How to market "boring" products (APIs, DevTools, etc.) I will not promote We sucked at marketing our product (an API-based infra product aimed at engineers) for a long time. We tried a bunch of stuff we saw work for other companies, but it flopped for us. It wasn't bad execution, it was a bad fit between marketing tactics and our product. I think this is an aspect nobody talks about in startup marketing: How people buy your product. I think there are two main products that get bought (and used) differently: Sexy and boring. \-Sexy products get discovered, not sought out.... 1 0 replies
Project management in early stages (I will not promote) I’m at odds with my cofounder about how to get our product built. I feel that the way larger teams operate, with dedicated sprints and tickets for everything, is overkill when what we really need right now is to build quickly. I feel like if there’s something that doesn’t work well we should just go fix it and trust that it’s being done right. My cofounder believes everything needs to be scoped and planned for ahead of time, with nothing getting pulled into a sprint without it being groomed... 2 0 replies
Need help building an app (I will not promote) Hi all! I wanted to gain some insight from the minds in this sub. To start out, I wanted to tell you all that I am not a technical mind. I have done any technical work in the past. My background is 25+ years in sales, biz dev, marketing, CS, etc. However, in the last week or so I've attempted to build an app by using Cursor AI and other AI tools. But I'm beginning to hit a roadblock with connecting databases/the back end to the front end. If... 2 0 replies
Building a Startup, but have a 6 figure offer at a bank (I will not promote) Hi everyone! I am currently building/built a fintech startup with my cofounder, and we have a fully working product, have about 15 beta testers on and giving feedback, and have been working on this for about 6 months now. Money is starting to get tight and I just got a job opportunity at a bank for a pretty nice salary (6 figures). This job is a very good opportunity to work with an incredible mentor but there is no real path forward after this job. Should I stick with... 3 0 replies
Am I crazy to think I don’t need a “CTO”? “I will not promote” I have always been a “technical” or “tech-savvy” person but I’ve never considered myself a programmer or engineer. With good reason, I don’t know how to actually write code. Like everyone else though, I’ve leveraged NLMs extensively for the past 12 months and I have created a full stack MERN web app. Hosted the front end on vercel and the back end on render. Mongo and Azure blob for storage. I have extensively QA’d the application for months and everything works. Deployed to production environments and all. I know... 4 0 replies
Looking for a Business Owner that wants to test a new sales system - I will not promote Hi everyone! I’m looking for a few of you (5-10 max) to test a system we’re developing that will help optimize and automate parts of the sales process through various methods. This could include outreach, content generation, lead qualification, follow-up, CRM automation, etc. We have a team of senior software developers, and the goal is to help you manage your business in a more hands-off way, allowing you to focus on high-value activities and human interactions. All we need is your feedback throughout the process so we can maximize... 5 0 replies
I will not promote Help with company law !!! I just spoke to a lawyer today about starting a start up. It’s basically software (an app) targeted at people living primarily in the US. The way we make money is through subscriptions. I heard the best way to do it is make a pvt limited in India as it’s easier to raise funds and issue equity. The problem is I have a cofounder and want to give him 15% upon joining and 15% vested equity on delivery of the MVP and would also like to set up an... 1 0 replies
Advice on Bringing in an Equity Partner? i will not promote Seems to be a lot of tech startups in this sub so hoping I'm in the right place! I run a fast growing cleaning company - going on 16 months, been running it remotely for the past 10 months. it grew pretty quick & i'm hoping to scale it even faster. $230k rev in it's first year. Low overhead model, with clear processes for expansion into 4 more low-competition cities once we get our operations tightened up. Main reason for this post - I'm not new to the business... 3 0 replies
How to pay collaborators to the service business with little money? [ADVISE] I will not promote hello pals I have an idea to do as a "marketing agency" or something initial, focused on professionals who know a lot about their jobs but dont know anything about how to promote and sell themselves and therefore is very bad economically.... currently I have my medical practice and because of my knowledge in digital marketing and sales we are never out of work thank god and I know how I can help them, but I cant do that work for others to lack of my time. so, I... 5 0 replies
Unvested founders shares and participation in an early exit? (I will not promote) (i will not promote) This feels like a rookie question, but I can't find a clear answer. In the scenario where a startup achieves an early exit but do not have 100% acceleration, do they still distribute the whole founders pool to the founders, or do the proportions shift to the investors. This is unusual for us because we have a "superfounder" not on the same vesting schedule. For example (assuming no ESOP): * $1M raised via SAFE with a $5M cap = 20% owned by investors upon conversion,... 3 0 replies
Seeking Advice on Starting a Business at 19 (Almost 20!) While Working a 9 to 5 “I will not promote” I’m 19 years old (turning 20 soon) and currently working a typical 9 to 5 job. While I’m grateful for having stable work, I’ve started feeling like I want something more like starting my own business. The idea of creating something from scratch and being my own boss is really exciting, but here’s the catch: I have no idea what kind of business to start! 😅 1. What kind of business should I start? - What are some low-cost ideas or products/services I could sell? - How can I... 2 0 replies
How LONG are you giving yourself to make your startup work? (I will not promote) I haven't been able to build a successful startup in less than 7 years. My current one is going on 13. I hear a lot of "I'm giving it a year or so" and I'm thinking "OK well then you're pretty much guaranteeing failure because it takes way longer than that to possibly be successful." I'm curious what folks expectations here are on how long they expect to keep working on their startup before they decide whether or not it's working? Really interested to hear where those timeline expectations... 2 0 replies
I will not promote, but how did you promote? I will not promote. That said, how did you promote your C2C business? My target user is a parent, especially moms. I got some traction from Facebook groups, but they are what they are. How do I reach more users? I am currently focused on one region, just NYC. What are different channels? I'm thinking I'll print flyers and go to all the buildings in my neighborhood. I know that's not efficient, but I need a start somewhere and the business model is hyperlocal. 1 0 replies
First time working for a startup. Equity, RevShare, ProfShare. What should I ask for. I will not promote. I'm currently in negotiations with a startup for my total compensation package. This is my first time working for a startup, so I'm completely green to this experience.Without giving up too much detail, the company will utilize a B2B model and already has MOUs with established multibillion dollar companies to sell product too. I'm wanting to know in addition to my salary, what else should I ask for? Equity, revenue sharing, profit sharing, any combination of these? What are the pros/cons of each? 4 0 replies
Solo technical founders, has not having a business cofounder even screwed you up? "I will not promote" I’m creating an AI startup; a reinforcement learning model designed to do a certain thing in a big field. I’ve basically developed code for a prototype (I hope to start training in two weeks) I do believe YC advice for taking a cofounder, but risk of getting a bad one is too high. In my life I also haven't met people with my grit, at least from my countries, so I'll have to "date down", I guess. At least in technical sense. So, has not having a business cofounder... 2 0 replies
Client acquisition professionals - I WILL NOT PROMOTE Hi, I m looking for people who specifically supports client acquisition for outsourcing work, I have an outsourcing firm specializing in providing/delivering operational work in FINANCE, DATA SCIENCE and ACCOUNTS space. Pls reach out if you or anyone you know is interested this space. I will not promote Thanks 4 0 replies
Recruiters - what are you biggest hiring challenges in todays world, especially with AI? (i will not promote) Hey everyone, I’d love to hear from recruiters about their experiences in the hiring space. With so many platforms, tools, and AI-driven processes emerging, I’m curious about what’s working and what’s not. * **What’s the most frustrating part of your job today?** * **What drawbacks do you see in existing hiring platforms (LinkedIn, job boards, AI screening, etc.)?** * **If you could change one thing in the hiring process, what would it be?** * **Are there any under-discussed challenges recruiters face that you think should be talked about more?**... 3 3 replies
I'm thinking about monetizing the business (need advice) - I will not promote We’ve got our first customers, but we’re having some trouble with how to structure our pricing. Here’s the situation: We’re offering three plans right now: $19.90/month for access to relocation tools $1,190 one-time for full support with an expert $2,990 one-time for premium, hands-on relocation assistance The issue is: The $19.90/month plan feels too cheap, and people don’t really trust it because they think immigration services can’t possibly be that affordable. On the other hand, the higher-tier plans feel too expensive, especially since they involve experts and people are... 3 3 replies
Need advice: Sales strategy for a one-time service SaaS – referral vs commission-based sales - I will not promote Hello everyone, I WILL NOT PROMOTE, I’m looking for advice from experienced people in this group. I’ve developed an application that provides a **one-time service** – meaning that once a customer gets what they need, they likely won’t return (at least not in the short term). Because of this, **I need an efficient way to reach customers.** Here are two approaches I’m considering: 1️. **Referral program** – Users would get a **unique referral code** to invite others. I’m considering giving **30% of net profit** per successful referral. 2️. **Hiring... 4 5 replies
I am having so much fun - I will not promote I’ve always had the entrepreneurial bug. I have made 3 job changes in my career, each one progressing to a smaller company. I was recently offered a spot at a startup to replace one of the founders and I jumped at the opportunity. The stakeholders seem to trust me and I keep getting more and more responsibility thrown my way. To be honest, I am probably unqualified/inexperienced, but I feel confident in the decisions I’m making (genuinely feel I would not be able to be do it without ChatGPT/AI).... 1 0 replies
