Is it better to let your dream die or do a poor job?
For about the last year and a half I have had an idea for a web application that I think would be absolutely great. Everyone who I have talked to about the idea has told me that it is a great idea.
It wouldn’t really make a great business, as there is no obvious revenue source that can be taken that would allow for the objectivity and credibility that I want for this idea. Of course this doesn’t mean that the site couldn’t make money, but that’s one of the things that would have to be addressed.
The second thing holding me back is my lack of programming skills. I could probably fumble along and put something together that would roughly do what I’m looking for; however the loss of features and functionality would be substantial.
If I were to pay a programmer that would most likely cost me a couple thousand dollars at least for a bare-bones version of the application. And that’s not really something that I can do for something that has no way of making money. It’s hard to gain investors when you say, “I’ve got an idea that will probably make the world a better place, but won’t return any money for a long time, if ever.â€
I think that people on the internet would really embrace this project, and I would really like it to go through. What will the atmosphere be like on the internet in two years? What if I don’t get to it for five years and the internet is a completely different place? I know that just two years ago the internet was a different place. I think the application would be a little harder to launch today than it would have been two years ago; however defiantly not impossible.
So that’s where I start wondering, would it be better to spend all of my spare time to work on my project or to just let the dream die?
Todd,
I would see this as an opportunity to improve your programming skills - your first version might not be as great as you would like, but as you work on it you’ll learn more and more and then you could improve it. When you are finished, you’ll also have learned a valuable new skill.
August 17th, 2006 | #
I had a similar problem once. I teamed up with a small group of people to fill in my skill gaps. I got a programmer, a photographer, and a database guy and launched my own successful website, despite the fact that I didn’t know anything about html/css/cms.
Now we are one of the most successful websites in our category.
I was once like you. I wanted to keep my great idea to myself and I was wary of partners. But if you really love your idea, you have to trust that you can find people to share in the idea.
I’m actually considering new projects right now. If you like, feel free to email me and I can see if we can work together or find you some people who might fit well with your project.
August 17th, 2006 | #
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