The $500 Test: How to Know If Your Side Project Is Real

Company of One with Dale Callahan · Apr 30, 2026 · 34m

"Before you build a business, before you make any move—pass the $500 test.

Can you make $500 a month from a real customer who isn't your employer? If not, you don't have a business yet. You have a hobby.

In this episode, we break down:

Why $500 is the right number

The backwards way engineers approach building (and why it fails)

What actually counts as passing the test

How one customer changes your entire negotiating position

This isn't theory. It's the gate between 'thinking about it' and 'doing it.'

This is Company of One.

Helping professionals stop drifting and take ownership of their work…