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Ask HN: Is building software a bad route for entrepreneurship?

1 points by biznerd ↗ HN
I've only tried to develop 1 app in my lifetime (a yelp for coding bootcamps). I had to brainstorm for weeks, if not months, for that idea. Building the site was no problem, but the real one was getting reviews (using various techniques, my partner and I only got a half dozen.) In the end, I spent a couple hundred bucks and several months down the drain.

Contrast that with what I'm doing now: niche sites. Just build content and get links. Much simpler. There are half a dozen excellent podcasts on the topics, and dozen more blogs with tutorials and how tos.

There's also FBA/dropshipping/ecommerce...

Of course, developing your own app is a lot more satisfying. But I think it's way way more difficult. I think it's better to bat for singles then aim for home runs. Not to mention that some people are making 7 figures off niche sites with no employees and an awesome software project could end up making $200/mo.

4 comments

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mindcrime
There are many roads to Rome. If what you're doing works for you, then do it. But as to the question of whether or not "building software a bad route for entrepreneurship?" is a true statement in any universal sense, I think the answer is obviously "no". An awful lot of people have done amazingly well as entrepreneurs by building software, so it's pretty clear that it works for some people.
biznerd
If you want to use the roads to Rome example, I'm sure there are some roads that have lots of pot holes. I guess you technically still get there, but there are easier roads that are quicker and safer.
mindcrime
It's not a perfect metaphor, obviously. But I still stand by the position that the simple, straightforward answer to the question as posed is "No". It is not the case that "building software is a bad route for entrepreneurs" in any universal sense. And we know this, because we've seen plenty of "existence proofs" where it has proven to be an incredibly good route.

But what is good for one person may not be good for another, for any number of possible reasons: skill, risk tolerance, desired outcome, geography, age, health, support from family and friends, blah, blah, etc. etc.

In the end, all I can say, is that if you consider building software to be a bad route for you, then don't do it. shrug

blackrock
What are some earnings and profit examples of these sites?