yowkee essential

I have tried once to be self-employed and running software business a few years ago. The planned product isn’t out to the market at planned period of time and then I quited of some personal reason. I treated it as a failure in my mind, but this failed experience has been getting me back to think about working as a ISV (Independent Software Vendor) time by time.

Since then I have been following some ISV or MicroISV’s blog on and off. Some people’s success story really inspiring me but I have never taken any actions at all. What are those obstacles stopping me to go further? I have been pondering about it these few days, and here are my analysis of my own fear:

• I have no confidence to start a software business on my own. Ever since I started playing managing roles and act as a manager, I have less and less time putting my hand on any coding. Time flies and I do enjoy the manager role with its challenge and working with group of smart people. But to think about my own capability to start a MicroISV (one or two person ISV), I am hesistate. Despite, age of 33 has gotten me the fear to compete to young people. It looks like full of young and brilliant software people out there, and most of new pattern of success seem coming from young people. So, is it too late to start?
• Lacking of ideas: the question of “what to develop” has been sticking in my mind for months and I couldn’t get myself an answer. Lots of smart people’s blog suggested ideas aren’t the key thing to your product — you tend to find out what’s your strength, do the marketing analysis and following instinct. Well, I am not there yet.
• Security. Still, I have myself and my family to feed. There should have a stably cash flow plan if one got to sustain his/her startup business.

Finally, I have started to do some analysis on my own thought and reason of my procrastination. Feeling good to putting down the words. And from now on it should be the time to target to remove the obstacles one by one.