Losing steam because your MVP is taking too long to build? Let's get it shipped ASAP.
Are you a dev working on a side project or MPV, but it's taking weeks (or months) to get out the door? Sometimes I see tech people working on a project for a few months without any feedback at all, and that can be extremely draining.
What's holding you back? Project scope? Feature bloat? A little nervous about getting out of the building? Ask yourself and let me know. And then let's get your MVP shipped ASAP!
This is on-point for me. Yes, I've just switched from years of ideation and small POCs to deciding to build an ambitious app in earnest. And I'm struggling with tech stack choices -mainly about backend and DB choice. I'm determined to use Svelte for front-end, because I love it and my developer experience matters a LOT to me (development is already stressful enough).
I feel strongly that I can't do this alone any more. At the least, I need some form of coworking. Mentorship or partnership would be a step up, but just a small group of fellow developers to bounce ideas with and solve problems with would be a huge boost to my motivation.
FYI as a brief overview, I've added the project here on IH, the working name is "MetaBrain"; it is to be a complex (yet intuitive and highly efficient) knowledge-management tool. I like to think of it as an "operating system for life", suitable for eg. personal cashflow planning, project management, up to the most ambitious scientific research projects.
It will want a very fast backend, with a graph-capable DB. I'm thinking something like Redis + ... perhaps GunDB, FaunaDB, DGraph etc. Maybe even just MongoDB to start, for ease of use (though I'm so inexperienced on backend, there is no "easy and familiar" path for me).
FYI I'm a self-taught developer, on and off for the past 7-8 years. Fulltime single parenting one child. Unemployed otherwise, at the moment.
Very interested in your advice and how you can help me "get your MVP shipped fast ASAP!" :)
It is very pragmatic of you to realize when you need a kick in the pants!
If your goal is to learn a ton of different things, then side projects are great. Even incomplete ones. Just keep what you're doing.
Assuming your goal is to make $, then you need to take off your developer hat and put on your entrepreneurial hat. Now. They are 2 different roles and demand different skillsets.
Don't think about databses, scale, speed—anything technical. If you feel you're being pulled in that direction and you just can't help it, that is ok. You just have to understand your trading in developer knowledge for entrepreneurship. That's ok, just be up front about it.
If you're wearing your entrepreneur hat, embrace constraints. I'll say it again, embrace constraints. Can you find a way get the MVP out by next Friday? Use a no-code solution. Or just a signup form.
Try to get 5 signups.
(And don't talk too much about your product on the signup page. Talk about the problems it solves and briefly touch on how your proudct works).
Keep at it and let me know how it goes.
Thanks Scott, I just checked back in here; good advice, and as always, makes more impact than hearing it from myself ;) I'll keep it in mind and let you know how it goes. Can't apply right away, busy family week (camping etc) but will step back and reflect.