The same things that make it great to be in the software business make it extra-difficult. All of your competitors have the same advantages you do, and pretty-m

The same things that make it great to be in the software business make it extra-difficult. All of your competitors have the same advantages you do, and pretty-much anyone in the world can become a competitor to your business! One advantage that local businesses have is a proximity lock-in. A restaurant in Portland just needs to be good enough relative to other restaurants in its neightborhood to survive. A SaaS headquartered in Portland needs to be globally good enough. Personally I think a skilled plumber/electrician/tradesman would have an easier time starting a successful business than a software developer would. It's hard to generate demand for software, but those skilled trades are things that everyone definitely needs.