A presentation at the Open Repositories conference in 2014. There are those who perceive that implementing, running and maintaining a Fedora-based digital repository is a daunting task suited only to institutions with a significant team of developers and support staff. This paper offers a different perspective. The University of Hull in the UK, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC) provide three case studies of Hydra-based repositories that are centred on a single developer working with small, limited or no support. This talk will compare and contrast their experiences and explain why the developers concerned feel that creating and maintaining these successful repositories has been worth their time and effort.