inessential by Brent Simmons

How to run your own software business

Next Tuesday at the OS X Conference I’ll be on a panel that Dan Wood put together: How to run your own software business.

One of the great things about running a small, independent software business is that it takes so little investment to get going. You need some computers—which I bet you already have. The developer tools are free. You need a website and email accounts and internet access, all of which are fairly inexpensive.

Depending on your goals, you don’t necessarily need to hire employees or rent an office or any of that traditional business stuff. The overhead is low, absurdly low.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake. You still have to create a product that people will like, and then you have to deal with paying taxes, keeping records, finding a payment processor, creating a website, helping customers—and a million details. It’s no slam-dunk, for sure.

It’s possible to succeed, and it’s possible to fail—but, the more you know, the better your chances of success.