I’m going to tell you something that should change how you think about software: it’s not permanent anymore. It’s not intimidating. And it’s definitely not expensive.
I built two apps in three days that generated $300,000 in revenue. A geocoding tool that processed 160,000 addresses across seven cities and grouped them into navigable routes. An operations dashboard that managed courier pay, delivery tracking, accuracy verification, and billing.
Then I shut them down. Not because they failed—because the job was done.
I also built our company vacation booking tool to replace a $2,000/year subscription service. We use it every day. It’s not going anywhere.
This is fast software. Custom-built for your exact need. Keep it as long as it’s useful. Rebuild it when you need something different.
The only subscription I need now is Replit. Everything else I build myself.
The Fast Fashion Comparison Actually Works
Zara revolutionized retail by making clothes fast and cheap. Not because everything they make is garbage—some pieces last for years. The revolution was economic: they could manufacture quickly for specific trends instead of planning collections 18 months in advance.
AI just did this to software.
The parallel isn’t quality. It’s speed and economics. You can now build software quickly for specific needs instead of subscribing to generic platforms designed for everyone.
When I started in delivery, custom software meant months of development and six-figure budgets. You subscribed to platforms because building alternatives was economically insane. You paid for features you’d never use because that was cheaper than building what you actually needed.
That calculation just flipped completely.
Generic Software Made Sense When Building Was Hard
Think about why you pay $50/month for project management software with 10,000 features when your team uses maybe 50 of them. Because building a custom task tracker that works exactly how your team thinks would cost $100,000 and take six months.
Would. Past tense.
My vacation booking tool replaced a service we paid $2,000/year for. It does exactly what we need—tracks our vacation days, handles approval workflows, integrates with our payroll. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Building it took less time than evaluating subscription alternatives.
The catalog delivery apps? Different calculation. We needed them for one massive job. I have a prompt now that rebuilds both apps in 30 minutes if another catalog contract shows up. Why maintain software for a hypothetical future when rebuilding is faster than finding it in your archives?
You decide what to keep and what to rebuild based on actual use, not based on what’s economically feasible. That’s the shift.
This Changes What You Build Permanently
I thought the catalog job would prove we should integrate delivery management into our core platform. Build once, use forever. Classic software thinking.
It proved the opposite.
Why bloat our platform with features for hypothetical future contracts? Next time we need catalog delivery, I have a prompt that rebuilds it in 30 minutes—probably better because I’ll know exactly what that specific customer needs.
But the vacation booking tool? That’s permanent. We use it daily. It solves an ongoing need perfectly.
The question isn’t “should we build this permanently or throw it away?” The question is “what does this specific need require and how long will building it take?”
If the answer is hours or days, why subscribe to someone else’s generic solution?
The Valuable Skill Changed
Coding isn’t the skill anymore. Knowing what to build is the skill.
Understanding the actual problem. Designing the exact workflow. Choosing what to include and what to ignore. Recognizing when you need something permanent versus something temporary.
I don’t ask “should we subscribe to software for this?” anymore. I ask “how long would it take to build exactly what we need?”
If the answer is less than a week, I’m building it myself. Custom solution. Perfect fit. No monthly fees for features I don’t use.
The catalog apps taught me that fast software can be disposable when that makes sense. The vacation booking tool taught me that fast software can be permanent when that makes sense.
Both taught me that generic software for the masses is dying.
What This Actually Means
Software isn’t intimidating to build anymore. You don’t need months of planning or six-figure budgets or technical co-founders.
You need to know what problem you’re solving. The rest is a prompt and a few days.
Some of what you build will be temporary—use it once and move on. Some will be permanent—use it daily and keep refining it. The point is you’re building exactly what you need, not paying monthly for what someone else thinks you might need.
The subscription economy worked because custom software was impossible for most people. Now the only subscription you need is access to AI development platforms like Replit.
Everything else? Build it yourself. Exactly how you need it. Keep it as long as it’s useful.
That’s fast software. And it changes everything about how you should think about building.