Startup cost: $500 - $3k

Setup costs range from $500 to $3,000 depending on the level of investment. At the minimum end, essential costs include software development tools, cloud computing services, and possibly some initial marketing expenses. On the higher end, investing in premium AI development platforms, advanced data analytics tools, and hiring a marketing team can drive up costs. Recurring fees may include cloud service subscriptions and marketing campaign expenses. Online discussions suggest that while starting costs can be kept relatively low, they can increase once the business scales up. To take this side hustle seriously, I would advise a friend to budget around $1,500 to $2,000 to cover initial setup and operating expenses.