HustlGen

Overview

HustlGen is an AI-positioned side hustle matching app that uses a guided quiz, secure server-side scoring, Firebase user flows, and Stripe monetization to turn user inputs into personalized business recommendations.

The app is built to help users find side hustle ideas that fit their time, energy, interests, tech comfort, and income goals. A short multi-step quiz captures user preferences, then routes those answers through a secure server-side scoring system to generate personalized side hustle matches.

The user gets their top match for free, with a paid upgrade path to unlock additional results and unlimited generations. HustlGen is not a static idea list or a promise of income. It is structured as a consumer SaaS-style recommendation product with account flows, saved quiz behavior, gated results, payment handling, and email capture.

The project is built with a production-minded architecture:

• Next.js
• Firebase Authentication
• Firestore
• Cloud Functions
• Stripe Checkout
• Stripe webhooks
• ConvertKit email automation
• Firebase Hosting

The repo also includes a deployment guide and production checklist covering Firebase setup, environment variables, functions, hosting, Stripe webhooks, testing, and monitoring.

Core Problem

Most side hustle content is generic.

People are usually given the same recycled list of ideas regardless of their schedule, skill level, interests, energy, startup tolerance, or reason for wanting extra income. That creates noise instead of direction.

HustlGen solves this by turning side hustle discovery into a personalized recommendation flow.

Instead of asking users to scroll through dozens of random ideas, the app asks a small set of practical questions and returns a ranked match based on fit. The quiz captures time commitment, mental bandwidth, tech comfort, interests, and primary goal, then uses those inputs to calculate the strongest opportunities.

Main Value

HustlGen gives users a faster way to move from "I want to make extra money" to "this is the side hustle I should start with."

The product flow is:

quiz -> score -> match -> free result -> upgrade -> deeper results

The app is not just a static idea list. It is structured as a monetizable product with user accounts, saved quiz behavior, gated results, payment handling, and email capture.

The matching logic is kept server-side through Firebase Cloud Functions, which protects the recommendation engine instead of exposing the scoring logic entirely in the browser. The Cloud Function checks authentication, validates quiz answers, scores available hustles, sorts them, and returns the top matches.

The project creates value through:

• Personalized recommendations
• A fast quiz experience
• A clear free-to-paid funnel
• Secure backend scoring
• Firebase-backed user state
• Stripe-powered upgrade flow
• Email onboarding through ConvertKit
• A scalable structure for adding more hustle ideas, tools, and monetization paths

User Experience

The homepage positions HustlGen as a quick side hustle matching tool. Users are prompted to start a quiz and are told they can find their fit in a few minutes. The landing page explains the three-step flow: take the quiz, get a match, and launch the hustle.

The quiz is a guided, animated five-question experience. It asks about:

• Time available each week
• Current energy level
• Tech comfort
• Top interests and skills
• Primary goal

Answers are saved locally first so the user can move through authentication without losing progress. If the user is already signed in, the app saves the quiz answers to Firestore and sends them to the result page. If not, the app redirects them to sign in or create an account before results are shown.

The results page then calculates personalized matches through Firebase Functions. Free users receive their top result, while additional results are blurred and locked behind a Pro upgrade. Users can upgrade through Stripe Checkout, and successful payment grants Pro access through the Stripe webhook/Firestore flow.

Tech Stack

Frontend:

• Next.js
• React
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• shadcn/ui components
• Framer Motion
• Lucide icons

Backend / App Services:

• Firebase Authentication
• Firestore
• Firebase Cloud Functions
• Firebase Admin SDK
• Firebase Hosting
• Firebase security rules

Payments:

• Stripe Checkout
• Stripe webhooks
• One-time Pro upgrade logic
• Firestore Pro-user status updates

Email / Marketing:

• ConvertKit API
• Auth-triggered email subscription
• Legacy direct email subscription endpoint

Product Logic:

• Server-side quiz scoring
• Side hustle data model
• Weighted matching algorithm
• Free result + paid unlock model
• User quiz persistence
• Result gating

The app is built around Next.js/Firebase, with dependencies for Stripe, Firebase, Framer Motion, Tailwind, React, and supporting UI libraries. The Firebase Functions layer includes Node 20, Stripe, Firebase Admin, CORS, and Axios for backend payment and email workflows.

Proof-of-Work Signal

HustlGen demonstrates the ability to think through a real AI-adjacent consumer SaaS product from concept to working architecture.

The strongest proof signal is that the project goes beyond a simple "generate an idea" screen. It includes the surrounding product system needed to make the tool usable and monetizable.

The project shows understanding of:

• Product positioning
• User onboarding
• Quiz-based personalization
• Recommendation logic
• Server-side scoring
• Authentication flow
• Firestore user data
• Payment gating
• Stripe Checkout
• Webhook-based access updates
• Email automation
• Responsive UI
• Deployment planning
• Freemium monetization

The scoring model uses weighted categories for time, bandwidth, tech comfort, interests, and user goals. It then ranks matching side hustle options and returns the strongest results.

The result is a practical MVP structure for a paid AI-style recommendation tool: simple input, personalized output, account creation, upgrade path, and repeat use potential.

Current Status Details

HustlGen is in pre-launch beta.

The core application structure is built:

• Landing page
• Quiz flow
• Authentication-aware routing
• Result generation
• Server-side scoring
• Stripe checkout
• Stripe webhook handling
• Firestore updates
• ConvertKit integration

HustlGen is a built MVP with the main product architecture in place. Remaining work is focused on hosting, environment configuration, integration testing, payment verification, and final QA.

Key remaining work includes:

• Firebase Hosting deployment
• Firebase environment variable setup
• Cloud Functions deployment
• Stripe test/live key verification
• Stripe webhook testing
• Firestore rules review
• Authentication testing
• Quiz/result flow cleanup
• Mobile QA
• Copy polish
• End-to-end payment testing
• Production launch checklist

The repo already includes deployment instructions, testing steps, and a production checklist for Firebase, Stripe, ConvertKit, security, performance, and functionality.

The project is a working app foundation that needs final deployment, cleanup, and validation before public launch. It does not claim users, revenue, production traction, or guaranteed business outcomes.