Ask HN: Is building software a bad route for entrepreneurship?

[biznerd]

I've only tried to develop 1 app in my lifetime (a yelp for coding bootcamps). I had to brainstorm for weeks, if not months, for that idea. Building the site was no problem, but the real one was getting reviews (using various techniques, my partner and I only got a half dozen.) In the end, I spent a couple hundred bucks and several months down the drain.

Contrast that with what I'm doing now: niche sites. Just build content and get links. Much simpler. There are half a dozen excellent podcasts on the topics, and dozen more blogs with tutorials and how tos.

There's also FBA/dropshipping/ecommerce...

Of course, developing your own app is a lot more satisfying. But I think it's way way more difficult. I think it's better to bat for singles then aim for home runs. Not to mention that some people are making 7 figures off niche sites with no employees and an awesome software project could end up making $200/mo.

[mindcrime]

There are many roads to Rome. If what you're doing works for you, then do it. But as to the question of whether or not "building software a bad route for entrepreneurship?" is a true statement in any universal sense, I think the answer is obviously "no". An awful lot of people have done amazingly well as entrepreneurs by building software, so it's pretty clear that it works for some people.

[biznerd]

If you want to use the roads to Rome example, I'm sure there are some roads that have lots of pot holes. I guess you technically still get there, but there are easier roads that are quicker and safer.

[blackrock]

What are some earnings and profit examples of these sites?