What are the possibilities to make a business if I decide to publish my software as Open Source? How can I test if a business model works for me?

If you're not a coder, I don't know how you're going to publish code... but I'll look past that. The best thing to do is host the code on Github, then create a website for the project using Github Pages. At that point, gaining traction from the community so other people contribute to it has a lot to do with what the code is, and what it does. A good place to start is with solid documentation so anyone looking can quickly tell what your code does and whether contributing will interest them or be easy. As the owner of the project, it will be up to you to allow or deny the changes that other contributors make to the repository. That is how Open Source projects are managed. I would suggest learning more about Git and maybe beginning to code a bit, so you can start to see what people are really changing in your codebase. Codeschool is a great place to start if you want online tutorials. Best of luck!

Hi, You could use something like a Website as a Service (WaaS) that allows you to create a platform that users can sign up to and pay you monthly for a service. You just need a domain name (example.com) and then users would get a subdomain (user.example.com) or they can register their own domain which you can also make profit on. I would imagine a simple sign up process and a dashboard that allows your users to either use basic drag and drop tools or simply a form if you're going to do that for them. It basically sounds like a mini-website or a one-page site which is perfectly doable with WaaS using WordPress on a VPS or Cloud Computing, which can help with expansion when needed. There are other alternatives as well but this one is open source and allows you to easily accept payments for their service. You can eventually add features to the service like private content and even allow your customers to add external content like Instagram/ Twitter. There are thousands of possibilities. Do let me know if you need further help or advice, or help setting this up, as it's something I have experience with. I know these aren't open source, but don't forget that Startups.com has https://www.launchrock.com/ which is basically what you are offering and you could create a form then create it for them, that way you are providing a design service that you can choose what to charge, rather than providing the entire platform. https://simvoly.com/whitelabel-website-builder is a white label drag and drop builder that you can launch as a service to your customers.

One option is to provide dedicated support while letting the code be open. There are plenty of businesses that run on open, freely available architecture, and they make all their money by selling a "Pro" plan that allows people the security of being able to pick up the phone and ask a question. However, you have to give away your product on the front end as a loss leader. This is essentially the "Insurance" business model. It's how Circuit City rose and fell. Be careful, and good luck.