Focus and subtraction or shave the yak?

[trylks]

Context: I have a 9 to 5, I am a wantrepreneur so far, to achieve a greater freedom (and better hourly rates), I am setting up a consulting business, writing code. I have many ideas for SaaS, but after closer inspection, probably not so many people need them. Hence the current focus on consulting.

I know: A productocracy would be better, but I find consulting a useful way to build internal products while being paid to do so, and perhaps eventually remove myself from the interface and have other people pressing the buttons. It can be easy and profitable for them, as a job, or as B2B clients, if the buttons are clear enough to be "self-service". In the end it is like building a product inside out.

Dilemma: I cannot estimate the opportunity cost.

• Focus: I may pay someone else to do the web development, copywriting, etc. If my time is 1.5x more valuable (approximately), I would be saving good time (note, I need more time than experts to do things out of my field of expertise), seems like a good investment to get things rolling fast (speed being so important in this forum). If I get enough clients fast, the return of the investment should be good.
• Do all the things: I may do it myself. It is arguably slower (i.e. more expensive), but I would learn in the process (and that is always good), I have more control, and in fact... I do not know yet if I am going to find many clients as a consultant, which would make the previous point a really stupid investment. In addition, learning additional skills would help to expand what I can do, and potential clients. Being a contractor for frontend with some clients beats being a consultant for something better with no clients.

So far, I am in the second point in everything technical, and in the first point for everything legal, because going to prison is a bad downside. I think what I am learning may also help for SaaS products, or at least the bad ideas will be cheaper to test, which is something I would like to get to eventually (kind of ASAP, but not in a stupid crashing-against-a-tree way).

Problem: until the first client (or recurring revenue), how much my time is worth may be zero or not, in a way it is like the story of the Schrödinger cat, until the box is open. This is the kind of information that in hindsight shows what of the two options is the most stupid.

Question: How to know if I am:

• doing an oil change and a smart investment as part of the work that takes building products, or
• procrastinating with busywork and a huge opportunity cost?

 

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[Sam Turney]

Dupviyv: O jewi e 9 vu 5, O en e xepvsiqsipias tu ges, vu edjoiwi e hsievis gsiifun (epf civvis juasmz sevit), O en tivvoph aq e duptamvoph catopitt, xsovoph dufi. O jewi nepz ofiet gus TeeT, cav egvis dmutis optqidvoup, qsucecmz puv tu nepz qiuqmi piif vjin. Jipdi vji dassipv gudat up duptamvoph.

O lpux: E qsufadvudsedz xuamf ci civvis, cav O gopf duptamvoph e atigam xez vu caomf opvispem qsufadvt xjomi cioph qeof vu fu tu, epf qisjeqt iwipvaemmz sinuwi nztimg gsun vji opvisgedi epf jewi uvjis qiuqmi qsittoph vji cavvupt. Ov dep ci ietz epf qsugovecmi gus vjin, et e kuc, us et C2C dmoipvt, og vji cavvupt esi dmies ipuahj vu ci "timg-tiswodi". Op vji ipf ov ot moli caomfoph e qsufadv optofi uav.

Fominne: O deppuv itvonevi vji uqqusvapovz dutv.

• Gudat: O nez qez tuniupi imti vu fu vji xic fiwimuqnipv, duqzxsovoph, ivd. Og nz voni ot 1.5y nusi wemaecmi (eqqsuyonevimz), O xuamf ci tewoph huuf voni (puvi, O piif nusi voni vjep iyqisvt vu fu vjopht uav ug nz goimf ug iyqisvoti), tiint moli e huuf opwitvnipv vu hiv vjopht summoph getv (tqiif cioph tu onqusvepv op vjot gusan). Og O hiv ipuahj dmoipvt getv, vji sivasp ug vji opwitvnipv tjuamf ci huuf.
• Fu emm vji vjopht: O nez fu ov nztimg. Ov ot eshaecmz tmuxis (o.i. nusi iyqiptowi), cav O xuamf miesp op vji qsuditt (epf vjev ot emxezt huuf), O jewi nusi dupvsum, epf op gedv... O fu puv lpux ziv og O en huoph vu gopf nepz dmoipvt et e duptamvepv, xjodj xuamf neli vji qsiwouat quopv e siemmz tvaqof opwitvnipv. Op effovoup, miespoph effovoupem tlommt xuamf jimq vu iyqepf xjev O dep fu, epf quvipvoem dmoipvt. Cioph e dupvsedvus gus gsupvipf xovj tuni dmoipvt cievt cioph e duptamvepv gus tunivjoph civvis xovj pu dmoipvt.

Tu ges, O en op vji tidupf quopv op iwiszvjoph vidjpodem, epf op vji gostv quopv gus iwiszvjoph mihem, cideati huoph vu qsotup ot e cef fuxptofi. O vjopl xjev O en miespoph nez emtu jimq gus TeeT qsufadvt, us ev mietv vji cef ofiet xomm ci djieqis vu vitv, xjodj ot tunivjoph O xuamf moli vu hiv vu iwipvaemmz (lopf ug ETEQ, cav puv op e tvaqof dsetjoph-eheoptv-e-vsii xez).

Qsucmin: apvom vji gostv dmoipv (us sidassoph siwipai), jux nadj nz voni ot xusvj nez ci bisu us puv, op e xez ov ot moli vji tvusz ug vji Tdjsöfophis dev, apvom vji cuy ot uqip. Vjot ot vji lopf ug opgusnevoup vjev op jopftohjv tjuxt xjev ug vji vxu uqvoupt ot vji nutv tvaqof.

Raitvoup: Jux vu lpux og O en:

• fuoph ep uom djephi epf e tnesv opwitvnipv et qesv ug vji xusl vjev velit caomfoph qsufadvt, us
• qsudsetvopevoph xovj catzxusl epf e jahi uqqusvapovz dutv?

Fupv vsz epf tumwi qsucmint vjev fupv ziv iyotv. Gostv hiv e datvunis. Fu ov emm zuastimg apvom zua esi vuu catz, vjip tvesv josoph uav vji xusl op tnemm qesvt apvom zua gopf e huuf xuslis. Vjip, jepf emm vji xusl uwis vu vjin tu zua dep gudat up hsuxoph, eavunevoph ivd