Got a little block in my mind

[carupe]

Hello, I hope this is posted in the correct section of the forum.

A few weeks ago I got an idea that I would like to bring to the local market that has a huge potential. It would be like a marketplace website for specific things. I thought that the idea is not yet implemented in my country when after a few days I heard an ad for a similar thing on the radio.

After a short search, I found like 2 or 3 more competition websites. They all look well built with tons of clients already. The point is that I couldn't even build such a marketplace quickly so I decided to learn PHP, which I am doing for like 2 weeks now and still only know basics.

And now I started with some negative thinking again. I can't even code such a website and those competition websites are already running for a long time with a lot of customers. Such websites probably require a lot of security and everything because a lot of information about customers is saved in the database when again, I can only code very basic stuff right now.

So I have some fights in my head again telling me, continue to learn PHP and start building the website, and the other voice is telling me the other side (the possible complexity of such website, established competition, etc...).

I would really like to hear some opinions from fellow people.

 

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[jesseissorude]

Before you write another line of code, is there a way you could talk to a few of the future users of your site?

 

[carupe]

Before you write another line of code, is there a way you could talk to a few of the future users of your site?

Well yes, I could contact them directly..

 

[jesseissorude]

Well yes, I could contact them directly..

I like that. Talk to a couple, take them out for coffee (or whatever), and bounce your idea off of them.
What you really want to find out is if your idea solves a real problem for them. Don't assume it does, test that assumption and force them to poke holes in the idea.

 

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[chuckypita]

Fire, ready, aim....

Sometimes the best way to learn to swim.... is to jump in the pool.

 

[NMdad]

The best way to validate is to talk to your potential customers/market. If there's only lukewarm interest, you haven't found a viable pain point--yet. Keep digging--there's a high probability there's some other problem they're willing to pay to have solved.

 

[carupe]

I like that. Talk to a couple, take them out for coffee (or whatever), and bounce your idea off of them.
What you really want to find out is if your idea solves a real problem for them. Don't assume it does, test that assumption and force them to poke holes in the idea.

Hey, took a while but I got some feedback. Pretty much every one of the told me that they like the idea and would be using it. Some even recommended me what features should it have.

Fire, ready, aim....

Sometimes the best way to learn to swim.... is to jump in the pool.

Thats what Im kinda doing now but its hard, I am very bad at coding.

 

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[jesseissorude]

Hey, took a while but I got some feedback. Pretty much every one of the told me that they like the idea and would be using it. Some even recommended me what features should it have.

nice! How much would they pay for it? If it's an app, I guess $1.99 or something similar?

Now, how big is the potential market (people in this niche with iphones/android)? If you assume that 1-5% of the entire market will get this app, how much money would that generate?

 

[Silverfox148]

Thats what Im kinda doing now but its hard, I am very bad at coding.

Keep working at it, the competence will come in time learning to code is also a process, if you are process oriented it will come. A lot of software especially on the web isn't in the technical sense good code, but all that matters is that it looks good and people are willing to pay for it. I have mentored numerous new college grads in coding with CS/IS degrees and most of the time, they themselves don't really understand it at first.

Coding is an essential skill to have, it will have an ROI in the future even if you don't code for a living.

 

[Tubs]

@carupe You should check out a book called "The Lean Startup." it'll help you get started, and help you get over any perfectionism you might have.

 

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