SoloWare

Software built for exactly one person—yourself—with no obligation to maintain it for others

Dharmesh Shah
Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company

SoloWare

"SoloWare is exactly what it sounds like. It's software built for exactly one person, and in my case, that one person is me. I've been doing this for 30 years—I just build things that I would myself find useful." - Dharmesh Shah

What It Is

SoloWare is the practice of building software tools exclusively for your own use, with no intention of serving other users. This eliminates the burdens of user support, testing, UI polish, and the commitment that comes with having users depend on your work.

Dharmesh Shah has practiced SoloWare for 30 years alongside his company-building work, creating personal tools like his LPM (laughs per minute) tracker that he has no plans to release publicly.

How It Works

The Advantages of SoloWare

  1. UI designed for one - No need for intuitive interfaces; you know how it works
  2. Minimal testing - Only needs to work for your use case
  3. Can be shut down anytime - No users to disappoint if you stop maintaining it
  4. Fast iteration - No coordination with users on changes
  5. Scratches your own itch - Built for problems you actually have

The Decision to Graduate from SoloWare

Not all tools should remain SoloWare. The calculus to consider:

  • "Is this useful enough to enough people where it's worth the calories of making it non-SoloWare?"
  • Even small user bases create obligation ("even 10 users would be disappointed if you took it down")
  • The transition requires UI investment, testing, support, and ongoing maintenance commitment

SoloWare vs Side Projects

Many builders create side projects with the implicit goal of gaining users. SoloWare is explicitly the opposite—the goal is personal utility only. This removes the pressure to grow, market, or maintain for others.

How to Apply It

  1. Identify recurring personal friction - What problems do you encounter repeatedly that could be solved with software?

  2. Build quick and ugly - Polish is unnecessary. Just make it work for you.

  3. Resist the urge to ship - Not everything needs to be a product. Some tools are just for you.

  4. Iterate freely - Change anything, break compatibility, rebuild from scratch—no users are affected.

  5. Use it as a learning vehicle - SoloWare is excellent for learning new technologies without the pressure of production code.

  6. Periodically evaluate graduation potential - Is this useful enough for others? Do you want the maintenance burden?

When to Use It

  • When you have a personal workflow problem
  • When you want to learn a new technology
  • When you want to experiment without commitment
  • When you have an idea but don't want the burden of users
  • When the tool is highly specific to your unique situation

The framework is valuable because it:

  • Gives permission to build without shipping
  • Removes pressure to productize everything
  • Creates space for experimentation
  • Acknowledges that having users creates real obligations
  • Provides a legitimate category for non-public work

Examples from Dharmesh

  • LPM tracker - Custom software analyzing laughs per minute in his talks
  • Various personal productivity tools built over 30 years
  • ChatSpot started as a personal project before becoming a HubSpot product

Source

  • Guest: Dharmesh Shah
  • Episode: "Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company"
  • Key Discussion: (00:14:30) - Explains the SoloWare concept and philosophy
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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