Never Again on Big Gambles

I spent 5 long years on a big gamble website project. Naturally we web developers think we can make that big killer tracking system app and could collect millions of dollars. I did that, wasting 5 long years, and it didn't really get me far except to have it as a portfolio item and use it to lure my first client on a completely separate project.

Please hear my warning -- it's quite a gamble to do something like that, whether hosting it yourself or selling it. And it's a son of a gun to maintain and grow. Never again will I do that, and I highly recommend you think of the same thing.

While I was doing this, I would read news reports of guys spending far less effort, thinking up smaller ideas, growing the sites, and then selling the sites for $2M a piece. Makes you step back and kinda wonder, doesn't it?

Heck, if I think about it, I would be happy if all I did was spend 2 weeks building something, growing it organically over another 30 days in a 6 month period, here or there, and then selling the site for like $30K. Do enough of those and you've just made $100K. Do a little more and you've just paid off your house.

Really, the goal for any freelancer should be to be debt-free, first, and then work on the great ideas after that. And if you're a young guy who hasn't started a family yet, please oh please go start one because they are infinitely more worth it than wasting 5 years coding something. I recommend you acquire a house, a car, a boat, a cabin on the lake along the way as well. And pay those debts off, and raise enough income for you kids to be set for college, and when you've done all that, then go invest in those larger gambles.