How Did You Get Your First Clients for a Service-Based Startup? (I will not Promote) Hey everyone, (I will not promote) For those who have launched a **service-based startup**, what were your biggest challenges in landing your first clients? I’m based in **Sri Lanka**, and we’re trying to break into international markets like **the US, UK, and Canada**, but finding initial traction has been difficult. I’d love to hear from other founders who have been through this: 1️⃣ How did you find and close your first clients? 2️⃣ What outreach methods, partnerships, or channels worked best for you? 3️⃣ Looking back, what would you... 1 1 replies
I have all the skills, but no work. What am I doing wrong? I will not promote I’m frustrated. Despite having **15+ years of experience** in tech, I still don’t have solid work. I can do **UI/UX, front-end, back-end, DevOps, AI apps, MERN stack**—I’ve built entire apps from scratch. I even tried running my own projects, but due to my poor marketing skills, I could never sell anything at scale. Now, I’ve decided to focus on freelancing. Yet, I struggle to find opportunities. I see people with way less experience landing high-paying gigs, while I keep applying, networking, and getting nowhere. How do I actually get work as a **full-stack... 2 8 replies
Good books for someone not trying to build a billion dollar company? (i will not promote) I have been growing my SaaS service very rapidly, and I recently read The Lean Startup, which I loved. I was recommended 0 to 1 by Peter Thiel but it seems geared toward people trying to dominate the world (create massive monopolies etc). Not that it’s a small feat, but if I’m able to exit at like a $50-100 million valuation a few years down the line, I will do that instead of trying to get to a billion. Are there any books you recommend that focus more on... 2 2 replies
Update to Toxic Startup (I will not promote) As seen here: https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/s/I3UAtLSC76 Another senior member quit. The CEO called the entire 50 person team away from day-to-day activities and admonished me for the employee leaving. “Why is loyalty an issue with YOUR TEAM?” Is what he asked me, who is subordinate to the guy who quit. I talked back for the first time in 2.5y - asked why I’m being bullied when I’m clearly loyal, still on the team, and still working diligently to pursue our objectives. The CEO hung up, called me personally with HR on... 4 0 replies
i need suggestion (I will not promote) hello founders, I'm not here to ask for job opportunities but as a final year student who have skilled in Java Spring Boot, and react.js and can write clean code but not getting campus placements just because of a 64% percentage. my question is do startups consider percentage over skills? 2 0 replies
Ask Me Anything About Building an Online Marketplace! Ps: Have had a successful marketplace since 4 years (I will not promote) I've been running a successful online marketplace for the past four years, and I'm here to share my experience. Whether you're just starting or looking to scale, feel free to ask me anything about: Finding the right niche Building your marketplace platform Attracting buyers and sellers Monetization strategies Overcoming challenges I will not promote anything...just here to help! Drop your questions below. 1 0 replies
Has anyone started an Incubator business? (i will not promote) Hey everyone, I’m looking to start an incubator-style business that helps startups grow, but instead of investing a ton of capital, I want to provide hands-on expertise and strategic guidance in exchange for equity or profit-sharing. My idea is to support early-stage businesses with the tools and strategies they need to scale without them having to give up large chunks of ownership to traditional investors. - Business Growth Strategies - Operational Efficiency - Branding & Marketing/Advertising - Human Resources Solutions - IT Infrastructure & Digital Transformation - Acquisitions &... 4 0 replies
I will not promote Has anyone else been told this? Some backstory: I am a co-founder of a software startup. We've been building our app self funded for a year now, almost ready to start putting it out in the wild wild west and have started a pre-seed funding round. We need the investment since my credit cards are exhausted and so no more run way. We hired an advisor to help us with the pitch deck and overall messaging. Admittadly we needed it, but with a lot of revisions everyone felt we were almost there. We knew our... 2 3 replies
What if one founder in every startup became an influencer in their space? Will they bring in more business? (I will not promote) I quit my last startup literally a week ago and I am already starting something new. I raised $2.7 million for my last company. But I feel like that the distribution was not strong enough. Hence I failed. Now as a second time founder distribution is the first thing I am going to focus on. So I have started doing physical events. The first event is IRL in San Francisco. I am inviting the CEO of Product Hunt for a fireside. The event is about how Ai agent founders... 2 1 replies
What strategies did you find most effective for promoting your startup when your direct friends weren’t part of your target audience? I will not promote. Hi y'all! I've been running my startup hardcore for the last couple of months with my CEO, and we have been having an extremely hard time gaining traction when spreading the word about out company. (Of course, so does everyone else when running a startup) It seems like we're trying everything possible to reach people worldwide as we operate as a creative development agency, so we are indifferent in terms of location. Our direct friendships are unfortunately a little too young or not in the financial market for a... 3 0 replies
I will not promote startup but i will make a viral video meme for you Hey startup warriors, I am building a tool to create viral video memes and would love to help out on your growth journey. Share your startup URL bellow and i will reply with a relevant video meme you can share on your social media page with potential to reach your users and get some virality. 5 1 replies
Looking for an AI Engineer and Traffic Engineer. I will not promote. Hello everyone, I'm currently developing an idea that I believe has great potential. It hasn't evolved into a startup yet, but I’m confident that I'm onto something promising. At this stage, I'm "self-financing" the project as much as I can, but I’m eager to gather insights on its feasibility and the best path forward. **I’m looking for:** * **A Traffic Engineer:** Someone with expertise in urban mobility and traffic light systems. * **An AI Engineer:** To make traffic simulations. If you have experience in these areas, have advice to... 1 1 replies
Looking for a tech cofounder. Revoltionary (yes really!) gig economy app. I will not promote. Hey everyone! I’m building a new gig-work app that cuts out the hassles of interviews, applications, and sky-high fees. We’re aiming to make it easy for businesses to hire qualified freelancers for short shifts or one-off tasks—and for freelancers to set their own rates and get paid quickly. Why This App? Time-Saving Model: Instead of posting jobs and conducting multiple interviews, employers can instantly book from a list of KYC-verified freelancers who showcase their skills via 30-second video bios. Cost Leadership: We plan to charge only 5%, far below... 2 7 replies
Are there any startup groups in San Diego? (I will not promote) I'm interested in getting plugged into the startup community and would love some guidance. Do any local universities sponsor events, incubators, or programs for entrepreneurs? How about Meetup groups or other networking opportunities? Any advice would be appreciated! 3 0 replies
Does the old saying, “Make your money in the US, spend it in Europe” still stand true? If so, how do I get over the fear to just up my life and take the chance? (I will not promote) Some context. I am 26 in 4 hours. I have spent the last 10 years of my life trying to start a business that can thrive but something always stops it from taking off, be it a major deal gone sour, investors getting cold feet etc. After a while I realised part of the problem was letting those massive setbacks cause me to lose hope. I’ve not let anything get in the way of what I am currently doing and have been at it for 2 years. In those... 4 0 replies
(I will not promote) Looking for a Growth Hacker / Meme Marketing Expert to Join Pictomeme (Equity-Based) Hey r/startups, I recently launched Pictomeme.com, an AI-powered meme generator that lets users turn any image or article into a meme instantly. You can either upload your own image or choose from templates, then generate captions with AI. Plus, we’ve added a unique feature where you can paste an article or upload a document, and the AI will extract key concepts and generate a meme for you—perfect for content creators and marketers. I’ve built the core product, but I’m struggling to get my first users. I know this tool... 5 0 replies
Growing X (Twitter) as a non-technical founder - what do you post about? I will not promote Been trying to grow my Twitter but feeling stuck. As a non-technical founder, I find it hard to know what to share - can't post coding tips or technical stuff. What do you post about if you're on the business side? Would love to see examples of non-technical founders who do this well. "I will not promote" - looks so weird to need to place it everywhere. 1 1 replies
New Subreddit: FindDesignPartners – Connect with serious early users & customers who help shape your product (I will not promote) One of the hardest parts of building isn’t writing code - it’s getting the right people to use your product early and help shape it into something valuable. Not just testers, but serious design partners- users, businesses, or customers who would actually benefit from what you're building and can provide meaningful feedback. That’s why I’ve created r/FindDesignPartners. This isn't another place to promote your product or collect beta testers. A design partner is different: They’re not just testing - they have a real stake in seeing your product succeed... 4 0 replies
It Took 5 Failed Startups to Make me Realize I'd Been Wasting My life (I Will Not Promote Sunk Cost Fallacy) "Ed, have you heard of the sunk cost fallacy?" My executive coach asked me this while I lamented a startup I was stuck in. We'd raised over $250K and made money, but it wasn't enough. There was growth but no product-market fit. I didn't want to raise more, but my cofounders disagreed. It ended up becoming a disaster with lawsuits. The simple reason is that we refused to let it go and made the logical moves. I told the board to reduce the burn to the bare minimum, attempt... 3 0 replies
Anyone familiar with the tech scene in Tampa / st Pete / Clearwater...I will not promote I am interested in moving my family and remote startup down to the Tampa area. I never realized how big it is down there. Does anyone have advice on networks and Co working that I should be near in order to break into the community? I want to live near the ocean but everything I'm seeing is kinda far from down town. Is it easier to just move downtown or are there any regular networking events out between st Pete /clearwater? 5 2 replies
