I used to build side projects constantly. As a software engineer, it felt like second nature. See a gap, ship something, improve it, rinse and repeat.

Earlier this year, I paused and started asking better questions. What if building from scratch was no longer the best way to make progress?

I have spent the past decade building things for early stage startups, corporate companies, e-commerce brands, and marketplaces. Tools, systems, apps, experiments. I enjoyed the challenge, but it always came with a cost: starting at zero.

Each new project began with no customers, no revenue, and no history. After years of doing this, I wanted something with more depth.

Instead of launching new ideas, I began studying what already existed. Small businesses, niche operators, and bootstrapped teams that had managed to stay alive for years. Some were still growing, others had plateaued, but each had been shaped by time, iteration, and the reality of running businesses year after year. That made them worth studying.

The businesses that caught my attention were not flashy. They were quiet but consistent with customers, workflows and margin. They had problems worth solving and traction that proved their value.

What began as research soon turned into real conversations. I spoke with founders about how they built their teams, how they made decisions, and what they would change if they had time. Those talks taught me more about operations than any book or podcast ever had.

Coming from a technical background, it is easy to overvalue code and undervalue process. Most small businesses do not fail because of poor software. They fail because operations are messy, offers are unclear, or owners are stretched thin. That is where I started to see how my skills could add value. Not by creating something new, but by helping what already works run more smoothly.

- Building from scratch taught me a lot, but always meant starting at zero.
- Buying an existing business lets me build on something real, with momentum.
- The shift is less about chasing something new and more about compounding what works.

In the next issue, I will share what many software engineers, including me, often misunderstand when they first start looking at businesses. Some of those mistakes are small but expensive. Others can quietly ruin a good opportunity.

If you have gone through a similar transition or are thinking about what might come after your own projects, I would be glad to hear your story.

Thanks for reading,

Jordan