Is Monetization Possible?

While I could pursue this side project as a simple hobby, I wanted to approach it more seriously by considering monetization potential. I asked Claude to research the target market and inform me about revenue feasibility and scale.

Here’s the market and revenue scale Claude predicted after market research. Since these figures are based on online market research data, they shouldn’t be completely unrealistic.

  • AI-generated storytelling: Global market size of approximately $1.8 billion in 2024
  • Visual novel and interactive fiction market: Approximately $340 million in 2024

However, the projected revenue for What If Stories seems somewhat inflated:

  • Year 1: $100K (50K monthly users, $4.99 premium plan with 2.5% paid conversion)
  • Year 2: $500K (200K monthly users, 4% paid conversion)
  • Year 3: $1.5M (500K monthly users, 5% paid conversion)

Aiming for 100 Million Won Annual Revenue!

100 million won ($75K) in annual revenue one year after launching a solo side project… Compared to other success stories I’ve been hearing lately, it’s a modest figure, but I know reality won’t be easy. I wanted to validate whether these numbers are actually achievable.

So I asked Claude to create an elevator pitch from a solo founder’s perspective, then review the idea and business model from a VC’s perspective.

From a VC investor’s perspective, the business scale is too small and the risks of a one-person operation are too high to be investment-worthy. I wasn’t thinking about VC investment anyway, so that doesn’t matter.

However, I need to address the concerns about small market size and zero defensibility against competition. So I asked for realistic revenue projections divided into best-case and worst-case scenarios.

  • Best case (20% probability): $180K-250K annual revenue
  • Middle case (70% probability): $45K-85K annual revenue
  • Worst case (10% probability): $8K-15K annual revenue

When “realistically” reviewed, the median of the middle probability revenue is around $65K (90 million won), which isn’t significantly different from the originally projected first-year revenue. Of course, it’s not a business VCs would invest in, but if I achieve even this level, it would be successful for a hobby-level side project.

During the 100-day challenge process, I’ll see if any revenue actually materializes, and I’m hopeful that it will grow to at least several tens of millions of won in annual revenue after about a year.