I'm looking to build an affordable [open-core] tech toolkit for Startups and I'd appreciate any feedback you can give on the idea and the execution strategy.<p>The toolkit will contain:<p>1. A website
2. A REST API
3. A chatbot<p>Today, there are no shortage of free to affordable options for setting up either one of these. However, if you're not tech-savvy, figuring out how to put all the pieces together could easily set you back weeks to months in time, and hundreds to several thousands in real dollars.<p>In addition, the numerous SaaS options available compel you to put all your content [and trust] in the company hosting the service. And, once this content goes in [to these service platforms], you can't just download/backup your site/app or migrate to another provider [or host it yourself]; there's somewhat of a lock-in.<p>This tech toolkit is designed for a specific type of user who:<p>- is in need of a solution that costs a maximum of US$200 and can be deployed in 60 minutes or less to commodity cloud services
- would rather pay a reasonable, fixed upfront fee to setup their tech infrastructure, rather than multiple, perpetual subscriptions
- would like to have direct access to the source code powering their tech infrastructure
- would like to be able to customize things without having to wrangle with too many obscure/opinionated technologies
- is open to following clear, step-by-step, deterministic, technical instruction to install and setup the solution
- is open to [quickly learn how to] tweak markup/markdown or update human-friendly configuration files if they need to make updates
- would like to have the ability to easily outsource updates/customizations/extensions to a developer if they need to<p>Using this toolkit is probably not going to be as 'easy' as one of the [no-code] SaaS options, but life just isn't meant to be.<p>It's not designed to be a one-size-fits-all solution. It's also not designed to be competitive and/or exclusionary; there is no 'Us vs Them' model in play here because you can still integrate other third-party services. It's meant to be an available option for startup founders [and existing business owners] to get basic tech assets for their business going at a reasonable initial cost.<p>My current execution strategy is thus:<p>A. Validate: via a small group of early customers/feedbackers (20 to 30 to raise $2K to $3K)
B. Launch: in 60 days [post-validation] to the public
C. Sustain: update the solution post-launch to make it as good as possible, plus add relevant features at a manageable pace<p>Currently, I'm bootstrapping a startup called Restive. We're in the process of pivoting away from the traditional client-services approach, and instead focusing on building a suite of productized, open-core services that developers, designers, and enthusiasts can harness to build things for the Web.<p>One of the ways I've considered funding our growth is through a Series SP [for Side Project :)]. This way, I can eliminate the need to partner with non-aligned [with reality] capital sources. 'Experimenting to see if this project could assist with that effort.<p>I apologize to anyone reading this who would have liked to see some hard specs + features, but this post seems too long already. I'm happy to share more info in discussion here or via email [ohill@restive.io]. What I can say is that I'm sticking as close to native [HTML + CSS + JavaScript] as possible with a small set of extra tooling where absolutely necessary.<p>Again, I'm grateful for your feedback. Thanks for your time.