Building a Business, Not Just a Product
Why focusing solely on your product isn’t enough
Throughout my career as a software developer, I believed that starting and running a business was simpler than building software. This wasn’t exactly true. Only when I started building my own business did I discover how much I had overlooked. In this week's edition, I'll explore some of the misconceptions I had and share what I've learnt about the realities of business versus software development, and how the two need to work in tandem in order for a product to succeed in the market.
Good Work Takes Time, But Business Can’t Always Wait
What made me a good software developer actually worked against me in business. When building software, I had a tendency to create the most robust systems that could withstand all sorts of scenarios. While this attention to detail is important in software development, it's not always beneficial in business. Customers simply want solutions that solve their problems. If you spend a month preparing a comprehensive proposal that covers every possible scenario, you might find that your competitor wins the deal with a simpler proposal that addresses the customer's core needs.
Broken Trust Isn’t a Bug You Can Patch
In software development, we expect things to change and often stress-test systems to their limits to find breaking points. However, this approach doesn't translate well to business. When a business fails to deliver promised value to customers, it erodes trust immediately. Unlike software development, you can’t deploy a fix to mend broken trust.
Build it and they won’t just come
In my early days, I thought an exceptional product or service would sell itself. If I offered the best, surely customers would come, right? Wrong.
Business isn’t just about what you build*.* It’s about how you connect with people, understand their needs, and build relationships. Customers choose to work with those they trust, and trust comes from authentic interactions, not just outstanding features or expertise.
Final thoughts
Building a successful software product means balancing technical skills with a solid business strategy. Even the best code is just code without a business strategy to sell it and communicate its value it won’t sell itself. Business success depends heavily on soft skills and building relationships, neglecting these can be disastrous. Only after learning these lessons did my business begin to gain traction. Whether you're an established business or a startup developing software, you must build your business model in parallel with your product to achieve success.