Tech Doesn’t End at Make. It Starts After Make.

One feeling that can sometimes get the better of you: seeing what others are doing and wanting to do the same.

It happens often. I felt it yesterday. I saw someone post an app. It looked cool, and my first thought was: why don’t I build something similar?

There’s a difference between being inspired and wanting to jump into something you know nothing about just because it looks cool. Some people call the second one shiny object syndrome.

Why the shine pulls so hard

Part of the reason I get this feeling from time to time is that an ERP is a boring system. There’s nothing novel about it. Then you see people posting fancy, flashy, cool-looking things, and it sometimes makes you feel like maybe you should be doing something else.

It’s worth remembering that the unglamorous systems are often the ones businesses can’t live without. Boring is frequently where the real value is.

Check the root of the feeling

That feeling can have different roots. If the root is just the flashiness, it’s never the feeling to act on. But if the root is wanting to explore, to understand what this would do, what problem it solves or what solution you’d be offering, then it’s worth exploring further.

And with building an MVP easier than ever, a basic proof of concept is the obvious next step if you get serious about the idea. Testing an idea now costs very little.

Let it cool down first

So in essence: we sometimes get these feelings when we see others. Once the feeling loses its intensity, think about the idea. Is it something you actually want to dip your toes into? If yes, explore. If not, the feeling will be gone by then anyway.

Tech doesn’t end at make

One very important thing to remember: the more things you make, the more you stretch yourself. Every product you launch keeps asking for fixes, updates, support for its users, and your time, every month.

Tech doesn’t end at make. It starts after make.