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I am working on https://www.podrover.com. It's totally self funded. I didn't quit consulting yet, but I am happy with how it's going.
My suggestion is to start your side project right away, regardless of whether you think it will be profitable or not.
Everything mentioned (IDEs, typing, automation) is a great advice. But the greatest advice I have been given is "the best code is the one that you don't write". And that's true in my experience.
More code means more mess when you have to debug. It also means more time for another developer to get acquainted with your project.
So before writing something I often ask myself "do I really need this?" It can be a function, a class, a module or even a graphical asset. It helped me a lot, both on client and personal projects.
Our stance is that, as an app developer, you should not care too much about the technology behind a backend. You should rather stay focused on the front end.
Ok, then. Let's put it in another way. TDD should be used by those who can afford it. Right?
I don't think many startups can, that's the point I guess.
Adventures in making software.