From System Design Hobby to SaaS Founder: Did I pick the wrong battle?

A few months ago, I wasn't even thinking about "SaaS." I’m a Senior Software Engineer, and I was deep into a system design study. To put the theory into practice, I started building a URL shortener as a hobby project.

My stack was solid: Java/Spring Boot for the backend, React for the frontend, and AWS for the infrastructure. I just wanted to see if I could build something that handled high-volume redirects with sub-50ms speed.

Then, the goal shifted. I thought, "Why not turn this into a side income?" It was only when I started looking for marketing platforms that I discovered this whole "Indie Hackers" world. I realized my "hobby" was actually a product in a massive, crowded market. Now, I’m looking at giants like Bitly and TinyURL and wondering: Can a solo developer actually stand in front of these organizations?.

The Conflict:
Sometimes I ask myself if I chose the wrong product. As an engineer with experience in complex systems, maybe I should have worked on something with a higher "barrier to entry"—something less competitive and technically more complex.

The Realization:
My original motto was just to create some side income, but I’ve realized the potential is much bigger. I can see a path where this doesn't just pay a few bills, but becomes a full-time living.

I’m at a crossroads:

Do I stick with NanoURL, find a hyper-niche (like the Recruiter/Agency angle we've been discussing), and fight the giants?.

Or do I take these skills and pivot to a "Blue Ocean" idea with less competition?

I’d love your advice:
If you were in my shoes—coding 2 hours a day while working a full-time job—would you keep pushing a "commodity" product by out-positioning the big guys, or would you look for a more complex problem to solve?.

Also, if you have ideas for "complex" problems that need a robust Java/Spring backend, I’m all ears.

click here: https://nanourl.link/

#BuildInPublic #SaaS #SoloFounder #SystemDesign #NanoURL