HALF DAY BUILD
Go from idea to revenue in 12 hours.
An event in which people build in public, simultaneously, for 12 hours straight.Next event:
Sunday, 9th July 2023
What is Half Day Build?
Half Day Build is an event in which multiple people from around the world simultaneously attempt to convert their ideas into revenue in under 12 hours.Each person works independently on their own idea, from 12 noon to midnight, in their own time zone. Ideas can be as simple as selling a PDF for $1, or as complex as building a SaaS product, or anything in between or beyond. The only constraint is that you must begin executing on your idea at noon, and aim to generate revenue before midnight.
What should you build?
Build whatever you want.
The only condition is that you have to build it and try to generate revenue within 12 hours. It doesn't even have to be on the internet. Go build a lemonade stall if you feel like it!Ideally, try to build something that can continue to generate revenue after the Half Day Build is over.
Resources for your Half Day Build.
Not sure how to build something in under 12 hours?Explore our list of tools and other resources that you can use.
Products we've built.
View a list of products built by participants in previous Half Day Builds.
Join us next time?
It's free, fun, and you'll learn a ton.
Got Questions?
Get in touch with me on Twitter, and I'll be happy to answer them.
HALF DAY BUILD
Resources
A list of tools that you might find useful in figuring out how to build out an idea.
Tools to build with
Tools for websites and mobile apps- Carrd - Create single page websites easily- Airtable - Works well as a backend database for most sites- Pory - Convert an Airtable into a website in minutes- Notion - Create and sell info products that you can update dynamically- Adalo - Create mobile apps without code- Glide - Create mobile apps and web apps without code- Bubble - Great for more complex websites and web apps.Tools for Online Stores- Gumroad - Create a non branded storefront for free. Great to sell one off info products as well.- Shopify - Build branded stores to sell products- Webflow - For slightly more complex websites where content management is needed along with a store front.Tools for Print on Demand sites- Gelato - On demand printing and shipping of various goods worldwide. Integrates nicely into Shopify stores.- Teespring - On demand printing and shipping of customized merch.- RedBubble - Sell your art printed on high-quality products to a global audience.Tools for Paid Newsletters- Substack - To start a paid newsletter and publish your writing online. Easy and free to use.- Convertkit - For a paid email list. More complex to setup than Substack.Tools for connecting multiple other tools- Zapier - most commonly used tool to make different tools exchange information. For example, imagine if you wanted customer data from a sale on you Gumroad account to be added to an Airtable.- Integromat - Similar to Zapier, but cheaper, and more complex to use.For more tools and resources, check out NoCodeCheatSheet and Makerpad.
Payment Gateways
To generate revenue, you need to allow people on the internet to pay you.While this sounds obvious, implementing a payment mechanism can be tricky. My advice would be to set up a payment gateway before your Half Day Build starts.Some gateways take time to approve your account, and depending on the country you live in, some might only let you use them if you have a corporate account.Here are a few options you can consider:- PayPal: For most countries, PayPal lets you receive payments directly to your account even as an individual and not a business. As an added benefit, PayPal is integrated into Gumroad which is the simplest way to sell digital products.- Stripe:A great payment processor to use if you are selling via a site like Shopify or selling a SaaS or subscription product. More complex to set up than PayPal, but is much more feature rich. Might be problematic for individuals (who aren't registered as businesses) to accept cross border payments from certain countries.- Razorpay (for India): Like Stripe, but for India. Loads of features if you have a business account in India and are looking to accept or automate payments online.- Instamojo (for India): Similar to Razorpay, but more freelancer friendly. Also lets you set up a shopfront pretty easily.- Other options: Based on your location, there will be tons of local options that comply with regulations in your country. If you know of an option I should add to the list, please get in touch with me on Twitter @louispereira and let me know.
Join us?
It's free, fun, and you'll learn a ton.
HALF DAY BUILD
What is Half Day Build?
Half Day Build is a monthly event in which multiple people from around the world simultaneously attempt to convert their ideas into revenue in under 12 hours.Each person works independently on their own idea, from 12 noon to midnight, in their own time zone.Ideas can be as simple as selling a PDF for $1, or as complex as building a SaaS product, or anything in between or beyond.The only constraint is that you must begin executing on your idea at noon, and aim to generate revenue before midnight.
Is this a course?
No. Half Day Build is not a course. It is just a group of people that build things simultaneously.I will provide material (tools, guidelines etc) that has helped me on my journey as a builder, and will continually add helpful content as other participants send them over. You can go through them at leisure, before, during, or even after your Half Day Build.There will also be a Discord server for you to meet other builders and ask them for help or support, but that will be deleted a few days after the event.
How much does it cost?
Half Day Build is free and always will be.What's more? If you are successful in generating revenue, you'll end up richer than you were when you started.
Do I need to be an experienced builder to participate?
Ideally, some experience in building digital products is useful.However, that is not a pre-requisite. Even if you're completely new to building things, you could start simple and just create an educational info product (PDF, Notion Doc, etc) based on your unique skillset.If you want to use this as an opportunity to learn to build things for the first time, you can refer to the resources section of this website and identify and play around with tools that will help you build things like websites, web apps, or mobile apps without code.
Why do I need to join you folks? Can't I do this by myself?
Of course you can!We're just doing it together because it might be fun to build things simultaneously (and take over Twitter with our posts). Man is a social (media) animal after all.Besides, I'll setup a temporary Discord server where you can chat with other builders, see what they're building, help them out if needed, and maybe make a few new internet friends.
What if I can't code?
No stress. Most of us can't.You can build a lot of stuff using NoCode tools that I've linked to in the resources section of this website. You don't even have to build something complex. You could just use Microsoft Word / Google Docs to create a PDF that you can sell.Obviously if you can code, and code fast enough to ship something and generate revenue in 12 hours, you're more than welcome to impress us with your skills!
What if I fail to reach revenue?
No problem. A lot of us will.Failing alone is scary.
Failing together is fun.Like most things in life, you'll enjoy this more if you treat it like an experiment, not an exam.
Join us?
It's free, fun, and you'll learn a ton.
HALF DAY BUILD
What should you build?
Build whatever you want.The only (self-imposed) condition is that you have to build it and try to generate revenue within 12 hours. It doesn't even have to be on the internet. Go build a lemonade stall if you feel like it!Ideally, try to build something that can continue to generate revenue after the Half Day Build is over.
Info Products
A PDF, Notion Doc, Video Course, paid newsletter or eBook that you charge people to download.Tools you could use
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- Notion
- Carrd to create a landing page
- Gumroad (to sell)
- Paypal (to accept payments)
- Substack (to start a paid newsletter)Examples- Newsletter Operating System
- Standing Out in 2022: Doing Content Right
- Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience
Directories and Marketplaces
A directory or listing site that curates content from different corners of the internet. Or a niche marketplace that helps buyers and sellers meet on a single site.Beware that these are difficult to monetize unless you have an existing audience or are displaying extremely sought after and hard to find information. Alternatively, you could try to monetize with ads, although this might be a hard sell within 12 hours. Never say never, though!Tools you could use
- Pory to build a directory directly off of a sheet. No code required.
- Stripe to accept and split payments between parties (where you take a cut)Examples
- GigSalad
- Angi
Web Apps, Mobile Apps, and SaaS Products
Products that do things based on user inputs.The sky is the limit with this kind of product.These are more complex to build, but simple versions are possible within 12 hours.Tools you could use
- Bubble for web apps
- Adalo for mobile apps
- Glide for mobile and web appsExamples
- Read Something Great - a web app I created on Bubble that I monetize with ads
- CreatorLink - another web app I created using Bubble that I monetize with memberships
Join us?
It's free, fun, and you'll learn a ton.