The Unsurprising Benefits Of Building SoloWare

For 3+ decades now, in addition to my "day job" as founder of a startup, I've worked on what I call "SoloWare" -- software built for one person (me).

There are three primary motivations for doing this:

1) There's something I want software to do for me -- and what I specifically need doesn't seem to exist (or I couldn't find it).

2) I'm looking to learn some new technology or try some new API or tool.

3) Building software brings me joy.

Developing software is exponentially easier when you have one user.

You don't have to worry about the UI.

Or documentation.

Or training.

Or support.

And most importantly, you don't have to worry about shutting it down if it's no longer serving a useful purpose.

Having said that, there are times when things start out as SoloWare but then become products or features for HubSpot. An example of this is ChatSpot. This is a win-win for everyone, because HubSpot has an awesome team and 200,000+ customers and the resources to do all the things that I individually can't.

If there's enough interest, I'll start writing about some of my SoloWare projects. Perhaps they'll spark ideas for you or give you some more dots to connect in the future.