Web development as a subscription

I think there's definitely something here, but there's one major flaw that stands out to me.

Developers can't sit down with a brand-new project and get to work right away. They'll need to familiarize themselves with the project, tech stack, build process, etc. As a business owner, you don't want to pay people to look around for hours every time you need help. It's wasteful for everyone, and that waste comes at the expense of the company hiring the devs.

It will also be challenging for devs to make educated technical choices without a deep understanding of the code base. It reminds me of the time I tried Zipcar: nobody cares because it's not their car, and no one is checking on it, so it gets gross and dangerous until it completely breaks down for one unlucky soul ;)

I'm just spitballing here, but it could help to niche down. For instance, maybe launch only for Ruby or even one particular library. If the work is highly standardized, that would greatly improve the efficiency of the developers when joining new projects.

This looks like a tough product to crack, but I can see a lot of potential here if you can address some of the efficiency issues.

With some quick googling it seems the number is closer to $75.000-$80.000.
I don't know if that makes much of a difference to what you have in mind, but it does mean that the $2k subscription model, is a larger percentage of the number you are thinking about replacing.

I think the baseline pain is big enough that it requires solving somehow, but I don't think this product would do it. In my opinion it's simply too complex right out of the gate, due to the number of variables:
How many requests can I submit per X time? What should I expect turnaround time to be? What is the maximum size of what I can request? How early in advance do I need to submit my request? What if my developer is not free (sick, on vacation, other projects. etc.)? What if client is late on submittal, can things be moved around? How is this better than shopping per-project on upwork for example?

I do believe there is a problem to be solved here. But I the suggested solution is very difficult to manage, and as we all know it's a lot more difficult to scale something that is complex than something that is simple.

I would look harder at the core issue here and attempt to really uncover the pain and difficulties/disadvantages with current solutions (full time hires or per-project freelancers), and see if you can provide an alternative that doesn't have those downsides.

I think it's a lucrative idea. I'm planning to do the same thing. Found two other companies with the same model. Ecomexperts. io and devuchi dotcom

@viktorg, I have been freelancing of sorts for the past 10 years. I have a few projects (and tech stacks) that I am really good at spinning up quickly. I have toyed with marketing these specific projects to gain the types of customers I want, and I have toyed with the same idea you are proposing, a subscription model.

In my experience though, I am already working as a subscription model, but I don't really market it as such. I will often start working for a customer and a couple of months in, if it is an ongoing project, I convert my customer into a "guaranteed contract" (I don't really know what to call it). We agree on a set price per month and I do my best to guarantee they will be happy. The set price is easy to establish after a couple of months and once we have found a cadence working together. This has worked pretty well for me.

I guess my point is maybe market the types of products you want to build and can build quickly. Then you can either convert your customers to monthly payments once they realize the value you provide, or, be up front and honest about what you can provide and go all out on the benefits, how you will work together, what to expect, etc. I personally wish the freelancer/contractor space was subscription based. There are a lot of benefits on both sides. And nobody likes tracking hours, tracking value is more beneficial even if customers don't realize it up front. I'd love to see someone find a way to make this happen.

Good Luck!

PS: Listen to the interview with Brett Williams of DesignJoy on the IH PodCast #249. Good stuff.

Exactly what you're talking about "AutopilotNext".

Today, indeed, no large company can do without its own software. This is simply necessary to automate all business processes and interaction with customers. This is especially very important in large-scale trading.

@viktorg check out this company: https://www.taskhusky.com/

They are offering what you're describing for Shopify stores.

A subscription makes the service seem commoditized and decreases the perceived value . Doesn't seem to make sense for software dev. Pricing doesnt make sense until the scope of the project is laid out. Otherwise it would seem a developer would just want to deliver the minimum amount to keep the client subscribed for as long as possible. Makes sense? Or am I off base...

Hey，you can check out this project, https://dework.xyz/

How is it different from a service like toptal.com, where pre vetted freelance devs are available?

I've seen a lot of different pricing strategies when it comes to subscription based services. The biggest thing people say when they hear about subscriptions is "It doesn't make sense". When you think about it, they actually make sense — as long as you know what product you're building and how often it will change. EZYTOR.com is a simple, easy, and powerful website editor with all the elements you need to create a stunning website in just a few minutes.