After 7 years of running a 1-person dev agency, here’s my honest take on how to find success.

1. Start by picking something you can do really well.

I started working for myself because I knew I could do it better. Of course, I also had the biggest ego of anyone I know. But the truth is, if you don’t think you can do it better (or don’t care), then you probably won’t have the urge to work for yourself in the first place.

2. Listen to people who’s hiring.

Most people don’t want to broadcast their problems in the open. But if the problem gets big enough, they tend to look for people to solve it for them. If you don’t know what problems to solve, this is a great way to find one.

3. Offer your help.

When you find a problem worthwhile solving, you’ll probably be itching to get started. Offer your help, but don’t just dive right in. Start slow, answer some emails and see if you can solve their problem that way. The problem may not actually be that big, or the customer isn’t as invested in solving it as they initially said.

4. Build an audience.

Are there a lot of people solving the same problems, and are they hiring people to solve it? This is the easiest way to find something that’s both worthwhile and have a big enough market for competition. Unless you’re super confident you’ll be the best, you don’t want to niche too down. Find a big problem that you can comfortably be above average, and do good work there.

5. Don’t quit your day job (yet).

Finding a good problem to solve will take time, and you might lose interest. You’ll still need to get compensated for your time, so make sure you can make a living from solving these problem first.

6. Write it all down.

Content is great marketing. Lots of people write about nothing, don’t be one of them. Write down what problems you found, why they’re worthwhile of solving, and how you might be able to help.

7. Be a voice in your community.

If you’ve found a big problem that needs to be solved by lots of people (the best are simple solutions to a big problem), teach it to other people. Your goal isn’t to horde a problem and solve it all by yourself, your goal is do solve it better, and together with smart people.

8. Find focus and raise your price.

If everything goes well, you’ll be seen as a capable expert in your field. When you get busy and need to turn away clients, raise your price and pick only the best clients for you to work with. You’ll be happier and get more free time back, and do great work at the same time. This is what we set out to find in the first place.