Elsewhere

Writing about my journey on Elsewhere - A practical ideas archive exploring freedom, work, technology & quieter ways to build a life.
Currently @ £5500 MMR.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Most people are far more capable than they’ve been led to believe.

Elsewhere exists for ordinary people exploring quieter ways to build more freedom, income, flexibility and options in life.

No fake gurus.
No hustle culture.
No “10x” nonsense.
Just practical observations, honest experiences and real-world ideas.
Over the last year, I accidentally discovered AI-assisted software building (“vibe coding”) through a random YouTube advert.

Since then, I’ve:
• built tools used daily inside a traditional industry
• created recurring income from software without being a developer
• realised most industries are still full of overlooked problems waiting to be solved

And I’ve learned something important:

The future won’t only belong to programmers and tech founders.
It will increasingly belong to:
• mechanics
• plumbers
• teachers
• drivers
• tradespeople
• operators
• observant people with real-world experience
People who deeply understand problems.
Elsewhere is a growing archive of observations, case studies and practical ideas from that perspective.

Free to read.

No technical background needed.

→ https://t.co/4fNzOHV8Hb

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

What do you consider "poor", Martin?

A person living in London earning 40k is as poor as someone living in Carlisle earning 25k. (Not fact, but just an example)

Many households with 80k income "feel" poor because the government kills them with taxes more than everyone else.

But someone on 25k would think an 80k household is a rich one.

You can't define "poor" in the UK.

You have payers and takers. The payers sit in the middle. The takers are at each end of the spectrum. Most of the time you can't make a takers into a payer, but many payers definitely want to become takers because they feel they're working for the takers anyway. Can't beat them join them.

Policy change is the only way out. Will we get it? No, because it doesn't win votes.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Not sure if it'll be much help but I watched a youtube Starter Story with the guy who built Journable calorie app. He focused solely on play store due to the lower cost and the better CPA he experience with the Play Store vs Apple Store. Might not be relevant to your niche but worth watching the video if you can find it. When I get to this stage with a consumer app, I'll definitely be re-watching it.

On a side note, Google keyword planner might be useful just to see the varying volumes and CPC's for keywords.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@vitaliidodonov MRR

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@chhddavid @claudeai SHIPPER

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Saw this on @starter_story recently. My vibe coding journey has been solely @Base44 until now, but I need to branch out. @shipper_now is giving me good vibes and I have a couple of consumer mobile app ideas that will be my guinea pigs for Shipper.

Will be nice to be "onboard" early and see how it progresses!

[David Ch @chhddavid]

BREAKING: Big news, @claudeai just got a huge upgrade in Shipper today and I'm very happy to be introducing it. From today on, Claude Code Opus 4.8 can build and run a business for you.

We just launched Shipper Max, a tool that lets Claude:

→ Build web/mobile apps and Chrome extensions
→ Code, design, monetize, launch
→ Do email marketing for you
→ Continue to build out new features
→ Self-maintain in the long run

Claude's most powerful models can now do all of that from a <10 word prompt, for as low as $0.12/app... And it takes minutes!

Simply go to Shipper, then ask Claude to "build a talent hiring platform" or "build a complete saas that charges $29/mo"!

To celebrate the launch, we're giving away free credits randomly to people who repost and comment "SHIPPER' :)

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@PaulcBitcoin @robprogressive What if I used it to buy bitcoin?

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Our priorities change as we get older.

Our wants and needs evolve over time.

I still want the fancy car at 40, but I know I don't need it, but will treat myself to it when the time is right, but more importantly, when it barely makes a dent financially.

Friends? I can count on one hand my closest friends. I don't need, nor want, any more. If they come, I won't stop the friendship process from happening. But I ain't looking!

I want my family to own my time, not a job. I'm part way there. I can quit my job if I wanted to, but I'm making hay while the sun shines. The difference is, I'm fortunate enough to work on my terms, not somebody else's.

I find it astonishing that people around me don't value theor time enough to want to build their own autonomy, to create wealth while they sleep, to spend time on their terms.

I've found that vision of a happy life, I'm living it and building it simultaneously.

[Marc Lou @marclou]

What I wanted at 20:

- A fancy car
- A lot of friends
- A high-paid job
- A crazy social life
- A lot of validation

What I want at 30:

- A fit body
- A best friend
- A peaceful mind
- A meaningful work
- An empty calendar

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

My client knows I used AI to build there software. He knows my margins are 95%. He knows he could've probably built it himself with a spare 6 months to learn it all first. But he doesn't have the time. So he's paying me life changing money to provide a software service that will be costing me about 2 hours per month to manage.

This isn't BS. This is the reality for many businesses.

My angle would be to look for compliance opportunities. Many industries have to adapt when the rules change. My client has just gone through probably the biggest compliance change in his industry for decades. I exploited that change and showed them how the 6x admin they thought they would need can now be less than they had to manage previously.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@Joey_Walker82 @jessyka_boat @imagine 100%

99% of marketing is dishonest!

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@khan_kilo @marclou @vaggelisdrak @jackfriks @nico_jeannen Maybe the first cohort will be one time payers. Just can't help but think the idea has a ceiling that they will hit pretty quickly.

Albeit, an 81k ceiling 😅

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@vaggelisdrak @marclou So is it basically, ship an app at least every 30 days or get kicked out and lose access and your joining fee?

I kinda like it 😅

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

What are you trying to build. Many have had success with Base44, me included.

I agree, it's not the best for app store builds but I'm sure they're looking at the competitors right now and working on a way to streamline that process.

Fortunately, my main app is a private build for a single client, hence no app store.

I'm now dabbling in ideas for a global audience and app stores, wish me luck!

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Realising that the government is £1 Trillion more in debt than all UK consumers combined was the catalyst for me to stop worrying about money. If the people running the country can't keep the books balanced, then why should we all be made to feel terrible for borrowing?

With that mindset I was free to explore opportunities that now make me a great income. The debt can wait. The government can wait. The banks can wait.

Everything you've borrowed has been conjured up out of thin air anyway. Don't believe me? Get financially literate and you'll be shocked. I was. But now I understand the system and how to play it.

Financial literacy is a must. Being made to feel inferior and a bad person because you're in debt is a poison, forcefed to us by society.

Just remember, you will never, ever have more debt than those who govern you.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@ImNotAV1rus @MePidesBrevedad @levelsio Personal brands aren't for everyone. For me it was a distraction from what really mattered.

I'm much happier being anonymous!

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

I was a real person for years. Unfortunately it did nothing but hold me back due to the industry I work in.

Building anonymously has allowed me more freedom to be myself and do the things I need to do to succeed. Not everyone is in the same boat, and not everyone wants to be a face online.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

I just had a similar exchange with another guy in a similar position.

I too was in that position until very recently.

I would see all the success stories, some I would brush off as clickbait but there's obvious some real life stories like Marc's.

My first venture into app building is still being built. It's such a precise piece of educational software for such a niche industry, AI simply cannot help me with the information I need to share. But AI certainly has helped me build the platform on which I can share it.

However, in the last year, since diving into no-code building, I've been lucky enough to build some useful apps for myself and colleagues, one of which evolved into something much bigger, completely unplanned, but has now eclipsed my day job income.

There's simply no time scale on this kind of thing. The only thing that will stop you ever getting to the point you're aiming for is giving up.

I'm pleased I didn't give up. I felt like giving up many times over the years, but I always had the itch to become self sufficient and not rely on selling my time.

It's gradually started paying off, but it's been a long process. Just keep building, eventually something will click, and it might be where and when you least expect it.

https://t.co/TEZvBS9NV1

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Took me years mate, but I finally got there and it wasn't the way I planned. Things just seem to fall into place gradually when you don't give up.

I made modest side hustle income for a few years, but we're talking less than 1k a year.

2026 has been the first year I can say my "side hustle" has overtaken my day job income. Still pinch myself. I still don't believe it some days.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

Rob would've no doubt set this up as a Limited company in the UK, that's what I have done with my software product.

Slightly better tax optimisation than being a self employed developer. Paying a small salary and dividends as opposed to just standard income is much more efficient.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

@vadym_petryshyn @robj3d3 *the world!

Also, I think his honesty is particularly important. Everyone posts MMR like it's 100% profits but fails to share their margins. I look at some products and know that there's massive API costs involved that aren't shown. This needs to change really.

[Elsewhere @ElsewhereNotes]

When I saw the stack on his Starter story interview, I was shocked at the expenses. He's still doing well but I'm sure he could optimise the stack for better margins.

The product looks brilliant though, and if I was his age and in his shoes, I too would be travelling to world! Good luck to him!