FREE PRACTICAL AI LEARNING · LEARN BY DOINGNO SIGNUP NEEDED · YOUR WORK STAYS YOURS
Open PracticePRACTICAL AI ENGINEERING
EARN BY DOING · BUILD 11 · DIGITAL PRODUCT

Make a niche template product

A template you already use to solve a problem can help hundreds of people with the same problem. Packaging it well means clean files, instructions a beginner can follow, a licence that says what buyers may do, and listing copy that describes the product honestly. You will plan all four here. Sell it on a free storefront once it is ready.

⏱ About 20–30 minutes to draft · the real-world steps take days · Works with or without AI · No signup

You will make

  • Product files
  • Licence
  • Listing copy

You will practise

  • Turning a personal tool into a product others can use
  • Writing a plain-language licence
  • Writing listing copy that sells without overpromising

Download the practice pack (.zip)See a finished exampleOffer contract (.md)

No AI key needed. The guided template works for everyone.

  1. 1Brief

    Specific answers make better results — with or without AI.

    Only sell what you made yourself.

  2. 2Make

    Pick a route. The template gives you a structure with [[blanks]] to fill in yourself. Your own key drafts it for you — then you still check it.

    See the exact prompt — copy it into any AI chat you already use
  3. 3Check
    The same rules run on every draft, human or AI. Most first drafts fail something — that is the point.
      Self-check — judgement no checker can make
    • 4Improve
      Fix one item at a time, then check again. Notice which fixes made it better — that is the skill.
      1. Run the check first.
    • 5Ship
      Use it for real: send it, post it or save it. Record what happened — that is your evidence of learning.
    A finished example
    The business, people and numbers are invented. It passes every check above, so you can see what “done” looks like before you start.
    Show the worked example
    > Worked example. The business, people and numbers are invented to show the shape of a finished deliverable.

# Template product: a Google Sheets budget for market traders

## Product files
1. trader-budget.xlsx · the template, with tabs for daily sales, stock, home money and a weekly summary
2. START-HERE.pdf · start-here steps:
   - Step 1: open the file and choose "Make a copy"
   - Step 2: type your opening cash in the yellow cell
   - Step 3: each evening, enter the day's sales and spending
   - Step 4: move home money in the "home" tab, never from the till
   - Step 5: on Sunday, read the summary tab
3. trader-budget-example.xlsx · a month filled with invented numbers

## Licence
- You may: use it for your own business and change it however you like
- You may not: resell, share or upload the file anywhere
- Refunds: within 7 days if it does not open or work as described

## Listing copy
Title: Market Trader Budget (Google Sheets & Excel)
Description: Shop money and home money get mixed up, and the week ends without knowing if you made anything. This sheet keeps them apart and shows the answer every Sunday.
For: traders who mix shop money and home money
Included: the budget sheet, a filled example and a start-here guide
Not for: businesses with staff or VAT returns
Price: US$7

## Proof
- Origin: I built it for my aunt’s stall and used it for a year
- Validation: six traders on her row asked for a copy; four used it for a month and kept going
- Works in Google Sheets and Excel; tested on a phone and a laptop

## Boundary
- No income claims, invented reviews or sales numbers. I made every file myself.
- It is a tracking tool, not financial or tax advice.

    Pro moves
    Methods this build practises
    Each method in the directory has a starter kit: the offer prefilled, first-sale steps, proof checks and the offer contract.
    METHOD 31Niche template shopBuyer: one professionMETHOD 34Original mini-course from real expertiseBuyer: beginners in a skill the creator can demonstrateMETHOD 35Game/UI asset micro-studioBuyer: indie developers
    Questions people ask
    Where can I sell it for free?
    Storefronts like Whop, Gumroad and Payhip let you list for free and take a fee per sale. Read each fee table before you choose.
    Can I sell a template I found online?
    No. Only sell what you made yourself or have written rights to resell. Your licence must match what you actually own.
    Will this make me money?
    Nobody can promise that, and Open Practice never does. This workshop helps you make work that is worth paying for and keep the evidence. Whether anyone buys depends on your market, your outreach and your work.
    Do I need an AI key to use this?
    No. The guided template teaches the same skill with no AI at all. If you add your own free key (Groq, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Mistral or Cerebras), the tool can also draft and revise. The key stays in your browser and requests go straight to that provider.
    Where is my work saved?
    In this browser only (local storage), until you copy or download it. Nothing you type is sent to Open Practice.
    Keep building
    NEXT BUILDBuild 12 · Validate a one-problem micro-toolYou’ll make: Interviews, Manual prototype, Test planFREE TOOLProduct Description GeneratorWrite a product description that answers buyers’ questionsACADEMY COURSEEarn by Doing: useful work, honest offersThe full build path: guided activities, a hosted lab and a combined capstone.