[goodlab]

I second aeden's comment. It wasn't until I had the customer service email inbox routed to me that I realized how certain things we were doing could make a difference in customer experience. They were easy things to fix as well. Not to mention all the great ideas these customers gave me.

As far as the - how to make money part - that is very broad question. Try finding a few businesses or consumers that have a problem. Think of a solution. It would be great if you could speak with them before you start building. Partly because it will help you know what to build. And partly because they will feel like they helped build it and are likely to become customers and potentially evangelists. Many designers and programmers are afraid of selling. Don't think if this as selling though. Think of it as R&D as it truly is at this point.