diff --git a/projects/business/memory/proposals-v2.md b/projects/business/memory/proposals-v2.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b9ac05e --- /dev/null +++ b/projects/business/memory/proposals-v2.md @@ -0,0 +1,81 @@ +# Concrete API Product Proposals — v2 (2026-02-14) + +## Proposal 1: **Webhook Relay & Transform API** ("hookpipe" or similar) + +**What:** API that receives webhooks, transforms/filters payloads via user-defined rules (JSONPath, templates, conditions), and forwards to one or more destinations. Think Zapier's webhook step, but as a standalone API. + +**Who pays:** Developers integrating services that don't talk to each other natively. SaaS builders connecting third-party webhooks to their apps. DevOps teams routing alerts. + +**Competitors:** +- Zapier/Make — overkill & expensive ($20+/mo) for just webhook routing +- Pipedream — developer-focused but complex, requires writing code +- Hookdeck — closest competitor, $25/mo for 100K events +- Svix — webhook sending (not receiving/transforming) + +**Differentiation:** Dead simple. No code, no workflows, no visual builder. Just: receive → transform (JSONPath template) → forward. Config via API/dashboard. Free tier generous enough to hook devs, paid when volume grows. + +**Pricing:** Free 1K events/mo → $9/mo 10K → $29/mo 100K → $79/mo 1M +**Build cost:** €0 (Go service, deploy on fly.io free tier or Hetzner €4/mo) +**Time to MVP:** 1-2 weeks +**Revenue potential:** $500-2K/mo at scale (long tail of small users) +**Risk:** Medium. Hookdeck is well-funded but expensive. Our angle is simplicity + price. + +--- + +## Proposal 2: **Markdown/HTML to PDF API** ("pdfpipe" or similar) + +**What:** Send Markdown or HTML+CSS, get back a pixel-perfect PDF. Focused on documents: invoices, reports, receipts, contracts. Not a general PDF toolkit — just rendering. + +**Who pays:** SaaS apps generating invoices/reports. Devs who hate wkhtmltopdf. Agencies automating document generation. + +**Competitors:** +- wkhtmltopdf — open source but abandoned, buggy +- Puppeteer/Playwright — self-hosted headache +- DocRaptor — $15/mo (125 docs), Prince-based, excellent but expensive +- PDFShift — $9/mo (250 docs) +- Gotenberg — open source (Chromium-based), no hosted offering with good DX + +**Differentiation:** +1. Markdown-first (competitors are HTML-only) +2. Built-in invoice/report templates (send JSON, get PDF) +3. Cheaper than DocRaptor, better DX than self-hosting Gotenberg +4. Template library for common use cases + +**Pricing:** Free 50/mo → $7/mo 500 → $19/mo 2K → $49/mo 10K +**Build cost:** €0-4/mo (Chromium on small VPS or fly.io) +**Time to MVP:** 1 week +**Revenue potential:** $300-1.5K/mo +**Risk:** Low. Well-understood problem, many bad solutions, room for good DX. + +--- + +## Proposal 3: **JSON Schema Validation API + Registry** ("schemacheck" or similar) + +**What:** API to validate JSON payloads against schemas, store/version schemas, generate documentation. Webhook validation as a service. + +**Who pays:** Teams building APIs who need payload validation. Webhook providers who want to validate outgoing payloads. Companies standardizing data contracts across microservices. + +**Competitors:** +- ajv (library, not a service) +- JSON Schema Store (free, community, no API) +- Stoplight/Optic — API design tools (different category) + +**Differentiation:** No direct SaaS competitor for "schema validation as a service." It's a gap because most people use libraries. But an API makes sense for: webhook validation, cross-language teams, CI/CD pipelines, no-code tools. + +**Pricing:** Free 1K validations/mo → $9/mo 50K → $29/mo 500K +**Build cost:** €0 (pure Go, no browser needed, tiny resource footprint) +**Time to MVP:** 3-5 days +**Revenue potential:** $200-800/mo (niche) +**Risk:** High. Market might be too small — people just use libraries. + +--- + +## Recommendation: **Proposal 1 (Webhook Relay)** or **Proposal 2 (PDF API)** + +**Webhook Relay** has the best market dynamics: clear pain point, expensive competitors, sticky product (once integrated, hard to switch). But harder to get first customers. + +**PDF API** is easier to ship and easier to get first users (developers searching "html to pdf api" is a proven search query with volume). Lower ceiling but faster to revenue. + +I'd start with **PDF API** — ship in a week, validate demand, then potentially add webhook features later as a "developer tools" brand. + +**Awaiting human decision.** diff --git a/projects/business/memory/research/competitors.md b/projects/business/memory/research/competitors.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5762619 --- /dev/null +++ b/projects/business/memory/research/competitors.md @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ +# Competitor Research — 2026-02-14 + +## Screenshot APIs (CROWDED) +| Service | Cheapest Plan | Per 1K images | +|---------|--------------|---------------| +| ScreenshotOne | Free 100/mo, then paid | ~$10/1K | +| Urlbox | $19/mo (2K) Lo-Fi | $9.50/1K | +| HCTI | $14/mo (1K) | $14/1K | +| Microlink | Free tier, then paid | ~$10/1K | + +## Image Generation from Templates (CROWDED) +| Service | Cheapest Plan | +|---------|--------------| +| Bannerbear | Credit-based, ~$49/mo | +| Placid | Credit-based, templates | + +## Verdict +Screenshot/OG space is saturated with well-funded competitors. +Need to find a niche they don't serve well or an adjacent problem. diff --git a/projects/business/memory/sessions.md b/projects/business/memory/sessions.md index 1557ba4..4d3e77e 100644 --- a/projects/business/memory/sessions.md +++ b/projects/business/memory/sessions.md @@ -9,3 +9,16 @@ - **Status:** Sent proposals to user, awaiting approval - **Next:** Build MVP once direction is chosen - **Blocker:** Need human decision on which model to pursue + +## Session 2 — 2026-02-14 12:21 UTC (Morning Session 1) +- Phase 0: Deep market research on specific API products +- Scraped pricing from: ScreenshotOne, Urlbox, HCTI, Microlink, Bannerbear, Placid, DocRaptor, PDFShift, Hookdeck, JsonLink, OpenGraph.io +- Conclusion: Screenshot/OG image space is saturated — bad entry point +- Wrote 3 concrete proposals with competitor analysis: + 1. **Webhook Relay & Transform API** — receive, transform, forward webhooks. Hookdeck competitor at lower price. + 2. **Markdown/HTML to PDF API** — markdown-first PDF generation. DocRaptor competitor with better DX. + 3. **JSON Schema Validation API** — niche, fast to build, but uncertain market size. +- Recommendation: PDF API (fastest to ship, proven search demand) or Webhook Relay (stickier, better long-term) +- **Status:** Proposals v2 written, awaiting human decision +- **Next:** Build MVP once product is chosen +- **Blocker:** Need human to pick a product direction diff --git a/projects/business/memory/state.json b/projects/business/memory/state.json index ba977d1..a329f51 100644 --- a/projects/business/memory/state.json +++ b/projects/business/memory/state.json @@ -1,10 +1,10 @@ { "phase": 0, - "phaseLabel": "Business Model Discovery — Needs Specific Product", - "status": "needs-specific-product", - "currentPriority": "Human approved API direction but needs a SPECIFIC product. Not 'an API' — exactly WHAT the API does, WHO pays for it, WHY they'd pay YOU instead of alternatives, and what competitors ALREADY exist. Do real market research. Find a gap. Propose 2-3 concrete API products with competitor analysis, pricing research, and differentiation. Be specific enough to start coding tomorrow.", - "humanFeedback": "User said: 'api sounds good, but the question would be what api? that is not a real business model.' — Need to commit to a specific product, not a category.", - "blockers": [], + "phaseLabel": "Business Model Discovery — Specific Proposals Ready", + "status": "awaiting-human-decision", + "currentPriority": "Human needs to pick between Webhook Relay API, PDF API, or Schema Validation API. Proposals in memory/proposals-v2.md with competitor analysis, pricing, and differentiation.", + "humanFeedback": "User said: 'api sounds good, but the question would be what api? that is not a real business model.'", + "blockers": ["Waiting for human to choose a specific product"], "startDate": "2026-02-14", - "sessionCount": 2 + "sessionCount": 3 }