Side Project Timeline
Project when your side project revenue will replace your day job income.
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Most side projects stay side projects forever — not because the idea is bad, but because without a model of when they could replace a salary, it's hard to stay motivated through the slow early phase. This calculator takes your current revenue, growth rate, and day-job income to project the month when your side project cash flow could match your salary — and what variables to pull to reach that date sooner.
Example
Side project MRR: $400 Monthly growth rate: 15%
Growth Formula
Revenue at month N = Starting MRR × (1 + growth rate)^N Months to target = log(target ÷ starting MRR) ÷ log(1 + growth rate) Growth rate = (This month revenue − Last month revenue) ÷ Last month revenue
How Growth Rate Drives the Timeline
At 15% monthly growth (compounding), revenue doubles every 5 months. This is the power of compound growth applied to business — small differences in monthly growth rate create enormous differences in timeline. Going from 10% to 15% monthly growth moves the salary-replacement date forward by years. The calculator shows this sensitivity so you know where to focus energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 15% monthly growth realistic?
It's aggressive. Early-stage products can hit 20–30% with focused effort. At $5k MRR, 10–15% is more typical. At $50k MRR, 5–10% is fast.
Should I quit before reaching 100% salary replacement?
Most advisors suggest waiting until you hit 2× your salary replacement level for 3 consecutive months before quitting.
What if my revenue is seasonal?
Use a trailing 3-month average as your starting MRR and a conservative growth rate based on your off-season performance.
Does this model work for services businesses?
Yes, but services revenue often grows differently than SaaS. Adjust the growth rate to reflect your pipeline conversion patterns.