That's funny because I'm also building a web-based Excel/database hybrid, and I'm also a bit concerned about demand. But your story doesn't deter me at all, for two reasons: one, because I'm crazy; two because of La Femme Nikita. Let me explain.
People talk about ideas as being worthless, etc. No, they're not. You can't get an oak tree with a mustard seed. But there's a big difference between even oak trees. Idea and execution are the same thing, just two ends of a continuous line.
The films La Femme Nikita and Point of No Return have nearly the exact same plot. The former is one of the greatest action films ever made; the latter is one of the worst.
That whole "build something people want" is only for people who want to make money. And honestly, if what you want is to make money, be a dentist.
People waant Facebook and Twitter and Farmville. But they need core technological innovation. They need better ways to work with data. You did the right thing, Andrew. It wasn't a waste of time. And I won't stop either, because the world has far too much of what it wants and far too little of what it needs.
Actually, Facebook, Twitter and Farmville are great examples of products nobody said they wanted and didn't solve any perceived problems, but are succesful any way.
I've compulsively weaned myself off the "solve a problem" mentality because it gets in the way of building truly innovative products, IMO.
You're right. You don't have to solve a problem. But you do have to create something people want, or something that appeals to them. Technically, there aren't many "problems" in life besides survival. Everything else though has to appeal to something in the Maslov hierarchy
And honestly, if what you want is to make money, be a dentist.
And if all you want is to build something just for the fun of it, don't start a company. You'll lose money, time and nerves. There really are only to options when building something. Either build something people want (and if somebody built it before you did, build a better version - see: Altavista, Yahoo and others vs. Google) or build something, and then make people want it (see: iPad).
But don't start a company to build something just so you can satisfy your professional curiosity. That's what side projects are for.
The web was a side project. It changed the world. Linux was a side project. It also changed everything. Angry Birds was a side pro... wait, no it was a way to make money... and that's fine. I'm not trying to say, "Don't make money." I'm saying, making what people want gets you Angry Birds. Making what people need gets you the web.
So your point is that you should build something that you believe people will need even though this need/want doesn't yet exist. Ok, I can agree with that. But if you're going to run a company, you better build something people want now, or be able to make people want it, otherwise you'll go bankrupt.
People talk about ideas as being worthless, etc. No, they're not. You can't get an oak tree with a mustard seed. But there's a big difference between even oak trees. Idea and execution are the same thing, just two ends of a continuous line.
The films La Femme Nikita and Point of No Return have nearly the exact same plot. The former is one of the greatest action films ever made; the latter is one of the worst.
That whole "build something people want" is only for people who want to make money. And honestly, if what you want is to make money, be a dentist.
People waant Facebook and Twitter and Farmville. But they need core technological innovation. They need better ways to work with data. You did the right thing, Andrew. It wasn't a waste of time. And I won't stop either, because the world has far too much of what it wants and far too little of what it needs.