I'll Ask Another Way. Anyone Interested In Formula,cost Sofware?

[RSullivan]

Hello!

 

I (of course) make my own baits but I do not sell them.
For fun I attempt to keep track of my costs, formulas, batches, runs and packaging materials.

 

Being a programmer and being very anal I:
1.) Track my perishable materials (plastisol, glitter, colorant, softner,..).
2.) Track my 'formulas'.
3.) Track my costs on a 'batch' level (making a bunch of baits).
4.) Track my costs on a 'Run' level (say making to batches of formulas for laminating).
5.) Track my cost on a 'package' level (say 6 of the swimbaits from the Run
    in a bag with packaging costs).

 

I initially did this on paper.
- Being a programmer I eventually started using spreedsheets.
- Being a programmer I converted by spreedsheets to a database driven desktop application.

 

I am actually a C++ Win32 native programmer. I am not a 'Web' programmer, but I know
I am perfectly capable of doing this.

 

It looks like I am going to have a little time on my hands on and off over the next
couple of months so I am now contemplating creating a web-based 'application' to do this.

 

This 'web application' would simply be accessed via any web browser.

 

Since I am planning to use this for myself I am planning on hosting it on my existing
hosting site.

 

On the other hand:
Since it would be web-based I can make this multi-user (meaning I can create 'Accounts',
different people with accounts can log in, all of their data would be private to them).

 

I really have no idea how many of you actually are running cottage type custom bait small
businesses. I also do not know how many of you are as crazy as I am! So I do not know if
anyone would be interested in something like this as the paper work can of course be handled
with pencil and paper.

 

I am not attempting to make any money here (Kidding here):
1.) I am aware that you are all so poor that you have to make your own baits!
2.) Or another way to look at it is we have all spent all of our monies on very expensive molds
    that we have no more money left over!

 

If enough people would be interested in using such a piece of software:
1.) I would do the additional work to make it multi-user.
2.) I would not be able to run it on my existing hosting site which is
    really for my real job, contract programmer.
3.) I would therefore need to host it under a different hosting account (which costs $$'s).

 

So I am thinking if enough people are interested I can have them pay a 'Usage Fee' which would
cover the cost of the hosting and database.

 

I know the basic cost structures of hosting and database services. Hosting and database
service pricing models have changed radically over the years. One used to be able to get
a web site hosted with some amount of data base storage for a fixed price per-year.

 

Now-adays most providors have moved to a pay-as-you-go methodology:
1.) You are billed for 'outbound' traffic.
2.) You are billed for database usage monthly. The amount here is based on
    how much database storage one requires and how many transactions per-second
    and user connections.

 

This being the case I am not sure how much it would actually cost to get the site
and database hosted. This would be dependant upon how many users the site has and
how often they use it.

 

In closing I am not sure when I will have this done but if anyone is
interested chime in on this thread.

 

Thanks.

 

[mark poulson]

You lost me at "I am a programmer", but I think I understand what you're trying to achieve.

If you develop a cost tracking system for bait making that actually works, there will be people interested in it.

Whether or not they will pay for it is another story.

My impression of the small guy commercial soft plastic field is that there isn't a lot of fat on the bone, so spending on a system might not make economic sense for most.

Good luck with your project, in any event. 

[Ed_White]

I can certainly see the appeal in what you're building, for anyone who is trying to maximize their investment, ie: in business. But this is my hobby, I don't want another job, I have one already, it's not that much fun. And if I used this app, then I would know, to the penny, what this little obsession is costing me, and I just don't want to know. All I know is, I need more molds. Just the same way, I never want to know what each fish I catch is costing me, or I'd have to take up something less expensive, like buying islands or building bridges.

[RSullivan]

Mark:
Mark said: 'Whether or not they will pay for it is another story'
Of course they would not want to pay for it!
I understand that this is just an (obsessive) hobby!

 

As far as the cost goes, again I am not trying to make any money here.
My gut feeling is that (though I would need to verify this) that the
cost of the hosting and database services would be roughly $1000.00 to $1500.00
a year.

 

This would mean:
1.) If I had 20 'takers' we would each pay $50.00 - $75.00 a year
    (that would be ~ $4.17 - $6.25 a month).
2.) If I had 40 'takers' we would each pay $25.00 - $37.50 a year.
    (that would be ~ $2.08 - $3.13 a month).
3.) If I had 50 'takers' we would each pay $20.00 - $30.00 a year.
    (that would be ~ $1.67 - $2.50 a month).

 

DO NOT HOLD ME TO THIS THOUGH!
In order to verify the cost though I would need to actually complete the system,
put it up, and use it some to see what the cost structure would look like.

 

Me personally (Being a fanatic about everything I do) would be more than happy
to pay $50.00 a year to have a place on-line to just store my formulas!

 

Ed-White:
Yes Ed, you have put the whole issue into a nutshell very succinctly!
Please do not inform my wife of these facts though (as she still thinks I am 'saving'
money by making my own lures!).