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2. Find a specific task that they're using Excel to accomplish.
3. Make a web app that reduces their clicks and typing into Excel.
4. Charge whatever you want-- they will pay.
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Any examples?
There are probably a bunch on ProductHunt. For example https://remove.bg got a lot of upvotes - it probably uses this on the backend: https://github.com/tensorflow/models/tree/master/research/de...
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GitHub is a good example of a software development tool that is a cloud service instead of a local program, and thus has an easy and effective monetization strategy. Still, though, the vast majority use it for free. IntelliJ and Docker give most of their products away for free. Why? Probably mostly because there is no good solution to licensing local software. They rely on the patronage of a relative few corporations…
IntelliJ is a JetBrains product - I'd be interested in what their revenue breakdown is between "corporate" and "individual" licenses, but I suspect that there are more individuals paying for it than you'd think. I know I have an active subscription still for PyCharm, even though I've not used it personally since moving to vim full-time a couple of years ago. It's a great product, and I find it extremely useful when t…
First, they charge different prices for an "individual" licenses vs. an "organizational" licenses. Why? Because businesses have larger checkbooks.
PyCharm: there's a free Community version and a paid Professional version. Python is the most common beginner teaching language, so give the basic stuff away for free. Once you get into "pro" stuff -- sci stuff, web dev, DB stuff -- that's when there's a budget and so people are willing to pay.
WebStorm: Javascript is a mess of an ecosystem and there's tons of free tools out there so no point in JetBrains giving away a free version. However, once you value your productivity and want something that Just Works out of the box with reasonable defaults, that's when a webstorm license becomes something you pay for. Besides, every startup does some form of web dev these days, so larger market.
IntelliJ: Java used to be the go-to language for learning object-oriented coding, so like python, offer a free community edition. Once you dive into Spring stuff, well, you're going there because you have a boss and the boss has budget.
Step 1: Observation
There are oppurtunities around you; some people are good at finding them and exploiting it to build profitable ventures.
The intended outcome is to find a problem people are struggling with and help them solve it.
Here's how I find problems.
1. Most Voted "Ask HN" Queries: I have already noted your question as a story idea for my medium blog. Since this is something, people need help in figuring out.
2. Comments Most Voted HN Posts : Not all posts have comments where people talk about their problem, but some post has insightful data.
3. Comments on Top-Listed Products on Product Hunt : Find out the top listed products on product hunt. Go to the comment section and check out for the 'cons'.
4. Conversations : Go out and talk to people who have a different perception of the world. Try putting yourself into their shoes. Then try to if you can bring a solution to their problems with the knowledge you have.
5. App Store Reviews / Amazon Reviews: These reviews contain problems with current product users have.
Step 2. Study
Now that you have got the puzzle, you need to find a cheap and efficient way to solve it.
I mostly try to see how people in a different field solve this problem. Later, try to see if their solution can fit into the issue I selected.
I also find solutions in books, research papers, hackathon projects, etc.
For now, you only need to find a theoretical way to solve the problem.
Step 3: Shadow Testing & Writing
Make a landing page about your ideal solution. Make sure you include good graphics such that your product looks ready.
The landing page also won't be enough to attract people. Write about your learnings on Medium or your blog. At the end of your blog add a signup link to your landing page.
If you are new to copywriting, please read the book "How to Write A Good Advertisement" by Victor O. Schwab.
If people can relate to the problem, you would be receiving signups. Ask them to join a slack or a telegram or a WhatsApp group.
Step 3. Validating with the Early Adopters
These people are a boon. They have extended me so much help in my earlier startup. They do this because they would like to see their problem solved.
Start having a conversation with them, build prototypes. Incorporate their feedbacks. Make sure what they are willing to pay exceeds the production cost so that you can make profits.
I hope this helps.
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There are probably a bunch on ProductHunt. For example https://remove.bg got a lot of upvotes - it probably uses this on the backend: https://github.com/tensorflow/models/tree/master/research/de...
So who would pay for that? I can’t imagine there’s much demand for an app to remove image backgrounds?
> I have read books and blogs suggesting that the best problem is the one that I have faced before. I agree with this advice, but my problem is that most problems I have faced are software development problems. I have tons of great ideas for software development tools that would be super cool. However, there is no market for selling software development tools, because everyone is used to getting them for free from op…
Oh, quite the opposite I'd say. Because we are software developers, and we can fix our problems with software, we accumulated quite a rich toolbox to solve our problems better. We're quick to dismiss our ecosystem (everything sucks/is broken), I tend to enjoy such conversations as well, and sure, there are plenty of broken/unfinished things out there, but in all honesty: what other subculture has accomplished such complex projects as the Linux kernel or the GNU toolchain, and gave it away for free? Because a lot of people know that we all are better off sharing our tools, and copying is essentially free? Isn't the brokenness often there just because we went too far, too fast?
I think looking somewhere else for a side project is a good idea, exactly because our own problem space is saturated with good (enough) tools, and deeply explored. And even if something is missing, someone's itch is bad enough so they just scratch it themselves and make it open source. But oh boy, other domain's tools and workflows suck. And often, they don't have the skills to fix this themselves, so that's where we can be helpful with software.
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There are probably a bunch on ProductHunt. For example https://remove.bg got a lot of upvotes - it probably uses this on the backend: https://github.com/tensorflow/models/tree/master/research/de...
So who would pay for that? I can’t imagine there’s much demand for an app to remove image backgrounds?
I'm not the person to sell you it. That's just an example where someone might make money.
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> almost every good idea that touches your entire realm of experience been attempted 10 times I strongly disagree with the implied defeatism here. There have been many attempts and many failures with many popular ideas for non-obvious reasons, and it is worth being #11 if you can A) identify why the previous attempts failed, and B) find a different angle that avoids the issues.
100%. Google wasn't the first search engine. But they were effectively the last. First to market is only important insofar as it's correlated with making sticky products, building a moat, and not dying. That's what you actually want.
I was lucky and found a small little gem on 1kprojects.com that turned itself into a nice little profitable side-project in 5 weeks (not linking to it because i don't want to seem like I'm advertising). Making half my monthly salary at my day job from it. Sometimes it's just the simplest, least technical and gimmicky things that make money.