Testing the End of Software Scarcity

In my previous article, The End of Software Scarcity, I argued that AI-assisted development may fundamentally change the economics of software creation.

The theory was simple: if software becomes dramatically cheaper to build and maintain, businesses no longer need to adapt themselves to generic software. Instead, software can adapt to the unique needs of each business.

At the end of that article, I suggested that we needed a case study.

This is that case study.

Rosa’s Question

Rosa has been cleaning my home for several years and has become a friend.

She currently serves about thirteen clients and, like many small business owners, has always wanted a website for her business.

The problem was cost.

The last time she looked into getting a website, she was told it would cost “a lot of money.”

Then she asked me a simple question:

Can AI help me build a website I can actually afford?

A Different Experiment

A website alone wasn’t particularly interesting.

The real question was whether modern coding agents could help create highly personalized software for a small business.

Could we help Rosa:

• Get new leads
• Convert leads into customers
• Communicate with clients
• Follow up automatically
• Manage her growing business

And could we do it without expensive software subscriptions?

To make the experiment more interesting, I limited myself to a single OpenAI Plus subscription and the cost of a domain name.

What Happened?

The truth surprised even me.

We were able to accomplish most of it.

Within a short period of time, Rosa had a professional website with AI agents ready to assist prospective clients.

Website: www.medinaclean.com

More importantly, we now have the foundation for software tailored specifically to her business and workflow.

The conversation quickly changed from:

Can we afford software?

to

What should we build next?

The Moment It Became Real

After I shared the website with Rosa, she sent me a message saying that I was making her dream come true.

For Rosa, this wasn’t a software project.

It was something she had wanted for years.

What I Learned

The website is not the story.

The story is that a small business owner who once believed software was out of reach now has software designed specifically for her business.

For decades, small businesses adapted to spreadsheets, generic tools, and whatever software they could afford.

We became accustomed to using spreadsheets for everything and off-the-shelf software for anything remotely specialized.

I believe that is changing.

The website is not the outcome.

It is the evidence.

What’s Next?

The website was only the first step.

Next, I plan to walk through the technical details behind the project and explore a workflow management application designed specifically for Rosa’s business.

If the end of software scarcity is real, it may not first appear inside large enterprises.

It may first appear in stories like Rosa’s.

A Note for Rosa

Para Rosa

Rosa,

Gracias por confiar en mí para ayudarte con este proyecto.

Cuando me preguntaste si la inteligencia artificial podía ayudarte a crear un sitio web para tu negocio, no imaginaba cuánto significaría para ambos.

Tu nuevo sitio web representa años de trabajo duro, dedicación a tus clientes y el sueño de seguir creciendo.

Me alegra haber podido ayudarte a dar este paso.

Gracias por tu amistad, por tu confianza y por permitirme ser parte de esta historia.

Espero que este sea solo el comienzo.