Should I take this offer or just walk away? i will not promote Hey everyone, I could really use some outside perspective on a startup offer I’ve been negotiating. I’m a designer with experience in plush toys, branding, and product development. A small startup reached out to me to design their brand’s characters, logo, and plush product specifications. They initially offered me 20% equity and profit sharing after breaking even, but I made it clear that I wanted some upfront compensation since this is a lot of work, and I can’t afford to take on unpaid projects. After some back and forth,... 3 0 replies
I built a bookkeeping tool for freelancers—here’s how it’s going so far "I will not promote" I launched Nobooks, a bookkeeping service that works via text messages. Instead of apps or spreadsheets, it just pings you when something needs to be categorized and automatically handles 1099 & W9 filings. We’ve got paying customers, but I’m still figuring out growth. If you’ve scaled a niche SaaS before, what worked best for you? Cold outreach? Paid ads? Partnerships? Also happy to share any lessons learned on launching a bootstrapped SaaS. 2 0 replies
Podcastors need data about their audience. I will not promote I have never missed filling up the Acquired podcast survey every year. If you have ever you can clearly see that they want to build a profile of who you are, and if you have been a long time listener you'll often hear Ben say it's a challenge to get information about their listeners to share with their advertisers. I am thinking of a kind of a tool that can help podcastors to understand their audience and build a community. There's Discord and Slack for engaging with the audience,... 5 0 replies
"I will not promote" Looking for Advice on Improving a WhatsApp Study Group System for Motivation & Accountability Hello, guys! My partner and I have started a WhatsApp study group aimed at helping people stay motivated and focused on their personal projects, studies, and skill development. While the initiative has been great so far, we’ve been facing a few challenges, and we’d love some advice or suggestions from others who may have experienced similar issues. Why We Chose WhatsApp: Our group consists only of Latinoamerican people (I’m Peruvian and so is my partner), and we initially invited a couple of friends to join. In Latin America, WhatsApp... 3 0 replies
How to validate a B2B idea - I will not promote I have an idea for a B2B SaaS kind of a product. I think it will be possible to build an mvp for it fairly quickly, but I've seen on this sub before that it is better to validate the idea before starting development on it. But I am confused as to how I can validate my idea. I can think of putting up a landing page and a form to collect interest, but this doesn't seem quite right for b2b. How else can I do this and if... 1 0 replies
22M needs some life changing advice (I will not promote) I’ve had my bachelors degree last year and dropped out of engineering cycle this year as it doesn’t align with what I have in mind for my future. I have an idea for an app that I want to bring to life, but I’m afraid that without any experience in business nor app development I would just ruin it. I’m thinking of studying a masters degree in entrepreneurship and strategies for about 2 years, would that be the good choice to make or there is another path I can... 4 5 replies
what would you do? i will not promote Hi . Me , i am 17 years old boy studying in college. About 2 months ago, I got my pc .And now I am doing a 6 months course on web-development . But Idk for some reasons alongside continuing study and the course the freetime i get , i just feel I need to do something .I feel i am getting behind . The web is full of people talking about money and all. I am little too confused about it . I know get-quick-rich is not realistic... 4 0 replies
Pre-seed investor expectations are changing (I will not promote) I had a reality check conversations with some founders about the realities of pre-seed funding yesterday and I have this conversation weekly. Founders that hear about “pre-seed,” especially before 2021, believe that you can get funded based on your idea and MVP. It’s becoming more rare as development becomes easier. Yes, in pre-seed, there will always be that friendly angel that believes in you somewhere and writes that early check. But if you’re banking on raising money before getting a customer, it’s been a rude awakening. More pre-seed investors... 3 0 replies
Pre-IPO v. Public Tech Company Salary (I will not promote) Would love to get input from this group (thank you in advance)! I don't have startup experience so hoping to tap into this group's expertise. I'm currently interviewing with a fintech startup that's pre-ipo (filed paperwork). The recruiter won't share what the total package would look like yet but the base/bonus (quarterly) is basically the same. It would also be the same title and similar work (so basically a lateral move). I'm trying to evaluate if it's worth pursuing this startup opportunity (particularly the financial upside). My guess is... 3 0 replies
Where do early-stage founders “hang out” before launching publicly? (i will not promote) Hey everyone! I’m a brand and web designer (not promotion my business or anything, just looking for information) and I work with new startups, especially those with female founders or diverse founding teams. I’m trying understand better of where founders or future founders “hang out” so I can reach them before that hire someone else to do their branding for launch? How do you go about choosing the right designer to work with? Any insights would be super helpful! Ghanks in advance 3 0 replies
Got an Interview for Founder in Residence program, what to expect ( i will not promote) I recently got an interview for a Founder in Residence (FIR) program with a well-known VC. What should I expect in the process? I was part of a startup’s founding team, and we scaled well. How do these interviews go? Any tips from someone who went through FIR program. I will not promote 5 0 replies
I feel like we are going to fail... Advice, thoughts appreciated. - I will not promote We are an asian startup coming from a very conservative entrepreneurial culture. That doesn't matter so much I just wanted to mention that VC culture in this region is quite conservative, usually with very bad term sheets. Our investor has some control over how the money flows and now instead of about 12 months we have a 6 months runway due to a restriction. Next to fundraising we also have to prove to them that we can have the rest of the money that they invested. Our product is... 2 1 replies
We fundraised! $1.5m pre-seed [i will not promote] Wanted to share a little success story on our end. We raised a $1.5m pre-seed. Happy to answer any questions, even if I'm far from being an expert. Perhaps my experience is useful to you! Area: crypto/fintech Stage: pre-seed Current company size: 5 people (hiring) Location: EU, remote 3 46 replies
I will not promote. Build a waiting list or launch? Hi all 👋 I have fully built my web app but no one on the waiting list - launch anyway? I will not promote It’s a web app mainly for events that fundraise for various homelessness charities. Also, it’s got profile upload with liking others and matching and messaging. Then there’s section for reflections and prayer requests. I’ve been active on instagram and MeetUp for about a month and I have a landing page but no one’s signed up to the waiting list. The value prop is “meet people... 3 0 replies
I have fully built my web app but no one on the waiting list - launch anyway? I will not promote Hi all 👋 It’s a web app mainly for events that fundraise for various homelessness charities. Also, it’s got profile upload with liking others and matching and messaging. Then there’s section for reflections and prayer requests. I’ve been active on instagram and MeetUp for about a month and I have a landing page but no one’s signed up to the waiting list. The value prop is “meet people who care as much as you do” and it’s mainly a Christian website. The events are only in London so far... 1 0 replies
YC invitation emails a marketing stunt? I will not promote I've been seeing more and more different varieties of yc emails. You're in top 5 pc You're the type of founders we fund You're the one!! I received one too.. I had signed up for reminder long long time ago.. but the reminder was sent two days after the deadline inviting to apply by 19th Feb! They first created four batches instead of two.. thinking that that would lower their acceptance rate by half.. that every one will apply four times a year Is there anything more to it... 4 1 replies
Founders: What Are Your Biggest Fears, Frustrations, Pains, and Challenges Related to Marketing? (I will not promote) It’s common in the startup world for founders to struggle with marketing. I’ve seen it countless times—a highly skilled technical founder who thrives in technical work. They create a great product with strong design and solid functionality but struggle to gain traction. I have a few questions for you: * What keeps you awake at night when you think about marketing? * What fears come up when marketing is the topic? * What frustrates you the most about marketing in your venture? * What marketing challenges are you facing?... 4 2 replies
How do I get clients for my SaaS product? (I will not promote) So I work with a SaaS platform and we provide WhatsApp Chatbots and automation solution to businesses. We sell our SaaS product on subscription and take custom automation projects as well. Currently we're not getting enough inbound leads and the outbound I tried are unqualified? How do I go about selling it? 5 5 replies
I don't trust investors!(I will not promote) Hi everyone, I really want to startup my own company but I am terrified of asking VC's for money because of a variety of reasons.. being told how to run my company, having it taken away from me, not being able to 2X,4X,10X and so on, I am currently working as a software engineer and in my spare time have created an ecommerce site its nothing flash, The site really only works based on users, I chose this because I didn't want a product based company simply because I... 5 10 replies
Building a Trademark Filing Success Predictor - Need Community Input - I will not promote I'm developing a tool to help with trademark applications and success prediction. Before investing further in development, I'd love to hear from the community about your needs. Current pain points I've identified: • Uncertainty before filing • Time spent researching similar marks • Costly failed applications • Challenging office action responses Questions for the community: 1. What's your biggest challenge with trademark applications? 2. How do you currently decide whether to file? 3. What would make you trust a prediction tool? 4. What would you pay for higher certainty... 3 0 replies
