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Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

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Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#31

Post by desktopapp »

jetti wrote: post #30
desktopapp wrote: post #28

Running solo doing around $750k/year on a desktop app. The market is so huge and so many niches to filll. Make something you can sell for $50-300 with upgrades once in a while and set up a simple shop. It has never been easier to develop desktop software. If I was going to start this route today I'd 100% make an electron app and try to address and already large market that has stagnated or has shitty entrenched playe…

That is some nice revenue. I would assume you have pretty high margins on that as well. How long has your app been released? I'm going down this route and making dev tools that help replace the sucky entrenched big players. I haven't officially launched a proper version (early access is going on now) but I'm hoping that I'll be able to be as successful as you are.

Most software sold as a license via a microISV has very little overhead/fixed costs. Whatever you sell you keep.

It's been a bit over a decade.

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#33

Post by apineda »

jasonswett wrote: post #24

I'll add something I wish I had realized several years ago: build a SaaS is not the only path to a product business, and for a solo founder, it's (in my opinion) probably not a very good path. I spent 5 years trying to get a micro ISV off the ground which made scheduling software for hair salons. It was a terrible idea for a large number of reasons (described in detail here: https://www.jasonswett.net/im-shutting-dow…

Would you recommend against buying a SaaS that is ~$2-3k/MRR?

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#34

Post by kkoomi »

seibelj wrote: post #10
caseysoftware wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did exactly that ~10 years ago and made pretty good money with it at $50/install. My plugin allowed you to put in your hotel when you traveled. Then it showed a list of your current & past customers' offices that were within X miles. Now you can fire off those "btw, I'll be in town in 2 weeks, we should talk about X" emails well in advance. If I had to do it now, I'd tie into Tripit or Google Calendar to get the mo…

Absolutely about the recurring revenue. Make it monthly or annual with a steep discount, but auto-renew. When I make mobile apps with advertisements, removing the ads is a yearly fee, not a one-time payment. Otherwise, they get lifetime benefits which does not accurately compensate me for my time, and I need to keep making new sales in perpetuity.

This sounds great, but it doesn't seem easy to pull off. Does it sit well with them and are they willing to pay for something like this? EDIT: wording

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#35

Post by icedchai »

desktopapp wrote: post #31
jetti wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is some nice revenue. I would assume you have pretty high margins on that as well. How long has your app been released? I'm going down this route and making dev tools that help replace the sucky entrenched big players. I haven't officially launched a proper version (early access is going on now) but I'm hoping that I'll be able to be as successful as you are.

Most software sold as a license via a microISV has very little overhead/fixed costs. Whatever you sell you keep. It's been a bit over a decade.

Congrats! You're living the dream. How much time do you spend a week working on this?

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#38

Post by desktopapp »

icedchai wrote: post #35
desktopapp wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most software sold as a license via a microISV has very little overhead/fixed costs. Whatever you sell you keep. It's been a bit over a decade.

Congrats! You're living the dream. How much time do you spend a week working on this?

It's a full time job, with an extra helping of anxiety.

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#39

Post by Spooky23 »

Do you have a sales channel?

I know a guy who continues to run a one-man software shop for some municipal government functions that are important, but too small for a more general software company.

Key factor for him is that his uncle had been a well-known person, which got him in the door early on.

Re: Ask HN: Is the concept of a one-person software shop still viable?

#40

Post by cookiecaper »

bigmanwalter wrote: post #11

I'm working on it, and a friend of mine does it successfully. He builds plugins for the Shopify platform and ended up hiring one developer to do full time onboarding of new clients, support and documentation, but does all product development himself. I think it's definitely realistic. You gotta just have a mindset where you try and eliminate all bottlenecks and automate as much as possible. The trick he found for com…

Taking advantage of the momentum of another platform by building a plugin, skin, or extension is a great way to slingshot a project. There's also some risk involved, because that platform usually has the power to cut you off, legally if not technically.
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