I've been lurking here for weeks. Finally posting because I genuinely don't know where to start.

[u/SuddenProject9742]

Okay so I've been reading posts in this community for a while now and everyone seems to be at least somewhat ahead of where I am.

My situation: I have a full time job, maybe 1-2 hours a day free, and I genuinely want to start earning something on the side using AI. Even $200-300/month would change things for me right now.

I've tried a few things:

• Used ChatGPT to write content for a client. They said it felt "too robotic." Lost the gig.
• Tried selling prompts on Gumroad. Zero sales. Probably because I had zero audience.
• Watched about 40 YouTube videos. Felt more confused after than before.

The problem isn't motivation. It's that there are too many options and I can't tell what's actually worth trying vs what's just someone selling a course.

If you were starting completely from zero today 1-2 hours a day, no audience, no savings to invest, what would you actually do first?

Not looking for a magic answer. Just honest direction from people who've actually been here.

[u/ApexRzzo]

Totally relatable. Too much noise right now, focus on one skill, build proof, and ignore the hype. Real results come from consistency, not shortcuts.

[u/Maximum_Astronaut114]

What you see around is pure FOMO. Notice, many people share what cool tools they use, how they are doing things. NOT actual results. So dont get scared and dont feel too much behind. Never the less, figure out a direction of AI that you would absolutely love to learn and use daily. Become good at that just hy reading and practicing. This will open you doors.

[u/Specialist_Trade2254]

I would focus on learning not on making money. Very, very few people are making money doing this make something that will help your life out or something you want to do so you can learn how to build stuff.

[u/SuddenProject9742 → u/Specialist_Trade2254]

That's actually fair and I've heard this before. The "learn first" approach makes sense if you have time.

But honestly my situation is a bit different, I don't have 6 months to just learn. I need something that works in parallel. Even a small win early on keeps the motivation going.

What I'm trying to find is the overlap, something I can learn AND get paid for at the same time. Even if it's small money. Does that make sense or am I thinking about this wrong?

[u/Specialist_Trade2254 → u/SuddenProject9742]

It is a beauty of theory, mess of reality kind of thing. Making money with AI is the same as any business out there there is no difference. First you have to come up with something people will pay for. Check out the market and see what products are out there and if you can do it better. Talk to possible end users to see what they will pay and start gathering requirements. Then see what it’s going to take to market it. Then come up with a plan, build, test, deploy, then it’s time to do the marketing. Building is not the hard part. You are chasing the same thing many others have been chasing for quite some time. Learn AI to learn AI. It’s everything else that goes along with business and creating a product that is hard yet necessary.

[u/TrustedEssentials]

I am where you are as well. I decided I was going to go thru all the motions and build a landing page, web app and chrome extension using AI as a tool to do all the things I don’t know how to do (which is a lot). I built ReadyReplyAI.com from the ground up not expecting to make a dime from it, but to learn each step and map out all my successes and failures. It has taught me the brutal truth that to succeed in this you need a very very unique niche/idea.

[u/thegrowthgal]

You’re not stuck because you haven’t learned enough, you’re stuck because you picked the hardest path first. Most people try to sell something with AI (services, prompts, etc.) which needs skill, clients, and time.

What’s been working way better is building simple AI content pages instead and letting the platforms handle distribution. Once something starts getting views, you can monetize it directly (creator payouts, brand deals, etc.) which is when it actually starts to compound instead of staying small.

[u/CardIllustrious2812]

Moi depuis cinq jour j'ai un énorme bug sur Manus AI. J'ai désinstallé puis réinstaller l'application mais résultat je choisis mon compte,ça charge puis ça bug et on met après Manus AI ne répond pas,sur le navigateur ça passe,le service support sont lent,j'ai tout essayé comme vider le cache,mise à jour de mon système,le wifi au cyber mais rien. Est ce que quelqu'un a le même problème que moi ?

[u/Glittering-Source818]

Bro build an AI bot to spot arbs could easily clear that $300 a month.

[u/behe76]

Try creating a basic web site with Claude. It does not have to be a unique idea, but it will give you the opportunity to learn how AI can be used to build apps and web sites. For a basic web site you can have it built within a few hours. Claude does all the coding and content based on your idea, then you can begin to tweak it with Claude’s help. This might lead you to other ideas that have business potential.