Small business owner struggles to decide whether to invest in in-house production equipment vs. continuing to outsource, leading to repetitive analysis paralysis.

Existing spreadsheets lack dynamic modeling of real-world variables (e.g., order changes, lead time variability) and don't integrate with actual order data, making it hard to reach a confident decision.

Severity

2Mild

Willingness to Pay

implied

Added

Jun 3, 2026

Workarounds Described

opens a spreadsheet, starts running numbers, convinces self, then forgets; repeats monthly

Implied Software Gaps

Decision-support tool for make-or-buy analysis that auto-updates with order data and models uncertainty

App Concept

MakeOrBuy Decider

An interactive decision-support tool that automatically compares total cost, lead time, quality risk, and control benefits of in-house production vs. outsourcing. It pulls in real order data, simulates scenarios, and provides a quantified recommendation.

Key Features

Connect to order management system to pull actual order volumes and specs
Input equipment cost, maintenance, labor, and overhead for in-house option
Auto-calculate break-even point and ROI with sensitivity analysis
Generate one-page report with pros, cons, and recommendation

Target Users: Small to mid-size business owners in manufacturing or production who outsource some processes and are evaluating bring production in-house

Revenue Model: $29/mo per user SaaS subscription, with a free basic version for simple comparisons

Existing Solutions Mentioned

spreadsheet

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