Clients constantly ask me to design custom workout plans. I thought "I could build an app that generates these automatically." I started researching app development, got quotes from developers for $75k, and realized I don't understand anything about databases or user authentication.
I spent three months researching every booking system on the market before I even considered building my own. Found 47 different solutions, made spreadsheets comparing features, read every review. Then I realized none of them actually solve my specific problem and I'm back to square one.
I keep starting research on app development and getting distracted by other ideas. I've bookmarked like 200 articles about coding, watched half of a Python tutorial, started three different online courses. My browser has 73 tabs open and I still haven't built anything.
I called five developers about building a simple scheduling app. First one wanted $80k, second one said $25k, third one asked if I had wireframes—what the hell are wireframes? Fourth one talked for an hour about APIs I've never heard of. Fifth one never called back.
My wife keeps telling me to just hire someone to build this app idea I have. But what if I explain it wrong and they build the wrong thing? What if I waste $30k on something that doesn't work? I've been putting it off for eight months because I'm terrified of making the wrong decision.
I know exactly what this app should do, I can picture every screen, every button. But when I try to write it down for developers, it sounds stupid. Like, really stupid. Maybe it is stupid? I keep second-guessing myself and never actually reaching out to anyone.
I mentioned my app idea to my brother-in-law who works in tech. He immediately started talking about scalability, user authentication, and cloud infrastructure. I nodded along like I understood but honestly felt like he was speaking a foreign language. Now I'm embarrassed to bring it up with anyone else.
I've been carrying around this notebook with app sketches for a year. My friends are tired of hearing about it. I keep saying "I'm going to build this" but honestly, I don't even know what programming language apps use. Is it all the same? I feel like I should know this by now.
I finally worked up the courage to post in an entrepreneur Facebook group asking for advice. Got 47 responses telling me to learn React Native, hire offshore developers, use no-code tools, forget the app and build a website instead. Now I'm more confused than when I started.
If any of these stories sound familiar, you're not alone.
Thousands of founders have felt exactly this way.