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<span class="basic_member_name">Joshua Cole</span>
Joshua Cole
Web Solutions Developer
Monroe, Washington
Posted by Joshua Cole, Monroe, Washington | Nov 28, 2008

Subscribe to  Indie Biz Q&A Classic business 101 mistake... Not sure how to proceed!

Hello, Thanks for looking at my post! :)

I own a business called debuggle. I have been doing some freelance work for a few friends but nothing that can really be considered “work”. I have a real job so my business is like a hobby more than anything. A long time ago, say 8 or 9 months, I decided to quit my job. I wanted to start my own business, I had issues with my boss, etc. I was and still am 18, have almost 0 expenses, and so it wasn't that big of a loss and it opened up a vast number of other possibilities. I had this idea for some software – having not taken a business class I dove head first into possibly the largest project I have ever started by myself. It was a software solution, a web-based database backup solution to be specific, and here I am 8 months later with what could be an almost-finished product and I feel absolutely lost!

After taking a business class and gaining a slightly better understanding about the enigmatic world of business I entered, I realized there were some flaws with my initial undertaking. I do not know who my product will appeal to, am not sure if it will work, do not have the funding to hire people to help me (I am working on the money part …) am not sure if it is worth getting a loan to continue or if I should just drop it all together, and ultimately realize the very common mistake I made  and am unsure as to how I should proceed. Having spent many hundreds of hours working on this software it pains me to even think about abandoning it and I am sure there would be ways to make money off of it – but I do not even know where to begin from here. Functionally it is basically done (aside from a few aesthetic flaws and a few hours of code-work) and I realize there are a few ways of selling it but my real problem comes down to knowing my market. Having 0 money to spend at this time I have no way of knowing even if a market for my software exists. Currently, to my knowledge, my software is primarily a one-of-a-kind solution and I cant really benchmark it against other applications similar because the functionality and general concept behind my solution is very different from anything I have seen for sale in todays market.

I just feel generally lost because its like, when I think about my software I have no idea what I should be doing with it. Any guidance or information would be greatly appreciated and I thank you for reading my post!

-Joshua

10 Bizniks have posted replies

  • Joe Hage
    Posted by Joe Hage, Seattle, Washington | Nov 28, 2008

    Joshua, read this.

    Then go through this and try your own.

    See if it helps. Joe

  • Braiden Harvey
    Posted by Braiden Harvey, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | Nov 28, 2008

    Good Luck

    Braiden Harvey

  • Joshua Cole
    Posted by Joshua Cole, Monroe, Washington | Nov 28, 2008

    Wow, that article is absolutely brilliant! I am working on creating my own positioning statement now. Thank you very much!

  • Biznik Community Tech Support
    Posted by Biznik Community Tech Support, Seattle, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    An alternate possibility would be to release the code using a Creative Commons license, and turning it into an Open Source project.

    Then other people would be able to help you finish it, bring new energy to the idea, and you would benefit from their experience and coding expertise as well.

    It wouldn't make you money (right away, at least) but it would involve you in a rich, collaborative community who will welcome you and help your product achieve success.

    Take a look at Open Source software, the Creative Commons licenses, and SourceForge.net. You might find your product is a great way to enter this energetic community!

  • Katie Lanston
    Posted by Katie Lanston, Moscow, Idaho | Dec 02, 2008

    Hey Joshua, sounds like you have an interesting project on your hands! :) If you're just at the beginning stages of your market research--especially if you're just beginning to determine whether or not a market even EXISTS for your product--you might take a few hours and turn to good ol' fashioned Google.

    Presumably, your software either solves a problem or fills a desire for someone, so start playing around with keywords to find out if people are searching for answers. If they are, it's a pretty good indication you might be on to something. Then, you can scope out what the competition is doing, and maybe even find forums and blogs where your prospects hang out so you can get to know them better.

    You can also use wordtracker.com: it's a keyword research tool that will suggest additional keywords and tell you what kind of search volume those keywords are receiving to help you get a picture for how large your market might be.

    Obviously, you can't do ALL your market research via the search engines...but this is a really fast and inexpensive place to start.

    Good luck!! Katie

  • Joshua Cole
    Posted by Joshua Cole, Monroe, Washington | Dec 02, 2008

    Thank you everyone! Some really great ideas here!

    Christian Thats an interesting Idea, thanks! I do however wish to turn this into a product that can make money so that might not be the best choice for me.

    Katie Thank you! Thats some great information, I will definitly try to get a feel for my marketing competition and see what others who are interested in the general services of my product are searching for.

  • Taylor Ellwood
    Posted by Taylor Ellwood, Portland, Oregon | Dec 03, 2008

    Have you written a marketing plan. It can make a big difference in terms of positioning yourself, but more importantly it can also help you think about how you are approaching people about your product.

  • Joshua Cole
    Posted by Joshua Cole, Monroe, Washington | Dec 03, 2008

    Thank you EVERYONE! I did some marketing research and am now "re-excited" about my project. I realize I need to add some more competitive features if I ever want to make sales and have, at least I think, a better understanding of my market. Once I make some more progress I am sure more questions will arise but right now I think I am set and have a better vision for where I want to take my software.

    I am impressed by everyones help and thank you all for inspiring me and giving me guidance!

  • mike young
    Posted by mike young, Kirkland, Washington | Dec 03, 2008

    Very Cool Joshua, good luck to you.

  • Paul McFadden
    Posted by Paul McFadden, Bellevue, Washington | Dec 03, 2008

    Joshua: Never forget that market research and marketing are key. That determines if there is a need for your product. If there isn't you need to go do something else or revise your product. Good luck! I'm excited whenever I hear about a new, young entrepreneur trying to make a go of it! Take care.

    Paul

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