aaronschroeder

It's hard to beat Claude Code with /remote. I can easily keep things moving from my laptop, phone, or another desktop. I realize Herdr can technically do that too and across more agents, but it's more to setup and I really don't need that.

Why write deterministic JavaScript when AI can generate it on the fly?

Vibe solidarity! I have a 2009 with manual everything - even the old crank windows and manual door locks. This truck seems right up my alley.

I recently demoed one and the immersive feel is insanely realistic. I was blown away. At the same time, I’m not sure how I’d use it. I had hoped it could allow having a multi-screen virtual desktop anywhere. It could, sort of. But there is enough input lag to make a power user frustrated. And after 30 minutes I was tired of wearing it. I hope they keep working on it, though. Version 3 or 4 could be when it really takes off…

This is one of the best arguments I've heard. SaaS is valuable because it's Software as a SERVICE. More often than not, the software by itself doesn't have much value without the team with deep domain knowledge supporting, maintaining, and constantly improving it.

The disadvantage is not just to early startups. I have ownership in a 9-year old small software company that has never taken investments and has managed to break even or be slightly profitable every year while growing. We reinvest revenue into a team that keeps improving the product.

In 2022 our reported "taxable income" to the IRS skyrocketed because of this rule change. Despite a small profit, we are paying tax on essentially 50% or more of our REVENUE. And because we are a pass-through entity, it pushes us into tax brackets that are quite ae bit higher than corporate tax rates of C-Corps.

2 or 3 years into this we will either have to take a loan to pay taxes, find a way to cut expenses, or (hopefully) grow enough in revenue while not increasing expenses to cover the additional tax.

It really is insanity. Our accounting firm and everyone they spoke with was convinced it would be "fixed" by congress before the final extension deadline a couple months ago. So we waited to the last minute to file, which, of course, resulted in significant late fees and interest on top of everything else.

Access was pretty incredible for what it is/was. I could build a structured database with a nice UI for non-data people, reports, and even more advanced things like automated emails, exports, etc., in 1/10th or even 1/20th the time it'd take to build something similar as a web app.

We had an Access database that managed grant funding for an entire public University and in many ways it worked a lot better than the SaaS app that recently replaced it. Need to collect a new set of data? No problem, give me 4 hours and it'll be ready to use :P.

I'd love to have something like Access but that worked very well as a platform-agnostic web app and could easily integrate with cloud infrastructure.

No magic formula, but in my case I worked for a research & evaluation office at a university for a number of years. I did everything from tech support to building small databases. During that time I learned about the needs of research projects, and a few specific grant programs, which led to opportunities to build systems to automate collecting and organizing data, then expand those beyond a single use case.

I'm no expert, so don't put too much stock in this, but a few tips from my experience:

1. Don't set out to start a business, then look for an idea. Instead, look for opportunities while you gain experience in a particular industry. I had 14 years of experience in the research/grant world before co-founding my first private business.

2. (Maybe) Look for a job as an SWE or IT support person within a non-IT company. Do a great job serving others and you'll become the go-to person for solutions. By the time I started the first company, we had already built over 10 small databases to solve specific problems, but none turned into anything more than one-off solutions to streamline specific processes.

3. Work hard, persevere, have a positive attitude, and always look for ways to help and serve everyone around you. Software is just the tool to provide a service. We support our clients through the software we build, but also through a very in-depth understanding of their world and how we can best help them. You also need a support network to start and grow a business, and people are much more likely to help and support you if they value and respect you.

4. Maybe owning your own business should be a 10 or 15 year goal. I know that's probably hard for people early in their careers seeing so many others self-employed. But there's something to spending a decade learning an industry and building a network. I'm not sure either company would have been successful had I started them in my early 20s. Just because the unicorn tech companies we hear about were founded by young college drop-outs doesn't mean that's the norm.I read somewhere that the average age of small business founders is somewhere in the 40s.

That was just my path, so take it with a grain of salt. There are many paths to starting a business and you'll want to decide what you want to get out of it. For me, it was never about making lots of money. It was about building something that helps others, creating good careers for people, and having the freedom to make our own decisions.

"...failures more often come down to a misjudgment of market need, growing too fast, and overly idealistic visions (all things, notably, that VCs encourage)"

So avoiding VC funding might drastically reduce failures? :-P. There are many opportunities for niche software and services, but most would never turn into the next unicorn. If you have a validated idea that has real potential and you are willing to take a huge risk, then by all means go for VC funding and talk to places like YC. This is what they are made for, and they are good at it. However, if your idea is part of the other 99%, there may still be real opportunity to create and build a successful small business. Just set your expectations appropriately.

I'm nobody special but have co-founded 2 small software companies in the past 8 years. Both provide much-needed niche software and services. Neither has taken any investment capital, and combined they employ about 30 people while paying above average wages.

If you really want to start a company, there are other paths, especially if becoming a millionaire isn't your primary motivation.

I think we're conflating two different things. "Do nothing" in the example given was to basically ignore the person and hope they figure it out.

Responding quickly and being available doesn't mean you don't also teach. When I did desktop support years ago I always explained what I was doing and why. Your mouse isn't working? I'll be right there. Let's see, sometimes disconnecting and reconnecting can fix. Let's try that. Yep, that worked. Oh, thanks - I'll try that myself next time!

I also found that responding quickly and having a humble/service mentality builds trust and respect. Those are the very things that give others pause and a desire to figure it out themselves because they trust you and respect your time. If you treat others poorly by ignoring them, for example, they are less likely to care if they are bugging or interrupting you.

I think following a process to triage and resolve issues within expected timeframes is different than just not responding at all. In these examples hopefully somebody already responded to the client and set expectations, right?

A product support team is one of the most important sales engines for a business. If clients rave about your support, they will sell your product for you. Hard to do that if the attitude and approach is "do nothing" and wait for issues to hopefully resolve themselves.

If your relationship with the requestor is a mentor/mentee or you are their supervisor, then sure, go ahead and let them stew a bit to see if they can figure it out.

If you are in IT support, it isn't your job to treat every colleague like a child who needs to learn. It's your job to serve others and remove any IT-related barriers to their productivity.

When I was doing IT support, half the requests were things people could figure out themselves if I just waited. But I was there to make their job easier and make them feel supported. Making them wait doesn't make them feel supported or instill confidence. Knowing they could call or text and have an immediate response is a huge boost to their productivity and feeling of confidence vs. wondering if or when I might reply.