Save time, make money

Source: Dev.to

Background

Many people start programming to build a SaaS tool. I want to share how I earned roughly $10 k using only basic HTML and JavaScript in about two hours.

The original file I submitted was rejected, which delayed payment until a corrected version was resubmitted. As the platform grew to nearly 100 vendors, I was spending—conservatively—about one hour each day checking these files or providing support and training.

Management was reluctant to allocate a budget for UI/UX improvements because the existing solution “worked,” and the contract was with a third‑party company that prevented us from making changes directly.

Solution

I created a single HTML file that included:

• A form for data entry
• A table to display submitted rows
• An Export button to convert the table to a CSV file

Using vanilla JavaScript, the form validates each entry against strict “reason code” rules. If a row fails validation, clear error messages guide the user on how to submit correctly. The export button transforms the HTML table into an array and downloads it as a CSV file.

After beta testing with a few vendors, I added:

• A Clear Table button
• An Import CSV button
• The ability to delete individual rows

All enhancements were implemented with plain JavaScript and minimal CSS.

Results

The single file eliminated the need for daily auditing and constant retraining, saving me roughly one hour per day. That extra time allowed me to write blog posts like this one. Since I’m salaried, the time saved translated to about $12 k per year (≈ 5 hours per week) at that time.