28M software engineer, employed, want to build something that eventually replaces my salary — no idea where to start
I'm 28, male, working full-time as a software engineer. Stable job, decent pay, no complaints there. But I want to build something of my own that could eventually replace my salary.
Problem: I have zero experience with this. I've never sold anything, never run a business, never freelanced. I can build software, but that's apparently the easy part. I don't have a product idea I'm attached to and I don't have a "pain point" story — I just know I don't want to be an employee for the next 30 years.
What I'm looking for:
- How did you find your first thing to work on when you didn't have an obvious idea?
- Did you start with services/freelancing/consulting first, or go straight to a product?
- What's a realistic timeline before something starts covering real bills?
- What do you wish someone had told you in year one?
Happy to be told my expectations are unrealistic. Just want honest input from people who've actually done it.