Our Story
On a mission to turn side hustlers into successful builders.
Mission
Where side projects become startups.
Our Story
There's an idea you keep coming back to.
It shows up when things go quiet. When you're walking home. When you imagine what life could look like if something you built was actually yours. Not just a project. Something real.
You work on it when you can. A few evenings. A spare weekend. It feels exciting. Then momentum fades. Not because the idea isn't good, but because nothing is pulling it forward.
sidething exists to change that.
It turns ideas into action. Action into progress. Progress into revenue.
You're guided to the right moves at the right time. You're not guessing what to do next. You're not doing it alone. The work keeps moving.
At some point, the idea crosses a line. Someone pays. The dream gains weight. What started on the side begins to act like a business.
That's the moment sidething is built for.
sidething's story starts with me
i'm Alim, I started building when i was 15 and couldnt legally find a summer job. Made Glo icon pack, hit £10k MRR and had to use my mum's bank account. Since then, I've been a side hustler in my evenings and a startup operator in my days. I started sidething to make building a business easy for anyone.
Our Journey
Building in public, one milestone at a time
The First Side Hustle
Couldn't get a summer job at 15. Built Glo Icon Pack for Android instead. Hit #1 in personalisation category, scaled to £10k MRR. This was 2014 before anyone really talked about side hustles. I just needed money and nobody would hire me.
The First Side Hustle
Couldn't get a summer job at 15. Built Glo Icon Pack for Android instead. Hit #1 in personalisation category, scaled to £10k MRR. This was 2014 before anyone really talked about side hustles. I just needed money and nobody would hire me.
Learning to Sell
Walked up to my first customer with a camera. Got the videography gig. Then another. Pivoted into portraits and started The Portrait Code. Turns out building stuff is easier than convincing people to buy it.
Learning to Sell
Walked up to my first customer with a camera. Got the videography gig. Then another. Pivoted into portraits and started The Portrait Code. Turns out building stuff is easier than convincing people to buy it.
Goldman Sachs
Joined Goldman straight out of uni. Spent my days working on Fortune 500 deals and high-stakes finance. Learned how actual big businesses work, not the startup version.
Goldman Sachs
Joined Goldman straight out of uni. Spent my days working on Fortune 500 deals and high-stakes finance. Learned how actual big businesses work, not the startup version.
Building Community
Started Photo Soc Surrey from scratch. Zero budget, zero members. Grew it to 300+ people, 15 volunteers on committee. We ran 2-3 events every single week and kept it completely free by making the model profitable. Ended up being the biggest independent photography society in the UK.
Building Community
Started Photo Soc Surrey from scratch. Zero budget, zero members. Grew it to 300+ people, 15 volunteers on committee. We ran 2-3 events every single week and kept it completely free by making the model profitable. Ended up being the biggest independent photography society in the UK.
Joined a YC Startup
Joined Prolific at an early stage. We went from bootstrapped to a big Series A. Spent my time on financial models, operations, the actual decisions that move numbers. Watched a real startup scale up close.
Joined a YC Startup
Joined Prolific at an early stage. We went from bootstrapped to a big Series A. Spent my time on financial models, operations, the actual decisions that move numbers. Watched a real startup scale up close.
Driving Profitability
Got the chance to lead finance at Togather. Still VC-backed but the goal was actually making money, not just growing fast. Learned how to scale without burning through cash.
Driving Profitability
Got the chance to lead finance at Togather. Still VC-backed but the goal was actually making money, not just growing fast. Learned how to scale without burning through cash.
The Idea
I'd been building side projects since 15. Seen how startup accelerators work. But there wasn't anything like that for people with day jobs and side hustles. Millions of builders out there with no real system to help them ship. So I started building one.
The Idea
I'd been building side projects since 15. Seen how startup accelerators work. But there wasn't anything like that for people with day jobs and side hustles. Millions of builders out there with no real system to help them ship. So I started building one.
Building the App
Started as a service first. Completely manual, didn't scale at all, but it was real. Worked with builders one-on-one and figured out what they actually needed. Then built the app based on that. Saved me from building stuff nobody wanted.
Building the App
Started as a service first. Completely manual, didn't scale at all, but it was real. Worked with builders one-on-one and figured out what they actually needed. Then built the app based on that. Saved me from building stuff nobody wanted.
Soft Launch
Let the first users in. The feedback was pretty clear, they actually loved it. Like properly loved it. When people react like that you know you're building something that matters.
Soft Launch
Let the first users in. The feedback was pretty clear, they actually loved it. Like properly loved it. When people react like that you know you're building something that matters.
Scaling Up
We're scaling softly right now. Being deliberate about it. Working on the Virtual HQ where builders can actually work together, share what's working, help each other when things get tough. Lot more to build.
Scaling Up
We're scaling softly right now. Being deliberate about it. Working on the Virtual HQ where builders can actually work together, share what's working, help each other when things get tough. Lot more to build.