With a large pot of $$$ at the end
I was recently involved in a prolonged session of deep meditation and, over the course of an entire weekend, I was finally able to shed light on a topic I dearly care about: success and money out of my passions.
It is also entirely possible I was taking a shower a couple hours ago and just had my usual mini-Eureka! moment.
The thing is: I recognized the frankly obvious 7 layers of a successful software startup.
- Target users
- Business model
- Front-end application
- API layer
- Back-end application
- Data layer
- Hosting (a.k.a. “servers”)
That’s it. Everyone knows about them. No magic there, no revelation.
What I think is really new to some of us, is the clear realization that every single point in that list only exists to serve the previous one.
I worked for companies that didn’t get any of this, and for companies that got 5 / 7. I worked for a company where a couple projects nailed 3 through 1, somewhat managed to get 4, but 5 to 7 where subdued by commercial agreements.
I work now for a company — Wayonara, check it out, we are about to change the way you think about and plan your travels — where at the time of writing we don’t get all of the points, but we are always learning and improving on a daily basis (and this is why I’m happy to work with you — hey, guys!).
Let me expand on the relation between each of these points.
Target users and business model
Target users are the ones you expect to earn money from, and your business model has the only purpose to serve your target users hence earning money.
Front-end application
The front-end application has no other purpose than allowing your startup to perfectly execute the business model, to serve your target users hence earning money.
API layer
The API layer (think REST for simplicity’s sake) exists to serve the front-end application. You don’t just throw your data model into a dumb HTTP pipe and hope for the best. You instead carefully craft each and every response to ensure the API layer perfectly serves the needs of the front-end application. The API layer enables the front-end application to execute the business model, to serve the target users, and earn money.
Back-end application
The back-end application is where you prepare the API layer.
Your favorite framework doesn’t provide enough customization options for creating an API layer which can be perfect for the front-end application?You choose another framework.
You can’t find a better fitting framework for your favorite programming language?You choose another programming language.
The back-end application is where you use the data layer to craft the perfect API-layer for your front-end application, which executes the business model, which best serves the target users, and earns you money.
Data layer
The data layer: data model, database(s), caching, message queues, and so on.There can be only one guiding principle for you to design your data layer, only one question:
Does this allow me to serve the back-end application for the best, enabling it to craft the perfect API layer for the front-end application, whose sole purpose is executing the business model, to serve target users and earning me money?
Hosting
Finally, the foundations: hosting. If you kept reading until now, I bet you know where this paragraph is going.Choose your hosting (hardware, OS, SaaS, PaaS, …) not because is cheaper, not because is newer, not because you know it.Choose your hosting because — chant with me — it’s the perfect environment for your data layer, so that it can be used by the perfect back-end stack to craft the perfect API layer, which the front-end application will have absolutely no problem in using, in order to execute the business model so well that your target users will be extremely happy and…
Earn.
You.
Money.
$$$.
The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies or opinions of my employer.