Earlier quoted context omitted.
Move to Seattle?
ah yes, Seattle, the famous city in Taiwan
I misread and thought he meant outside of SF :)
Work for one of the big tech cos outside of US is probably your best bet.
My Second Year as a Solo Developer
341–350 of 387 posts
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#342Two cents offered because this post really strikes a chord with me, and I also spent some time chasing down rabbit holes early in my software business: These products do not appear obviously commercializable and multiple years invested into them without materially improving the businesses does not decrease my confidence in that snap judgment. You could probably talk to business owners with problems, launch an (approp…
You could probably talk to business owners with problems, launch an (appropriately priced; hundreds to thousands of dollars per year) product against those problems, build contingent on getting 10 commits to buy I don't doubt that you're absolutely right, but this bit strikes me as hard . I've struggled to find one business owner with a problem they perceive, let alone 10 with commitments to buying a solution for the…
My experience is that even if you find a business owner with a problem there's a steep climb to build a product and sell it. I'm a developer & my brother is a mortgage broker - I even worked for a few months in his office during the sub-prime bubble :-) I saw first hand many processes that could be improved , even coded a few hack "solutions." In my case, it was just too easy to get a high paying dev job than take on the risks and costs of starting a business. Coincidentally, a recent indiehackers podcast with Dave Sims of Floify (a mortgage broker product) validated what was needed. I recommend listening to this episode - very good info developing a successful product for a domain you don't know:
https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/136-dave-sims-of-floify
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#343Earlier quoted context omitted.
If that "I bought a house" is literal then he doesn't have rent or a mortgage to pay. That's a big chunk of most people's outgoings.
Outside of the super-star cities, housing is pretty affordable!
Sure. Thankfully most people can afford their outgoings if they're sensible. It's still a lot easier if you don't have rent or a mortgage though.
If you're trying to suggest houses are cheap enough that lots of people can afford to buy one outright then you're absolutely wrong regardless of where it is. Very, very few people manage that.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#344Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah, but it's hard to launch a successfull product; if it wasn't, everyone would be doing it. I'm doing contracting work for multiple different customers, long-term project, and I generate 100-200k of revenue on a yearly basis from that. That leaves me with slightly higher salary than if I'd work for a boss, but I have tonnes, and tonnes more freedom and time for my kids. It's just not possible to scale that past 300…
Wait, why do you think "it's just not possible to scale that past 300k/yr"? I have at least one counter-example ;-) In general, the way it's worked for me is if I have multiple potential new gigs, I ask for more money. When the next gig comes along, that's my new baseline. Over the last 6 years that's helped moved the hourly rate to a number I wouldn't have asked for upfront. I hate to say no to customers too, so som…
Good for you :)
My hourly rate is €85 currently, which is a lot for the small to medium size businesses I work for. Hiking up that rate would meen I would have to work for larger companies, which I don’t want to.
I work from my own office, and get to spend loads of time with my family; if I’d start to work for bigger companies, I’d have to work on-site and loose a lot of time in transit and make it a lot more difficult to dictate the working hours on a day to day basis.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#345Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah, but it's hard to launch a successfull product; if it wasn't, everyone would be doing it. I'm doing contracting work for multiple different customers, long-term project, and I generate 100-200k of revenue on a yearly basis from that. That leaves me with slightly higher salary than if I'd work for a boss, but I have tonnes, and tonnes more freedom and time for my kids. It's just not possible to scale that past 300…
how many customers per year? and how do you deal with insurance?
Around 10 customers. I have recently gotten a liability because a client demanded it, didn’t have any before.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#346Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's really another question, I have a lot of sympathy for people in that situation but it isn't what we are talking about here.
I don’t think you understand what poverty is , if you are choosing poverty over “lack of autonomy in the workplace”. Poverty doesn’t liberate you, it restricts you, and not just in the workplace, but in your entire life . Want to go on a trip or eat fancy food? Too bad you can’t, because you don’t have money and you’re broke poor. Want to get a great career? Too bad, you got to work at fast food joint because you can…
As I said, "I have a lot of sympathy for people in that situation but it isn't what we are talking about here."
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#347Earlier quoted context omitted.
You could probably talk to business owners with problems, launch an (appropriately priced; hundreds to thousands of dollars per year) product against those problems, build contingent on getting 10 commits to buy I don't doubt that you're absolutely right, but this bit strikes me as hard . I've struggled to find one business owner with a problem they perceive, let alone 10 with commitments to buying a solution for the…
Is the problem that you can’t identify owners, that you can’t successfully get in touch with business owners, that you can’t convince them to talk to you, that you can’t get signal from those conversations, or that you are accurately getting the signal “Actually literally nothing could be better about my life.” Draw the funnel diagram, with numbers if necessary. Having talked to many devs who believe similar, I think…
I believe that people tend to forget always one thing: the business owners don't know their problems _worth solving_. This fact is most of the time overlooked.
In my experience business owners tend to talk about problems that are impossible to solve, or problems that are trivial.
Typically, when you actually find problem worth solving, it is not merely a software. You are looking at whole processes that need to be changed. You will change how people work. And when you actually try to present the new solution to the organisation, you will face resistance. People don't like change.
Some could say that it is the business owners responsibility to push the change. But when they give up, they stop paying you.
Anyways, the advice "just find a problem" feels to come from people who either read too many books and never tried, or from people who got lucky the first try.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#348Earlier quoted context omitted.
ah yes, Seattle, the famous city in Taiwan
I misread and thought he meant outside of SF :) Work for one of the big tech cos outside of US is probably your best bet.
What companies are those? Meaning, employing software engineers and paying 300K per year for roles that are not executive-level.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#349Earlier quoted context omitted.
You could probably talk to business owners with problems, launch an (appropriately priced; hundreds to thousands of dollars per year) product against those problems, build contingent on getting 10 commits to buy I don't doubt that you're absolutely right, but this bit strikes me as hard . I've struggled to find one business owner with a problem they perceive, let alone 10 with commitments to buying a solution for the…
I don't think anyone on Upwork or whatever other job board would complain if they were out there asking for custom work and you showed up with a ready-made product. Beyond that, every business owner kvetching on Twitter. Problems are everywhere! Certainly can be very hard to get 10 business owners with the same problem to all line up and pay thousands for your software, but problems are easy to come by. Edit: filteri…
People on Upwork also expect to pay $200 total instead of per month.
Re: My Second Year as a Solo Developer
#350Earlier quoted context omitted.
Totally agree, would never do what OP has done, I like my job and what I do plus I get paid well.
good for you? for most of history everyone worked for themselves. one could argue the modern day corporate structure is completely unnatural and doesn't fit (most) everyone.
Everything we do as humans is "unnatural" and what really doesn't fit for "most" everyone is earning near nothing for 2 straight years.