Why You Won’t Build The Next Basecamp & Why It Doesn’t Matter

When I started work as a web developer, back in 2005, Basecamp was the big new thing — web apps in general were the big new thing. Ambitious developers wanted to “build the next Basecamp”, and that’s a phrase I still hear today, six years after Basecamp became popular.

Building the next Basecamp is a pointless aim for any startup, and here’s why. First, the target is too vague: “the next Basecamp”, what does that mean? Basecamp came along when web apps were fresh and new, and the web app market was young enough to have room for big, generic products which covered a lot of ground — Basecamp is essentially a project management tool aimed at a very broad market. Now the web app market is more mature, you’re more likely to be successful if you niche down and build something that targets a very specific audience. You might make less money, but at least you’ll make some money (and you’ll stand a much better chance of making more than just “some”!).

Second, “build the next Basecamp” is too often used as a lazy stand in for “make lots of money with a web app”. Don’t mistake effect for cause: “make a lot of money” is an OK goal in itself, but you won’t achieve that goal just by wanting to achieve it — I don’t care how much pop psychology you read. You’ll get to your goal by making something good that sells!

Third (and this is most important, even if you don’t think it is): if you’re talking about building “the next Basecamp” then any spark of creativity you might have will be drowned by your (probably subconscious) desire to blindly copy the people who have already got to where you want to be. Read Rework, learn Rails, build a web app…it worked for them so why not for me? The only problem: success comes from inspiration, not from duplication. Forget what’s happened before and use your own ideas: they’re the only chance you’ve got.