I regularly encounter start-ups and organisations who’ve built things they didn’t need to, when there are many readily available platforms they could have used instead.

A key principle of doing less, better and being able to stay small, is to only build what’s unique to your proposition.

Creating software can be like buying a pet – it’s a big commitment. It’s not just about building it; you also have to care for it constantly. This includes making sure it stays safe, up-to-date, and working smoothly – much like tending to a garden to prevent it from becoming overgrown (and why, with 3 young kids, there’s not much more than grass in mine 😅).

Here’s some examples of common system components, where numerous platforms exist which you can use instead of building them yourself 👇

📄 Content Management
🆔 Identity & Login
🛒 eCommerce
💳 Payments
🗨️ Social features
⚙️ Admin panels
🔍 Search

While these platforms aren’t free, they’re often far more cost-effective than building and maintaining your own. They also have modular components and integrate via APIs and SDKs, allowing you to maintain control over the unique aspects of your service.

And unless you’re in the business of providing one of these platforms, they’ll also do it better than you.

Trade offs? There will be limits to what the platforms can do, you’ll be beholden to their roadmap and costs can rise significantly at scale. However, it’s typically quicker and cheaper to start with using common platforms and only consider building something yourself when you can really justify it.

Before adding any new feature to your product, first check if there’s an existing solution that eliminates the need to build it yourself 👀