₹1 crore from side hustle in 2 yrs: Indian techie shares how he built apps working alone after office hours

At a time when most professionals struggle to balance their jobs with personal life, an Indian engineer has been quietly building something on the side that has now grown beyond expectations. As per the Reddit post on Indian Flex, what started back in college as a simple way to practice coding and improve job prospects has, over the years, turned into a passion project that recently crossed ₹1 crore in revenue and clocked over 2 million downloads worldwide.

According to his post, for nearly a decade, he worked evenings, weekends, and any spare time he could find after office hours to design, develop, and launch mobile apps. With no team, no investors, and no external help, he has handled everything on his own—writing code, designing interfaces, running marketing campaigns, answering customer emails, and even managing the finances and legal paperwork that come with running a digital business.

The journey from college project to revenue stream

He said that he first began experimenting with apps in 2015, when app development was still a relatively new career path in India. His early projects were less about making money and more about building a portfolio that could land him interviews. But as he kept learning, the projects grew in scope and eventually started attracting users.

One of his creations has become particularly successful, recently hitting the ₹1 crore revenue mark, while the rest together have contributed to a download count of over two million.

One-man startup, no team involved

Unlike most app ventures that rely on teams of developers, designers, and marketers, this engineer manages everything alone. Balancing the demands of a full-time role at a leading retail tech firm with late nights of coding has not been easy. Yet, he says that the joy of building something useful keeps him going.

In his own words, it takes “every ounce of energy” to juggle both worlds, but the satisfaction of seeing people use and benefit from his work makes the struggle worthwhile.

A portfolio built on passion

Across the last 10 years, he has launched multiple apps spanning categories such as productivity, music, journaling, and even AI-powered tools. His focus has remained the same: create simple, useful products that solve everyday problems for people.

This story is not just about one engineer’s side hustle. It reflects a larger trend in India’s tech space, where individuals are carving out global impact without big budgets or teams. As smartphone use matures, users are also seeking apps that simplify life rather than complicate it—a shift that has opened the door for independent developers to succeed.

For many young professionals, this tale is a reminder that passion projects, when pursued consistently, can evolve into something far bigger than expected—sometimes even rivaling a startup in impact and earnings.

(Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on Reddit for informational purposes. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.)