Ask IH: As a software developer should I go solopreneur or find a marketer to build a SaaS?

Hello Ozgur, as a marketer let me share my small opinion. Start on your own. Start with your own vision. Start with the problem you want to solve, and who will benefit from it. Fall-in-love with the problem. Then, create an MVP based on your findings. Your product is the most important step. Focus 80% of your time with solving the problem, the marketing can come after. Build the back-end, and if you need help on the front-end, there are many designers who can help you. My 2 cents worth. Good Luck!!!!!!

I know exactly where you're coming from. I'm on the opposite side where I have the sales and business development background but no dev skills. If you need someone to bounce ideas with or just get feedback from feel free to dm or email me. I'm always happy to help and collaborate with a fellow IH'er.

No, I don't think so. A SaaS is one of the worst choices for a first project. I'd recommend googling Rob Walling's "stairstep approach", listening to Nathan Barry's IH podcast and then doing a project that's a better fit for new solopreneur.

I run a web development service business alone. And I am finding it very hard to focus on all departments alone.

When I have clients, I get so busy and focused on clients that my marketing completely stops. And then when I do marketing, it takes so much time that I struggle to reply customers support requests in time.

I am pretty sure, If I had a marketer or developer co-funder, I would be able to go faster.

Being solo may work for other people or other kind of business, but it's not working very well for me.

Your time is very much limited. So, I believe, if you can add another skilled and equally dedicated person, you can move faster.

You're almost always better trying to team up with someone if you do want to maximise your chances of success - there's a reason most investors won't touch single founder companies. It also sounds like you may want the support having a co-founder brings, not just the extra skill set.

Having said that I wouldn't wait to find one, doing so just makes it harder to find someone worth partnering with - its better for you to start working on something - anything. Once you start building things and exploring ideas you'll soon find like minded people who could compliment your skill set.

In the mean time don't worry too much about those things you can't do well, just focus on what you can. It's impossible to understand a problem (like how do you market a product) if you haven't encountered it and if you don't understand a problem you can't solve it.

Hi @ozgrozer, I think you will do much better with a cofounder than a solopreneur.

Here are some excerpts from a book written by John Chisholm. Disclaimer: Although I am not promoting the book, the chapter on cofounders (1 + 1 = 3: CHOOSING A COFOUNDER) is about me.

====

If you can laugh together, you can work together
—Robert Orben

...
Your chances of success more than double with the right cofounder: 1 + 1 = 3

...

Having the right cofounder has even more advantages. Here are three of them:

• It is hard to do, and impossible to be good at, everything yourself. The right cofounder brings not just manpower but also skills, other resources (Skills, Technologies, Assets & Accomplishments, Relationships & Reputation, Strengths - “STARS”), and advantages complementary to yours. Your cofounder’s advantages and yours can be combined in many more ways to satisfy customer needs than either of your sets of advantages can be separately. You and the right cofounder are much more powerful together than on your own.

• You will need to collaborate with team members as you grow. Having a cofounder lets you immediately start building skills in teamwork, achieving consensus, resolving conflicts, and creating a positive working environment. You can’t develop these skills working independently, but with even a single cofounder, you can.

• The right cofounder challenges you, making you stronger, and boosts you up when you are down. And vice versa. Ideally you create a positive feedback loop with each other.”

…

Choosing your cofounder or cofounders may be the most important decision you make in your venture. They and your relationship with them will affect everyone who comes later in your venture. In the words of serial entrepreneur Naval Ravikant, cofounder and coauthor of the VentureHacks blog site, “If it doesn’t feel right, keep looking. If you’re compromising, keep looking.

====
Excerpts From: John Chisholm. “Unleash Your Inner Company: Use Passion and Perseverance to Build Your Ideal Business.” Apple Books.