lean-side-bussiness
精益副业：程序员如何优雅地做副业
A free online book in Chinese that guides programmers through building a side business alongside a day job, covering lean startup methods, passive income types, and how to validate ideas before investing time.
This repository is a free online book written in Chinese, aimed at programmers who want to build a side business alongside their main job. The title translates roughly to "Lean Side Business: How Programmers Can Elegantly Build a Side Business." It was written in December 2020 and is organized as a structured guide with chapters and sub-chapters, each stored as a separate Markdown file.
The content covers why side businesses matter for career flexibility and financial resilience, then walks through practical approaches. Early chapters discuss core assets a programmer already has (skills, network, knowledge) and how to use limited spare time well. Later chapters cover different types of side income: selling time in chunks (consulting or tutoring), building passive income through digital assets, creating paid video courses or written columns, and developing independent software products.
A significant portion of the book focuses on a process the author calls the "lean side business" flow, adapted from lean startup principles used in the software industry. It applies that build-measure-learn thinking to side projects: testing demand before investing heavily, iterating based on feedback, and keeping overhead low. Practical sections include designing a business model canvas for a side project, building a minimum viable product, handling user feedback, and anti-piracy strategies for digital content creators.
The README links to a companion project called "One-Person Business Methodology v2.0," a follow-up book the author recommends reading after this one. There is no software to install or run. The repository is a reading resource, available online through a linked website.
Where it fits
- Read a structured guide on testing a side business idea before investing significant time or money.
- Learn how to apply lean startup principles, build, measure, learn, to a personal software product or digital content business.
- Explore different programmer side income types: consulting, passive digital assets, video courses, or indie software products.
- Study minimum viable product design and anti-piracy strategies for digital content creators.