It’s commonplace among technical entrepreneurs to have a form of ADD when working on web applications.
You sell yourself (and maybe one or two others) on a great idea, pursue it ruthlessly for some short period of time, then, just as it is nearing completion, hit a wall (like advertising it) or come up with a better idea, lose interest, and already moved on to the next project. As time goes on, you build up your own personal cache of dead applications, lingering forever on the internet until you forget to renew the domain name or do a round of web housecleaning.
My own deadpool is in the double digits. I should write about it sometime, I still think some of them may have value for others.
I’m not letting that happen with my current project. I’ve invested far too much. I’ve sold it to far too many people. Moreover, I’ve sold myself on it. Months after initial conception, I still believe in it, far more than I did when I first came up with it. Below are my beliefs, organized in a way only logical to someone on their tenth shot of absinthe.
-People need help. Always have, always will.
-The proliferation of technology into our lives only makes things harder, not easier. I’ve spent more hours helping my grandparents figure out their cell phone than they ever have spent talking on it.
-Whatever you need help with, there is someone in your area who can help you.
-If someone needs help with something, they’ll first ask the people around them, friends, families, etc. If they want they are gutsy, they’ll try and figure it out themselves using resources available to them.
-If that fails, the only option left is to call a professional service.
–Professional services, quite often, suck.
-Between DIY/Friends/Family and Hiring Professionals lies a huge gap.
-People could always use an extra source of cash, even if the rates are lower than their full-time position. Heaven knows how much I charge during my day job, but sure, I’d take an extra 40 bucks for a couple hours of work in the afternoon.
-People like that, who know what they are doing, can charge a lower price, and provide a better service.
-Why do professional services exist? Most of what they are doing is based on the knowledge in their head, sometimes combined with tools the ordinary Joe has in their garage? The only thing they provide for the workman (in most cases) is dispatching/scheduling (which can be done online automatically), and advertising (inefficient).
-Online marketplaces create efficiences for connecting buyer and seller at the right price. eBay, anyone?
-Bartering – you help me with this, I’ll help you with that – is dead. There are now millions of specializations, not a dozen or so (carpenter, blacksmith, raging savage), such that making a match is inefficient. Cash is king.
More to come.
