I'm at a crossroads. UniSMS is humming along—we've built most of what we set out to build, the API is stable, and developers are actually using it. For the first time in a while, I have the luxury to slow down and think about what's next.
Two paths sit in front of me: chase government contracts, or finally tackle that problem that's been bugging me for years.
Here's the thing about government work in the Philippines. I've been down this road before. BIR certification? Took months, got denied, then suspended indefinitely. I've written about it here, here, and here. The pattern is clear: small companies like mine don't stand a chance. They want big names, established track records, and preferably someone who can wine and dine the right people.
Even at UniSMS, our LGU (Local Government Unit) customers follow the same script. They ask for meetings. They want brochures. They need a formal proposal. You do all the work, show up prepared, answer every question—and then? Ghosted. Radio silence. Not all of them, sure. But enough that it's a pattern.
And look, I get it. Government folks want to work with popular, big companies. It's safer. Nobody got fired for hiring IBM, or the Philippine equivalent. But I'm not IBM. I'm a solo founder with a small team, building something useful. The trust gap is real, and bridging it takes time I'd rather spend building.
So I'm making a conscious choice: no more government clients. No more LGU proposals. No more "let's schedule a meeting" cycles that go nowhere.
Is it lucrative? On paper, yes. Government budgets are real. But the hidden cost—the time, the emotional energy, the opportunity cost of not building something people actually want to use—is too high.
Instead, I'm going to sit with that problem that's been nagging at me. The one that keeps me up at night not because of bureaucracy, but because it's genuinely interesting. The one where if I solve it, developers and businesses will actually say "thank you" and keep using it.
No meetings required. No brochures. Just code that works.
Stay tuned. The next thing is going to be fun.