This is How I Code To Make Money

Summary (business-focused)

The video presents a personal “framework” for turning API code into recurring revenue by moving through: idea → API build → deployment → marketplace/standalone SaaS marketing → sales. The speaker claims the approach generated $6,000 in one month and says other developers have used it to reach $10k–$100k+ per month (five- to six-figure range).

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Framework / playbook: “Turn code into profit” (end-to-end)

1. Idea generation

   • Find “problems groups of people are having” on communities like Reddit.
   • Copy or adapt an existing product that already solves a large problem with enough demand.
   • Improve the product enough that customers have a reason to switch.
   • For APIs specifically:
     • Research popular APIs on marketplaces.
     • Build offerings that aggregate functionality from multiple APIs.

2. Validate and plan the API build

   • Use external data providers by finding a suitable service (example: IPLocate).
   • Check provider capabilities (example: the free plan includes 1,000 requests/day).
   • Obtain an API key (providers track usage and client behavior per key).

3. Build the API (with AI-assisted coding)

   • Use API documentation and/or prompt ChatGPT to generate integration code.
   • Example target endpoint: “given an IP address, return a user’s location/address.”
   • Implement with TypeScript for type safety.
   • Fix AI-generated errors and polish the code to work locally.

4. Optimize for distribution

   • The speaker references an “optimized codebase” for:
     • faster response times
     • better fit for API marketplaces

5. Deploy and publish

   • Deploy the API (example: Vercel from a GitHub repo) so it’s publicly accessible.
   • Test the deployed endpoint (example tooling: Postman).

6. Monetize

   • List on an API marketplace once public.
   • Optionally sell as a standalone SaaS (advanced route includes):
     • a landing page
     • Stripe checkout
     • billing for an API product

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Concrete example (worked walkthrough)

• Use case: API returns location/address based on the requester’s IP.
• External dependency: iplocate.io via their lookup endpoint.
• Workflow shown:
  • Sign up for the provider to get an API key
  • Call the lookup endpoint using the API key
  • Use an AI coding tool (Cursor) to generate the TypeScript API integration
  • Deploy to Vercel
  • Verify responses from Postman after deployment

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Offers / scaling paths (business model options)

The speaker references three products/material tiers:

• Free: intro version of the method
• Marketplace training: “good for 80% of people” to build and start selling
• Advanced SaaS guide: to scale toward a “million-dollar business,” including:
  • full SaaS setup
  • landing page
  • Stripe checkout tied to an API

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Metrics & targets mentioned

• Revenue claim: $6,000 in one month (“during this year”)
• Scaling outcomes (reported by other developers): five to six figures per month (i.e., $10k–$100k+/mo)
• Usage/tier example: 1,000 requests/day free plan for the IP provider used in the demo
• No explicit marketing KPIs (e.g., CAC/LTV/churn) or conversion targets are stated in the provided subtitles.

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Actionable recommendations (implied from steps)

• Start with demand signals (marketplaces + communities like Reddit).
• Avoid reinventing everything: aggregate existing APIs where possible.
• Use provider docs plus AI assistance to accelerate integration coding.
• Choose a tech/UX-friendly implementation approach (example: TypeScript, public deployment).
• Monetize quickly by:
  • first listing on an API marketplace
  • then scaling to SaaS + Stripe when ready

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Presenters / sources

• Presenter: the video’s creator/speaker (name not provided in the subtitles)
• Sources / services mentioned:
  • iplocate.io / IPLocate
  • Google (to find existing services)
  • Reddit (idea discovery)
  • Postman (testing)
  • Cursor (AI-assisted coding tool)
  • ChatGPT (code/integration assistance)
  • Vercel (deployment)
  • GitHub (repository source)
  • Stripe (checkout/billing for SaaS route)