This is the best time to start a business

October 23, 2024

Low-code technology makes it simple.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, we coded everything by hand -- every table, every user interface element, all the business logic, one button at a time.

And now, we can snap together relational databases and interface elements like Lego pieces. Low-code apps, low-code website, Power BI dashboard, and there's your MVP.

I built a working prototype for my QR Card solution entirely using prefabricated components.

Sure, there's code involved -- but it's low-code -- the Minimum Viable Programming required to get the job done.

I didn't need to learn React or get into JavaScript or deal with the mind-bending complexity of what's possible in the deep end of the pool with multi-cloud APIs and local AI models.

Even so, I can maintain parity using Azure OpenAI and Copilot Studio, and I can do so inexpensively.

Or for free*.

Microsoft for Startups offers grants of $1,000 to $5,000 and up in Azure Credits, plus enough licenses for you and your team to get started with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Sales.

Tech is cheap and there's talent everywhere, not to mention office space when I get to that point.

The real bottleneck is finding a way to direct all that energy.

It's not enough to have free technology. As a nimble new entrant, you need to find a marketplace where you have an advantage over slow-moving incumbents.

That's the next part of my argument, which I'll cover in a future post.

In the meantime: Do you agree?

Is this the best time to start a business, or what?

*TANSTAAFL

(Illustration: Tamara Schneider)