It was not for the glory, it was for me.

About four years ago, I was getting on with my life and my job and started to get to know more and more of the startup scene, events, and people.

I said to myself: "They are not better than me. I can do all of these by myself. I can build software, design products, do marketing and sales."

So I started my projects from where my core skills are, technology.
The recipe at a high level is simple. Do some market research. Shape the idea and user flow on paper. Build it. Deploy it. Try to sell it. Get feedback. Repeat.

I tried several different projects, some on my own and some with a partner. One of them was a travel web app. Some others were: RAG portfolio management app, an office desk booking system, a flexible pen for nervous people. Some of these are even alive to this day.

No users, no sales.

Why?

The ideas were not that bad and the execution was pretty good. So, why does no one discover them?

Because it did not matter if I could do everything. What mattered, was that I was not enjoying everything.

To be more accurate, I disliked marketing and sales.

I was thinking, why annoy and send emails to strangers? As a recipient, I am highly irritated by these strategies.

Why burn my real money on social media Ads. Even the holy gods wouldn’t know how many of the accounts are real.

A lot of applications out there are either pen and paper replacements or copies of each other. I simply cannot stand in front of a person pretending that it will change their lives or that they will be better organized with my software. To some extent, it does feel like a con to sell software. It shouldn't, but it does.

Bootstrapping my ideas didn't lead to me being a founder or generating any revenue. Bootstrapping my ideas helped me understand the importance of all disciplines in a business and the ones I personally enjoy more.

If you are a drop in the ocean, and most likely, no one would give you funding and you are terrible at sales.

Do:

• Pursue your dream.
• Work solo or with people you really trust and know.
• Work on your own time.
• Invest in yourself. Most likely no one else will.

Don’t:

• Leave your job.
• Put all your savings into dreams.

I choose to see side projects as a good way to learn new technologies, acquire new skills, meet people and discover more of my strengths and weaknesses.
Will I ever try to do any marketing or sales?

Someday IH, someday!

Until then, my story has less of “Build it and they will come” and more of “Build it and you will learn”.