regular job. Let’s dig into how he did it because there are lessons here for anyone trying to create something impactful without burning out.

Step 1: He Saw a Gap and Acted Fast

Julien had a knack for spotting trends. Like a lot of people, he used Notion religiously, organizing his life, his tasks, his dreams, everything in one place. But Notion, as great as it was, didn’t have every feature he and others needed. People wanted to create forms directly in Notion, a feature that didn’t exist yet.

(Just in case you don’t know what Notion is.) Notion is a powerful all-in-one productivity tool designed to help individuals and teams organize, manage, and collaborate on their work. Think of it as a digital workspace where you can keep notes, to-do lists, project plans, calendars, databases, and even entire knowledge bases.

Most of us might think, “Too bad, maybe one day.” But Julien thought, “Wait, I can fix this.” And he didn’t waste time building it. Notion had just opened up its API, and Julien saw an opportunity to build a solution that filled this exact gap. Within a week, he had a basic version up and running. No fancy bells and whistles, just what users needed to create and manage forms directly within Notion.

Lesson: Don’t wait for perfect conditions to start. Julien saw an opportunity and seized it before it even crossed someone else’s mind.

Step 2: He Worked in Bursts

Julien had a full-time job, so he had to squeeze in work during his commute. Every day, he’d get on the train, open up his laptop, and code for the 90 minutes it took him to get to work. A few hours here, a few hours there, that’s all he had. But he focused like a laser. His goal wasn’t to build the perfect product; it was to get something in users' hands fast. And thats how Notion Forms was born.

If you think you don’t have time to build a side project, Julien’s story proves otherwise. He didn’t let a packed schedule stop him; he made it work in pockets of time.

Lesson: Don’t let a busy schedule be your excuse. A few focused hours each day can add up faster than you’d think.

Step 3: He Went Straight to the Community

When Julien had his MVP (minimum viable product) ready, he didn’t waste time on traditional marketing. Instead, he took his product directly to Notion’s most dedicated communities: Reddit, Facebook groups, Twitter, wherever he could find Notion superfans. He shared what he had built, got feedback, and listened to their pain points.

Imagine this: he’s in a Facebook group for Notion users, just dropping a casual line about his form-building tool. Right away, people start asking questions, giving feedback, and tagging their friends. Julien’s approach wasn’t about a “hard sell.” Instead, he shared the tool he created as a genuine solution for Notion users. The word spread fast.

Lesson: Your users are already hanging out somewhere online. Find them, get in front of them, and let them tell you what they think.

Step 4: He Created a Viral Loop

Here’s where it gets interesting: Julien’s tool didn’t just benefit from his initial outreach. He built virality into the product itself. How? Every time a user created a form in Notion, that form was branded with a small tag linking back to his tool. So, when users shared their forms, they were, in effect, doing free marketing for him.

Imagine seeing a friend’s organized form on Notion and wondering how they built it. You click the link, and boom, you’re on Julien’s website, ready to try it out for yourself. Each form acted as a little advertisement, spreading his tool far beyond his original posts.

Lesson: Build a product that spreads itself. If users love it, they’ll share it for you.

Step 5: He Monetized the Right Way

Once he had thousands of users, Julien knew he could introduce paid features. But he didn’t just throw up a paywall. Instead, he went with a “freemium” model. The basic version remained free, but he rolled out premium features for users who wanted more control, customization, and advanced functionality. And to thank his early adopters, he sent them a “loyalty discount,” giving them a lifetime discount on the Pro plan.

Imagine you’re an early user, loving this tool that’s helped you create all these forms. Now, there’s an upgrade available with even more features, and as a thank-you for jumping on board early, you get a discount for life. Of course, people jumped at the offer. Subscriptions started rolling in, and Julian’s side hustle was suddenly generating over $37,000 a month.

Lesson: Don’t be afraid to ask people to pay. If you build something that saves people time or solves a problem, they’ll be more than willing to pay for it.

Final Takeaway: Just Start.

Most people wait until their idea is “perfect.” Julien started when his product was barely good enough. He let his users guide him, improving as he went. By getting his product out there quickly, he saw firsthand what users needed and could tweak his tool to meet their exact demands.

Julien’s story isn’t just about building a tool or making money fast. It’s about the power of action. He didn’t wait around, didn’t overthink it, didn’t spend years wondering if his idea was good enough. He put it out there, listened, and made it better.