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I'm developping a web application in my free time and i'm planning to sell it to companies, starting with the company in which i'm working for as Web developer.

One of the biggest advantages of this application is that it can suit companies in different activity sectors, as long as users use computers to work with.

I estimate the workload to be 3 to 6 months depending on how many functionnality i want to include.

Now, I'm afraid that when the time comes to propose it to my employer, it makes fun of me because it's not worth selling, I'm afraid they find it basic and minimalist to be sold.

The business model i'm planning to go for, is charging a fee monthly by each user using the application, something like :

  • 1 to 100 : 10$ per user monthly
  • 101 to 500 : 7$ per user monthly
  • 501 to 2000 : 5 $ per user montly

I would like to know which criteria my web application should contain to be able to sell it like that ? Would company managers fin the pricing logical compared to the workload of 3 to 6 months ?

I know i can lie about it and say it took me 2 years to make it .. but that's not how i imagine starting things, i prefer honesty.

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I believe your general approach is wrong. The fact that it's a web application is besides the point; how it actually helps clients is the only important factor.

Does it help them save money, generate new clients, execute tasks more rapidly or with less errors - or something else? The pricing very much depends on the line of business and the financial effect your product can potentially have.

Instead of immediately creating the full product, ensuring that the idea is relevant and sellable is important. There are several ways to go about that; one of them being creating a Minimum Viable Product and seeing how that goes.

Since it sounds like you already have your first client in mind, try to cooperate with them in the creation of the product instead of creating it yourself and only revealing it when it's done.

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  • I think the idea is sellable since it seems there are others who sell an Advanced version of what i'm planning to create and sell. That's my way of "creating a Minimum Viable Product and seeing how that goes". If i try to cooperate with the company they might try to take control of the idea, that's why i prefer to wait until having a full functionning product to present. Now it's more about how should i approach the client, who to talk to ? how to present the product to maximize my chances, via demonstration ? which arguments ? etc.
    – codeless
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 11:13
  • Who to contact depends on who you know. If you have access to a decision-maker, that should be your target.
    – morsor
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 11:16

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