Overview
Creator/Brand: Hazel Lim, a solopreneur and creator from the UK, specializing in no-code and small startup experiments. She is the founder of Savage Cards, an AI-powered humorous greeting card creation app.
Implementation Timeline: Started March 17, 2023, completed and sold the project on March 29, 2023 (2 weeks).
Country of Implementation: UK, serving global users through the no-code platform Glide.
Industry: AI technology and no-code, focusing on digital products and micro-startups.
Revenue Model
Primary Revenue Stream: Building and selling micro-startup (Savage Cards) at the No Code Sale event (March 29, 2023).
How AI-Generated Revenue: Savage Cards is an app that allows users to create “humorous, offensive” greeting cards in 30 seconds using ChatGPT4, export PDFs, and send automated emails.
Business Model:
- Free to use to attract users and collect emails (~80 emails)
- Revenue from selling the entire project (code, database, frontend) at No Code Sale
Revenue:
- Target: Sell project for minimum $500
- Result: Successfully sold for $600 (exceeded target by 20%), received 5 offers from the event
- Additional Revenue: $1 from users (payment testing)
Costs:
- Initial: $1 (domain or API key, not specified)
- Operating: ~$10–$20 (Glide free, Google Sheets free, Google App Script free)
- Total Cost: ~$11–$21, generating ~95% profit ($600 – $21 = $579)
Vision: Rapidly build micro-startups with minimal budget, leverage ChatGPT4 to create high value, sell projects for profit and reinvest in next experiments (Startup Paperclip Challenge).
AI Tools and Technology Stack
ChatGPT4:
Role: “AI Co-founder” for brainstorming ideas, writing code (Google App Script), creating card content, and debugging.
Advantages:
- Creates more complex code than GPT-3.5, debugs effectively (GPT-3.5 failed)
- Generates humorous, personalized card content based on user requests (e.g., “Card for Bob”)
- Accelerates development (from idea to product in 2 weeks)
Limitations: Risk of losing chat history if GPT goes offline (happened week before event)
Glide:
Role: No-code platform for building frontend (user interface) of Savage Cards.
Advantages: Free (basic plan), easy to use, quick integration with Google Sheets
Limitations: Limited advanced customization, dependent on templates
Google App Script:
Role: Connect user requests with ChatGPT4, create PDFs from card content, and automatically send emails.
Advantages: Free, easy integration with Google Sheets and Gmail
Limitations: Requires extensive debugging, time-consuming (longest step in process)
Google Sheets:
Role: Backend database to store user requests and card content.
Advantages: Free, easy management, good integration with Glide and Google App Script
APIs (unspecified):
Role: Process automation (PDF creation, email sending).
Advantages: Increases automation, enhances user experience
Limitations: May incur costs if exceeding free limits
Twitter:
Role: Primary marketing channel, project sharing, attracting users and investors.
Advantages: Free, quick access to #hustleGPT community (~2,000 Discord members)
Implementation Process
Phase 1: Ideation and Brainstorming (March 17–18, 2023):
- Hazel joined No Code Bootcamp, recognized ChatGPT4’s potential (launched previous week) vs GPT-3.5 (failed at code generation)
- Used #hustleGPT prompt: “You are hustleGPT, an entrepreneurial AI. I have $1 and goal to make as much money as possible in shortest time, nothing illegal. I will follow your guidance.”
- Brainstormed with ChatGPT4, chose idea: Savage Cards – AI-powered humorous greeting card app, targeting digital gifting market
Phase 2: MVP Development (March 19–23, 2023):
- Backend coding: ChatGPT4 created Google App Script to connect user requests (e.g., “Card for Bob”) with GPT-generated card content, stored in Google Sheets
- Database: Set up Google Sheets to store data (recipient name, card content, email)
- PDF and email creation: ChatGPT4 created second script to convert cards to PDF and automatically send via Gmail
- Frontend: Used Glide to build simple interface (input field for requests, card creation button)
- Debugging: ChatGPT4 fixed script errors (biggest challenge, time-consuming), ensuring smooth process
- Total development time: ~5 days, cost ~$1–$10 (domain or API)
Phase 3: Launch and Marketing (March 24–28, 2023):
- Launched Savage Cards at No Code Weekend (March 17–19, 2023), won third place, attracted ~180 trial users
- Twitter promotion (@byhazellim):
- Tweet about project reached 130,000 impressions (126,000 in Part 1, additional 4,000 in Part 2)
- Leveraged #hustleGPT hashtag, reached 2,000-member Discord community
- Collected ~80 user emails, sent 26 PDF cards, earned $1 from payment testing
- Joined #hustleGPT Discord to share progress and learn from 19 money-making projects
Phase 4: Project Sale (March 29, 2023):
- Listed Savage Cards for sale at No Code Sale (lu.ma/nocodesale), received 5 offers from investors
- Accepted $600 offer, exceeded $500 target (20% increase)
- Result: Completed challenge in 2 weeks, from $1 initial capital to ~$579 profit
Results Achieved
Revenue:
- Project sale: $600 at No Code Sale (March 29, 2023)
- Testing revenue: $1 from users
- Total profit: ~$579 (after deducting ~$21 costs)
User Engagement:
- 480+ cards created, 26 PDFs sent, ~80 emails collected
- 180 trial users in 2 weeks (mainly from No Code Weekend and Twitter)
- Tweet reached 130,000 impressions, increased Hazel Lim’s brand recognition
Other Achievements:
- Won third place at No Code Weekend (March 17–19, 2023), validating project feasibility
- Built micro-startup from $1 in 2 weeks, demonstrating ChatGPT4 and no-code power
- Increased Hazel’s Twitter following from 0 to 2,000 in 3 months through “build in public” strategy
- Inspired #hustleGPT community (2,000+ Discord members), contributed to 19 money-making projects
- Launched Startup Paperclip Challenge ($500 budget, $5,000 startup value target)
Key Lessons Learned
Success Factors:
Powerful ChatGPT4: Created code, content, and debugged more effectively than GPT-3.5, enabling MVP development in 5 days
Rapid No-Code: Glide and Google Sheets enabled complete product building with ~$10–$20 cost
Smart Marketing:
- Twitter (#hustleGPT) generated 130,000 impressions, attracting users and investors
- No Code Weekend and No Code Sale provided platforms for testing and selling
Build in Public: Transparent journey (tweets, Discord) built trust and community
Minimal Budget: $1 initial capital, leveraging free tools (Glide, Google Sheets, Google App Script)
Creative Differentiators:
- Combined ChatGPT4 with no-code (Glide) to create micro-startup in digital gifting niche (humorous cards), easily viral
- Leveraged #hustleGPT movement (20 million views from Jackson’s tweet) to increase recognition
- Sold project at specialized event (No Code Sale), optimizing value from small product
Challenges and Solutions:
Code Errors: ChatGPT4 fixed Google App Script bugs, though debugging took significant time (~2–3 days)
Limited Budget: Used free tools (Glide, Google Sheets) and low-cost APIs
GPT Offline Risk: Manually stored code and content to prevent data loss (GPT history went down)
Competition in #hustleGPT: Focused on humorous card niche, strong Twitter promotion to stand out
Risks to Consider:
- ChatGPT4 Dependency: If GPT goes offline or limits API, project could halt
- Human Decisions Still Matter: ChatGPT4 creates output, but Hazel must verify and direct strategy
Tips for Beginners
Find Fun Niches: Choose easily viral ideas (humorous cards, content creation tools, micro-SaaS like cocktail recipe apps)
Use No-Code: Start with Glide (<del>$0–$19/month), Softr, or Bubble, learn via YouTube (</del>1 week)
Leverage ChatGPT4:
- Brainstorm ideas: “Suggest 10 startup ideas with $10 budget”
- Write code: “Create Google App Script for email automation”
- Create content: “Write tweet promoting product”
Free Marketing:
- Join #hustleGPT community (Discord, Twitter) to share and learn
- Post projects on Product Hunt, Hacker News, or no-code events (lu.ma)
- Tweet transparent journey, use hashtags #buildinpublic, #hustleGPT
Sell Projects: List on Acquire.com, Flippa, or events like No Code Sale (~$0–$50 listing fee)
Free Tools: Use ChatGPT4 (free with trial account), Google Sheets, Google Analytics for tracking
Source / Links
Original Sources: