InvoiceThing

Introduction

InvoiceThing is a React web application that I built to solve my own problem. When I’m not writing code, I’m freelancing as a live sound engineer. I work with production companies to support their audio needs at live events on weekends.

I needed a simple way to send and manage my invoices, but after looking around, I couldn’t find anything I liked. Given that this is a side gig, I didn’t want to spend money on a service that I would only use once in a while, especially one with a bunch of features that I don’t need. So I built a lightweight tool for creating and tracking invoices.

Building for Real Use

Every dev has a bunch of unmaintained side projects, and I’m no different. But since I was using this weekly, it pushed me to keep building and shipping new features that I actually needed.

For example, the first version of the app didn’t allow me to add expense reimbursement claims. Because I needed this feature before I could send an invoice to my client, I quickly built and shipped it so I could get paid.

The Turning Point

My aunt is a dance instructor. During CNY (Chinese Lunar New Year), I noticed she was complaining about doing up invoices for her students. I casually asked her if she wanted to try out my app.

That’s when she told me she loved it and would like me to keep working on it and improving it. She even offered to invest in me to turn this app into a product. That’s when I realised that my app could solve problems not only for me but for others too.

What I Learned

I learned that building something that I actually use is the best way to ship quality software that eventually other people will find useful too.