
Ask HN: Business ideas for solo developers? - a_imho
What are some business ideas that a single software engineer can successfully develop on their own (generate income on par with being employed at an average -not SF- company)?
Does one need a fundamentally different skill set to run a small business?
What are some stressing cons to consider?
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BjoernKW
Consulting. If you really want to be successful in this industry, then yes you
need a different skill set from engineering: Sales, marketing, being able to
network with people and talk about your work, accounting.

There's this idea of a T-shaped skill set that I think very much applies to
this kind of business: You have your primary skill (i.e. the service you
offer, in your case engineering expertise), in which you have in-depth
knowledge, and then you have supporting skills (like accounting) in which
you're no expert but which you know sufficiently well enough to be able to
market your services.

Finding the right balance between earning sufficient revenue sustainably (and
the always reasonably full sales funnel required for that) and not taking up
more work than you can handle can be particularly stressing.

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JSeymourATL
> T-shaped skill set that I think very much applies to this kind of
> business...

Solid advice, I might add the wisdom Alan Weiss is a must read for new
consultants > [https://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Consulting-
Professiona...](https://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Consulting-
Professionals-Practice/dp/1259588610/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)

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brudgers
To me, there seem to be two successful paradigms for running a business, being
engaged by the administrative side of the business or being engaged by the
operations side of the business...these of course can be merged into some
single notion of being engaged. Plain old working for money is on the close
end of the spectrum to the first. Putting up with the pain of running a
business for the sake of the work is along the spectrum toward the other.

The biggest stressor for the owner's of most small businesses is not getting a
regular paycheck.

Good luck.

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debacle
If you're willing to do even a modicum of the business leg work you can make
2x what an SV dev makes as a consultant, while working far less.

~~~
partisan
Why not be specific? Or would that be the modicum of legwork required?

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dgreenlieber
There are many great Micro SAAS idea you could build on your own any day and
make an income of. A skill that is needed is focused on running a SAAS
business, but there are so many great content and tools out there to support
you.

Go for it!

See :
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9877881](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9877881)

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wprapido
[http://7daystartup.com/](http://7daystartup.com/) is a great resource

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Bino
Stressing concerns; I would say the IRS (and alike).

~~~
willcate
Agreed -- I've been a one-man-band for 13 years now, & it's the business
administrivia which is the biggest time-suck. That and finding health
insurance.

~~~
dhruvkar
I'm branching out on my own with a few freelance projects. Two questions:

1\. What tactics do you use to ensure a stable income? 2\. What percentage of
your time is spent actually developing?

