Tuesday, June 3, 2025

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My 4 "Boring" Digital Products That Make $1,200-$5,000 Monthly (While I Sleep)

Real Digital Products Case Study

The Truth First

I’m not a millionaire. I have 9,000 email subs. I work 3 hours/day on this.
My superpower? Ignoring shiny objects. Here’s what actually works:


Product 1: The "Ugly" Notion Template ($1,200/month)

  • What it is: A project management system for freelance writers (built in Notion).
  • Price: $29 one-time.
  • How it started: Built it for myself → shared on Reddit → 27 people asked to buy.
  • Revenue: $87 (Month 1), $1,200 (Month 6 after tutorials).
  • Ugly truth: One Google Doc brings 90% of sales. Updated twice/year. Minimal support.

Product 2: The 17-Minute Canva Toolkit ($1,800/month)

  • What it is: 38 Canva templates for service-based businesses.
  • Price: $49 one-time.
  • How it started: Designed for underpaid clients → pitched via cold DMs.
  • Revenue: Started with Instagram DMs → Now 70% organic from Pinterest.
  • Ugly truth: Simple designs. Outsourced Pinterest to VA for $120/month.

Product 3: The "Shut Up and Write" Guide ($2,500/month)

  • What it is: PDF + 5 audio tracks for writer’s block.
  • Price: $37.
  • How it started: Recorded coaching → sold to friend → webinar conversion.
  • Revenue: 1 free webinar/month → 40% convert.
  • Ugly truth: 80% of buyers don’t read PDF. Re-recorded audio yearly.

Product 4: The "Accidental" Google Sheets Course ($3,400/month)

  • What it is: 2-hour video course: "Stop Doing Spreadsheets Like a Caveman".
  • Price: $97.
  • How it started: Viral LinkedIn post → built course from cheat sheet.
  • Revenue: Email funnel from free sheet. 3 refunds total.
  • Ugly truth: Still hosted on Teachable. Not updated since 2023.

Why These Work (When 99% Fail)

  • ✅ Solve Tiny, Ugly Problems: Not life-changing. Just annoying-task-killers.
  • ✅ Zero Friction, Zero Value Ladder: One product → one payment → done.
  • ✅ Distribution > Product: Built audience first → sold relevant tools.
  • ✅ Boring Tech Stack: ConvertKit, Gumroad, Google Drive. No custom apps.

The Real Work (It’s Not Passive)

  • Hour 1: Customer support.
  • Hour 2: Tweaking landing pages.
  • Hour 3: Creating one piece of free content.

3 Mistakes That Almost Killed Me

  • Added "just one more feature" → 4-month delay → missed trends.
  • Chased "scalable" platforms → Wasted $2k → back to Gumroad.
  • Overestimated tech level → Made pro templates → only 3 sold.

Your First Step (Today)

  1. Find your "ugly fix" — annoying task you automate.
  2. Record 5-min Loom video.
  3. Share where your audience hangs out.
  4. If 5 people ask to pay — sell it.
Last truth: I make ~$8k/month from these. After 5 years. It’s not glamorous. But it buys freedom.

šŸ”„ Discussion:

What’s your "ugly fix" others might pay for? Share below—I’ll give feedback!

About the Author

Jesse Kumar quit her SaaS marketing job in 2021. She now builds "boring" digital products while binging Korean dramas. Her greatest achievement? Ignoring every "build in public" trend.

Key Takeaway:

Don’t build "passive income." Build solutions to tiny pains. Profit is the side effect.

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