I would like to build a new web service application, where to start
The main point is that I am a programmer and I am willing to work hard at least 20 hours per week to build a web service application that can be valuable to other people. I don't have an idea about service, just a will to work for it. What I should do for that to start efficiently, and to have a result?
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There are a lot of business people with ideas who are looking for developers to help out, you could try approaching them. – Robin Vessey 12 years ago
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Do you think that will be more efficient - to find a business partner, than starting business by myself? – Baraban 12 years ago
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Yeah, there is a lot more to building something than just writing code, you will need partners soon enough either way. If you don't have an idea then there are a lot who do and between you there is a better chance of covering all the aspects you require. – Robin Vessey 12 years ago
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I like you idea; the only issue unfortunately that for me to find a business partner is not easier task than to build a service. Both goals looks very hard. I do understand that putting my head into development could lead to the big waste of time and efforts. – Baraban 12 years ago
1 Answer
Find a need, and fill it.
You can survey people you know, ask experts in the industry (popular bloggers, even), etc. Try calling companies and express interest in what they do and who they are and find out how they're doing certain parts of their operations. Of course you respect privacy and other boundaries in the process, but if the people you network and associate with know you're not trying to sell them on something, but merely are interested in what they're doing, you'll have better results.
Further, examine your own experiences. Is there something you've been doing, or had to do, all this time that's irritating? (e.g. duplicating a certain code library) Is there a search you started but never finished? If so, go back and try that again. Google rocks here.
Make sure somebody else hasn't already performed the task and performed it well. If nobody has, or if you can do it better, then examine how you would do it and come up with a specific plan. Find out what features you'll want, what people need, and how you'll distribute this (pricing, accounts, endpoints, etc).
Make it, test it hard, and when it's ready, talk to those people or companies/organizations you surveyed and thank them. Show them your service, and offer it to them at an introductory rate (if you're confident) or even free. Then ask them to tell, say, 2 or 3 others about it for the compensation you made in the price.
Well, that's how I'd do it, anyway.
