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Thanks Peter. Coming from someone who has been there, it means a lot. The reasons I am doing it is I am an average developer who doesn't have any interesting i

by irahul 16y ago

Thanks Peter. Coming from someone who has been there, it means a lot. The reasons I am doing it is I am an average developer who doesn't have any interesting ideas but who wants to foray into entrepreneurship and be his own boss. I considered a lot of free services which would rely on ads to generate revenue but I they didn't seem beneficial in terms of monetization. So, I just thought about a lot of paid service and settled down on something which has plausible profitability. I am not copying shopify but there sure would be many features which work in the same way; after all, the ground premise is the same. I do have some differentiators but it's too early to call on them. tl;dr My idea is not original or extra-ordinary; I am an average developer looking to be my own boss and this suited me the best.

peteforde 16y ago
Can I give you some advice? On one hand, I agree with you that there's always room for another player in SaaS. If your goals are modest then it's possible that you could reach your goals. If you manage to line up 5-6 things over two years, that could be a healthy income. However, if you really want to create wealth — for yourself and for the world — then you need to recognize that humans are really bad at identifying problems that really need solving. You need to pack your virtual bags and go deep into the country, looking for communities of users that you'd never consider in your normal every day life. Start researching industrial organizations, hobby clubs, non-technical groups of all kinds. Lurk on their forums and pay attention to the problems that they have. Take notes. Not every problem is a potential business, but there is a world of opportunity out there. Go in the opposite direction as everyone else. Recognize that often low-tech solutions are best. Listen more than you speak. You will find people who desperately need you to help them, and in doing that you will likely get further ahead than building a Shopify also-ran. Good luck.
- petervandijck 16y ago
  I don't think the poster necessarily wants to "change the world", but rather build something that will be of value and generate income. For which this idea seems appropriate (although I haven't researched the create-a-shop space or know much about it). Your advice is excellent though, but I get the impression the poster is in Asia? That would make it harder to do real-world research in the US (which is the market he seems to be going after)? Sometimes doing the same, just a little different/better, is not such a bad idea.

by irahul 16y ago

peteforde 16y ago

Can I give you some advice? On one hand, I agree with you that there's always room for another player in SaaS. If your goals are modest then it's possible that you could reach your goals. If you manage to line up 5-6 things over two years, that could be a healthy income. However, if you really want to create wealth — for yourself and for the world — then you need to recognize that humans are really bad at identifying problems that really need solving. You need to pack your virtual bags and go deep into the country, looking for communities of users that you'd never consider in your normal every day life. Start researching industrial organizations, hobby clubs, non-technical groups of all kinds. Lurk on their forums and pay attention to the problems that they have. Take notes. Not every problem is a potential business, but there is a world of opportunity out there. Go in the opposite direction as everyone else. Recognize that often low-tech solutions are best. Listen more than you speak. You will find people who desperately need you to help them, and in doing that you will likely get further ahead than building a Shopify also-ran. Good luck.

petervandijck 16y ago
I don't think the poster necessarily wants to "change the world", but rather build something that will be of value and generate income. For which this idea seems appropriate (although I haven't researched the create-a-shop space or know much about it). Your advice is excellent though, but I get the impression the poster is in Asia? That would make it harder to do real-world research in the US (which is the market he seems to be going after)? Sometimes doing the same, just a little different/better, is not such a bad idea.