I think most developers know it can be done on a shoe string budget. The problem is normally the lack of an idea or a specific skill. The latter normally requires a co-founder or contractors. Real businesses rarely go anywhere in a garage. Even the best ideas require investment to scale.
Depending on how you define "real," that statement doesn't hold up. There are thousands of solo apps and dev contractors who are successful on their own. It's almost commonplace to build a business on your own, with limited risk, and sell it for a profit. Most of these are LLCs and S-corps that you wouldn't hear about in national news because they're only valued at a few million dollars, but that doesn't mean they aren't real.
Even the best ideas require investment to scale.
Investment of your own time, sure. A hundred bucks here and there definitely greases the wheels of marketing, resources, design, etc. But it's a misconception that you need a gigantic Series A in order to get your business to the point that you can make a comfortable living from it. If "scale" means millions of users, then yes, there are most likely unique challenges involved that a solo founder can't address. But for most businesses, "scaling" refers to thousands or tens of thousands of users, a more than manageable number on a small budget.
I think most developers know it can be done on a shoe string budget. The problem is normally the lack of an idea or a specific skill. The latter normally requires a co-founder or contractors. Real businesses rarely go anywhere in a garage. Even the best ideas require investment to scale.
Depending on how you define "real," that statement doesn't hold up. There are thousands of solo apps and dev contractors who are successful on their own. It's almost commonplace to build a business on your own, with limited risk, and sell it for a profit. Most of these are LLCs and S-corps that you wouldn't hear about in national news because they're only valued at a few million dollars, but that doesn't mean they aren't real.
Investment of your own time, sure. A hundred bucks here and there definitely greases the wheels of marketing, resources, design, etc. But it's a misconception that you need a gigantic Series A in order to get your business to the point that you can make a comfortable living from it. If "scale" means millions of users, then yes, there are most likely unique challenges involved that a solo founder can't address. But for most businesses, "scaling" refers to thousands or tens of thousands of users, a more than manageable number on a small budget.
Totally agree with you! Did you read "Company of one" by Paul Jarvis?