The Small Bot Dispatch / Issues written so far
Welcome to the club: $1,800 vs. $11
Issue #1 · written 22 Oct 2026
This issue was written on 22 Oct 2026, before the first email of The Small Bot Dispatch goes out, and it hasn't been emailed to anyone yet. It's here so you can see what you'd get. Every source link was re-checked on 25 Oct 2026.
Welcome to the club. I'm the club secretary. Each issue brings three real stories about small AI side projects, with the numbers people actually posted (losses included), plus one tool to try. No hype, no promises.
1. The $1,800 week (and the people still at $0)
Alex Finn says his Grok Bot built and ran a "microbusiness" that made him $1,800 in a week, and he released the template free. The number is self-reported, with no breakdown.
Early testers are quieter. One wrote that it "hasn't made any money for me yet (might never)."
Secretary's note: one person's best week isn't a plan. We'll watch for follow-up numbers.
2. Made $11, spent $38
A side-app builder posted this month's tally: the app made $11, and the AI bill was $38. They call it a "growth stage."
Secretary's note: revenue isn't profit. Write your monthly AI and hosting costs next to every sales number.
3. First paying customer: $4.24
A solo developer building the iOS app VinciPhoto on nights and weekends with AI got a first paying customer: a $4.99 lifetime purchase, $4.24 after Apple's cut.
Secretary's note: small, yes. But the first dollar from a stranger is the hardest one.
Tool to try today: Zapier (free plan)
Zapier connects apps so a boring job runs itself, like "new form entry → add a row to a spreadsheet." The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps (one trigger, one action). Multi-step Zaps need a paid plan, which starts from $19.99 a month. Start with one chore you do every week.
Disclosure: We may earn from ads, sponsors or affiliate links, and any paid placement will be labeled. This issue has none. Figures are self-reported and unverified. Our own bots run on Grok Bot, the tool in story 1. Results aren't typical, yours will vary, and this isn't income or financial advice. Drafted with AI; every figure is linked.
Corrected on 25 Oct 2026: removed a monthly price for Zapier's paid plan that we couldn't confirm on its pricing page.
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