Let’s talk about a weird experiment I tried last month. After seeing everyone hype up ChatGPT as this magical money-making tool, I decided to test it myself. No fancy setups, no massive budgets – just me, ChatGPT, and $200 to spare.
Here’s what I actually asked it: “I have $200 and want to make as much money as possible in 30 days. What should I do?” Simple, direct, and honestly, I was expecting it to give me some get-rich-quick schemes.
What happened next was… interesting.
The First Batch of Ideas (Some Were Actually Decent)
Here’s exactly what ChatGPT suggested, and my initial thoughts:
Print-on-Demand Business
- Investment needed: $50 for designs
- Platform: Etsy
- Target: Pet niche
(Seemed promising, actually)
Digital Product Creation
- Investment: $0
- Platform: Gumroad
- Focus: Excel templates for businesses
(Okay, this made sense)
Website Flipping
- Investment: $100
- Strategy: Buy and improve simple sites
(Seemed way too complicated for 30 days)
Freelance Writing
- Investment: $0
- Platform: Upwork
- Focus: AI-related content
(Ironic, but logical)
What I Actually Tested
Look, I couldn’t try everything. So I picked two ideas to test properly:
The POD Experiment:
First Week Results:
- Spent: $43 ($28 on designs, $15 on Etsy fees)
- Sales: $0
- Reality: Harder than ChatGPT made it sound
What Actually Happened Next
Let’s break down week by week what really went down:
Week 1: The POD Experiment
Money Spent:
- Designs: $28 (5 designs on Fiverr)
- Etsy Fees: $15
- Listing Fees: $4
Total Investment: $47 Results:
- Views: 127
- Sales: 0
Reality Check: This was humbling
Week 2: Pivoted to Digital Products
Money Spent:
- Canva Pro: $12.99
- Gumroad Setup: $0
- Coffee while making templates: $4.50
Total Investment: $17.49 Created:
- 5 Excel budget templates
- 3 Social media planning sheets
2 Project management trackers Results:
Sales: $27 (3 templates at $9 each)
Actually not terrible?
The Surprising Part
Here’s where it gets interesting. When I went back to ChatGPT with my results, it suggested something I hadn’t thought of:
Bundle the digital products with print-on-demand items.
The conversation went like this:
Me: “The templates are selling but POD isn’t working.”
ChatGPT: “Try creating a ‘Work From Home Starter Pack’ – digital templates plus a motivational desk pad or planner.”
So I tried it.
Week 3-4 Results:
New Bundle Offer: – 3 templates – 1 custom desk pad – Price: $39 Sales: 6 bundles = $234 Costs: $89 (printing + fees) Profit: $145
The Complete Money Breakdown (30 Days)
Let’s get real about the numbers:
Total Revenue:
Digital Templates: $27
Bundle Sales: $234
Random One-Off Sales: $41
Total: $302
Expenses:
Initial POD Investment: $47
Digital Product Costs: $17.49
Bundle Costs: $89
Miscellaneous Fees: $23
Total: $176.49
Actual Profit: $125.51
Not exactly retirement money, but here’s what’s interesting – the profit came from something ChatGPT didn’t directly suggest, but emerged from our back-and-forth conversations.
What Actually Worked (And What Was BS)
The Good Stuff:
- ChatGPT’s market research was surprisingly solid
- Its pricing suggestions were spot-on
- Product bundling idea was genius
- Customer pain point analysis was accurate
The Complete Failures:
- Its traffic generation advice was useless (“just use hashtags!”)
- Timeline expectations were ridiculous
- Marketing budget suggestions were way off
- SEO advice was from 2010 apparently
The Real Truth About AI Money-Making
Here’s what nobody talks about when they post their “I made $10K with ChatGPT” stories:
The AI is Great at:
- Brainstorming ideas
- Analyzing markets
- Suggesting improvements
- Finding connections
The AI is Terrible at:
- Understanding real market dynamics
- Predicting human behavior
- Marketing strategies
- Realistic timelines
The Most Valuable Lesson
You know what’s funny? The most profitable idea came from using ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner rather than following its advice blindly. When I showed it real results and asked for improvements, that’s when things got interesting.
What I’d Do Differently
If I started over, I would:
- Start with digital products first
- Skip the standalone POD completely
- Focus on bundles from day one
- Use ChatGPT for product improvement, not marketing advice
The Reality Check
ChatGPT isn’t some magical money-printing machine. It’s a tool – a pretty smart one – but still just a tool. The real value comes from:
- Testing ideas quickly
- Adapting based on results
- Using AI for inspiration, not direction
- Actually doing the work
Did I get rich? Nope. Did I learn a lot and make some profit? Yeah. Would I do it again? Actually, I already am – but that’s another story.