# Viable for lone developer to create & run non-trivial subscription site?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/viable-for-lone-developer-to-create-run-non-trivial-subscription-site/148623>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [September 15, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/viable-for-lone-developer-to-create-run-non-trivial-subscription-site/148623 "2008-09-15T18:23:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mitch)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/viable-for-lone-developer-to-create-run-non-trivial-subscription-site/148623/1 "2008-09-15T18:23:52Z")

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I’m very new to Rails and wondering if it’s viable for me to create  
and run a niche market “project management” web app all on my own?

Is this too big a job, too much to expect? Are subscription sites of  
significant complexity always developed and maintained by teams of at  
least 3-4?

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**Author:** ![mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mitch)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/viable-for-lone-developer-to-create-run-non-trivial-subscription-site/148623/2 "2008-09-15T18:25:39Z")

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I think that can be done.

We’re four developers in our company,  
but starting at least seven or eight sites a year.  
Most times a project is handled by a single  
programmer, but each of us has his strengths, of course.  
It’s a great help if you have somebody around with  
really good knowledge of HTML/CSS/JS.

So the amount of work can be handled, maybe  
you should consider to use the help of a really good  
hosting company with some experience in RoR, since that  
would take off a large burden learning and finding  
information on installing and running your app. I’m  
always happy, if I can concentrate on programming  
instead of maintenance and installation.

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**Author:** ![mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@mitch](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mitch)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/viable-for-lone-developer-to-create-run-non-trivial-subscription-site/148623/3 "2008-09-16T05:57:26Z")

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It certainly is viable. I run a number of sites on my own, including a  
subscription site, Catch the Best. You just need some planning and a  
fair  
amount of free time to pull it off. 🙂

–  
Benjamin C.  
[http://railskits.com/](http://railskits.com/) - Ready-made Rails code  
[http://catchthebest.com/](http://catchthebest.com/) - Team-powered recruiting  
[http://www.bencurtis.com/](http://www.bencurtis.com/) - Personal blog