How to Start and Run a Software Lifestyle Business

Discover how to launch and manage a successful software lifestyle business in this 59-minute conference talk by Joe Albahari at NDC Conferences. Learn the key differences between startups and lifestyle businesses, focusing on finding a niche and deliberately staying small to increase success rates while maintaining work-life balance. Explore essential topics such as idea incubation, marketing strategies, competitive analysis, and monetization techniques. Gain practical insights on payment processing, dealing with large corporations and resellers, providing customer support, and maximizing productivity as a sole programmer. Delve into technical aspects like efficient coding practices, automated testing, and source control. Understand the importance of automation, feature prioritization, and gathering customer feedback. Examine common pitfalls, marketing steps, legal considerations, and strategies for dealing with piracy and potential acquisitions. This comprehensive talk provides valuable knowledge for developers looking to create a sustainable and fulfilling software business without the pressures of venture capital or traditional employment.

Introduction
Software Lifestyle Business
Small obscure niche
Hardest thing
Ideas
Active vs Passive
Write a business plan
Competition
Business partner
Personality
Writing the product
Over engineering vs under engineering
Working efficiently for yourself
Automated testing
Source control
Monetisation
Payment gateways
Contacting customers
Running the business
Automating everything
What features to work on
How to get feedback
UserVoicecom
Upvote
Releases
Summary
Common reasons for failure
Questions
Overhyped tools
Marketing steps
Legal framework
Different types of market
Piracy
Being acquired
Patents