How a Side Hustler Earns 8000 Monthly Selling Spreadsheets

Lucas: So Luna, I want to talk about something that sounds incredibly boring on the surface, but it's quietly making people a very decent side income. Luna: Boring is my favorite category. What are we digging into? Lucas: Spreadsheets. Specifically, selling pre-built spreadsheets and Notion templates as a digital product. Not courses, not coaching. Just files. And today I want to focus on one person I came across — a former financial analyst who's pulling in around eight thousand dollars a month from a pretty small catalog. Luna: Eight thousand a month for spreadsheets? That's wild. Wait, is that revenue or profit? Lucas: Revenue, but the margins are insane. There's essentially no cost of goods. He does spend money on some ads and a few tools, but we're talking maybe ten percent of revenue. So the profit is close to seven grand a month. Luna: Okay, that's serious. But who's buying spreadsheets? I feel like anyone can make their own. Lucas: That's exactly the question I asked. And the answer is, most people know they make one, but they don't want to spend the time. This guy's customers are mostly freelancers and small business owners who need a budgeting tool or a project tracker but would rather pay twenty or thirty bucks than spend a weekend staring at formulas. Luna: So it's a convenience play. But eight thousand a month means he's selling a lot of twenty-dollar files. Lucas: Right. And that's where the strategy gets interesting. He doesn't just sell one generic thing. He's got maybe fifteen products, but the top three bring in most of the money. One is a debt payoff tracker, one is a freelance client dashboard, and one is a content planner for social media managers. Luna: So he's targeting specific niches, not just 'a spreadsheet for everything.' Lucas: Exactly. Each product solves a very specific pain point for a very specific audience. The debt payoff tracker, for instance, has a snowball method built in, and it's marketed to people in personal finance communities. The freelance dashboard is aimed at designers and writers who juggle multiple clients. That specificity is what makes people trust it enough to pay. Luna: That makes sense. If I see a template that's clearly made for my exact situation, I'm more likely to buy. But how does he get people to see it in the first place? Lucas: He started on Etsy, actually. That's where he validated the first couple of products. But he's since moved most of his sales to his own website, because the fees are lower and he can build an email list. He also does a lot of organic content on social media, showing quick before and after of a messy budget versus his template. Luna: So he's essentially doing content marketing with a spreadsheet as the star. I love that. What's the price point look like? Lucas: The range is about fifteen to forty bucks. The debt tracker is twenty-nine dollars. The freelance dashboard is thirty-four. And he has a bundle for around seventy-five that includes several templates together. So it's not a huge ticket, but the volume adds up. He told me he averages about two hundred fifty sales a month across all products. Luna: Two hundred fifty sales a month. That's a lot of people, but it's not impossible if you have a steady stream of traffic. What's his biggest source of traffic now? Lucas: Pinterest and Instagram Reels are his top two. The Reels are short screen recordings showing how the spreadsheet works, with a voiceover. He'll also post 'mistakes people make with their budget' and then have the spreadsheet as the obvious solution. Pinterest drives a lot of evergreen traffic because people search for budgeting templates there. Luna: So he's not doing anything super complicated. Just smart repurposing. But what about the actual maintenance? A spreadsheet isn't a one-and-done product, right? You have to update it and handle customer support. Lucas: That's the part people don't think about. He told me he spends about five to eight hours a week on customer support and updates. He has a standard FAQ and a video walkthrough, which cuts down on a lot of questions. And he bundles every spreadsheet with a guide on how to use it, so he doesn't get people lost. Luna: That makes sense. But I'm curious, is it really passive? Because you're making it sound pretty hands-on. Lucas: I think 'semi-passive' is the right word. The initial build takes a few weekends, but then it's more like running a small online store. He has one day a month where he updates the templates if there are new features or fixes. And he's actually reduced his hours recently by outsourcing the support to a part-time virtual assistant. Luna: So he's basically running a micro-SaaS, but without the recurring revenue. Are there any downsides? I imagine you get a lot of people asking for custom work. Lucas: He says that's the biggest trap. People love the spreadsheet but then want it customized to their exact business. He used to say yes, but it ate up all his time. Now he just points them to a separate 'custom build' product priced at two hundred fifty dollars, which almost nobody buys. It's a great way to say no politely. Luna: Ha. So that's the secret. But let's talk about the numbers a bit more. If he's making eight grand a month, what's his profit margin after all the costs we mentioned? And what about taxes? Lucas: Profit margin is around ninety percent before taxes. He's in the US, so he pays self-employment tax, but he also deducts his laptop, a portion of his home internet, and even some of his Spotify subscription because he listens to it while doing the work. He's smart about that stuff. Luna: That's the kind of nerdy detail we love. And I guess that's the thing, isn't it? This isn't a get rich quick thing. It's about finding a niche, building a good product, and being consistent with marketing. It's almost like a real business. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we're all about here. Speaking of which, you know, we don't run ads on this show. We've talked about that before, but it bears repeating. We keep Fexingo ad-free because we think that's a better experience for you. If these episodes have helped you in any way, and you want to support that choice, you can always buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep the lights on. Luna: And it genuinely makes a difference. We appreciate everyone who's done that already. Lucas: So back to spreadsheets. One thing I found really interesting is how he prices things. He doesn't just pick a number. He studied what other people were charging and then positioned his as a premium product. His debt tracker is a few bucks more than the average, but he includes a video tutorial and lifetime updates. That justifies the price. Luna: So he's not competing on price. He's competing on value. That's a good lesson for anyone selling digital products. Lucas: Absolutely. And he also does something smart with his email list. After someone buys, he sends a sequence that offers related products. Like if you buy the debt tracker, a week later you get an email about his bill tracker or his savings goal sheet. That's how he gets repeat purchases. I think about twenty percent of his revenue comes from return customers. Luna: Twenty percent is huge. So it's not just about getting new people in the door. It's about selling more to the ones you already have. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a common pattern in successful side hustles. But I also want to be honest about the risks. This isn't a guaranteed income. His sales can fluctuate, especially around the new year when people are making resolutions. January is his best month, but summer can be slower. He's learned to save a cushion. Luna: That's smart. It's like any business. You have to manage cash flow. So, what would you say to someone listening who thinks they might want to try this? What's the first step? Lucas: I'd say pick one niche you know deeply. If you're a teacher, make a gradebook template. If you're a real estate agent, make a client tracking sheet. Don't try to make a general 'all-in-one' thing. People pay for specificity. And then validate it by putting it on Etsy or Gumroad and getting some feedback. Luna: And don't forget that the product needs to be genuinely good. There's a lot of junk out there. If you make something that actually saves people time, they'll come back and tell their friends. Lucas: Right. And with that, I think we've covered the spreadsheets and the Notion templates angle pretty well. It's a niche that's small but surprisingly profitable if you treat it like a real business. Luna: Yeah, it's a nice reminder that sometimes the most boring things can turn into a pretty cool side income. Lucas: That's the takeaway. Alright, that's it for today. We'll catch you next time.