6 ms·

Tell HN: Thank you

178 points by AndrewWarner 17y ago

I hope it doesn't come across at too corny, but I have to say, "thank you" because you guys on HN improved my work @ Mixergy tremendously. In the early days, if my posts got on HN at all, they'd often have negative comments. I emailed the HN'ers who wrote those comments and I asked them how I could improve. Almost every single one gave me meaningful, useful feedback. (That feedback is why I don't shout my intro, for example.) Then, as I started improving, you guys voted up my work more often and helped me get real traffic, which led to some sponsorships. Recently, I noticed that I have access to more of the entrepreneurs and investors that I want to interview because they tell me that they know my work from HN. It takes me hours to research and put together an interview. The people on HN make it worth the work. Thank you.

jswinghammer 17y ago
Thank you for producing your content. I've found it very inspirational. I love that there are so many great resources for aspiring entrepreneurs these days and I'd definitely put your site on the short list for great content in this area. Your ads are good too actually. They are very topical and interesting for me so well done there, too. Good luck!
mschaecher 17y ago
Thank you Andrew for all the work you do to make Mixergy a must have resource for me(and everyone else) on my journey into the startup world. And a BIG thanks to the HN community as well! I know my calling in life is to start my own company someday(soon!). Hacker News and Mixergy have been indispensable resources along the way to discovering what I love and want to do.
gizmo 17y ago
May I propose a different title? > How Mixergy uses HN to get Access to Entrepreneurs and Investors to Boost Traffic and get Sponsorships for Free!
- babyboy808 17y ago
  Why the downvotes?, that is pretty funny as in the titles of Mixergy's posts :) eg: "How A Site Made More Money In 30 Days By Selling Access Than It Did In 2 Years Of Selling Ads with Tim Bourquin"
  - kvs 17y ago
    I give you a point. I think Andrew can improve the titles and make them sound less like informercials. What he does is good & valuable work. Note that the archive is the only one that he is charging money for. So, we still can get on the juicy stuff within the week.
- tbgvi 17y ago
  Seriously? I think we're the one's making out on this deal. I get a lot of value out of these interviews and I know a lot of others do too. I want him to have access to more entrepreneurs and investors so I can learn something from them, and I'm glad he's getting sponsorships because it's deserved. And while it might be free in monetary value, it's obvious that Andrew put a lot of time and effort into not only the interviews but also in being a good member of this community. The most valuable resource we have is time. I hope that's a joke, and you probably expected the downvotes, but come on...
_pius 17y ago
No, thank you. Your work is invaluable and I continue to be dazzled by the level of professionalism you bring to both the interviews and the subsequent feedback you receive here. Keep doing what you're doing!
prpon 17y ago
Keep up the good work brother. We, fellow HN users have seen you and mixergy evolve into something we look forward to. I hope you will be able to monetize your effort as well as keep most of us around.
clistctrl 17y ago
I will admit, the quality of show has improved significantly from your earlier interviews (for instance the early intro made me cringe every time) Some of your interviews have really made an impression on me.. and for that I thank you back!
faramarz 17y ago
Keep up the great work. Andrew, I'd be interested if one of these days you sat on the other side and let yourself be interviewed by a colleague.. in the same fashion. (it might also reveal why you're staying in Buenos Aires :P)
andreshb 17y ago
The work that you are doing is very useful for all of us, and like faramarz says; perhaps you'll reveal what you are doing in Buenos Aires and meet up with the HN/Startup community here. Thank you!
- AndrewWarner 17y ago
  One of the first things I did when I got here is help organize an HN meetup. 2 - 3 dozen guys showed up. I'd do it again if you want to help me set it up. I'm here because I wanted to go in a cave and quietly work on my work without distractions. I don't speak the language here so I don't get caught up in aimless conversations. Most days I don't even put my contact lenses on. I just spend most of the day improving my interviews. In the evenings I go out for a beer and/or steak with good friends. Or I stay at home with Olivia.
  - rubyrescue 17y ago
    let's do it next week - thursday?
  - andreshb 17y ago
    Ofcourse, let us know when you'll be available for a meetup. By the way, I highly highly recommend you go to Palermo Valley http://www.palermovalley.com/primer-pvn-de-2010-capital-para-emprender/ http://www.palermovalley.com/primer-pvn-de-2010-capital-para... next tuesday, and as a special guest I can arrange for a translator as well, though most attendees, speakers, and organizers speak english too. Perhaps this goes against you not wanting distractions. But if you feel like getting out a bit and meeting the startup community here, let me know.
alanthonyc 17y ago
Thanks for the interviews!
axod 17y ago
The interviews are really really valuable. Keep up the good work :) For me, this stuff is complete gold. Each interview contains little nuggets that you can act on and implement. Not wishy washy motivational 'life coach' stuff, but clear actionable advice that might work for you.
- patio11 17y ago
  Axod stole my comment regarding actionable advice. Mixergy interviews are some of the best gold-to-chaff ratios of any of my routine sources of information.
  - detst 17y ago
    Since this is a love-fest, I thought I would thank you for your comments. When I've finished browsing HN posts and want more, I check your profile to see if I've missed any of your comments.
markbao 17y ago
Andrew, I think I speak for a large portion of HN when I say this—I can't thank you enough for being not only a source of inspiration but also ideas. You've really helped us become better, smarter entrepreneurs and probably have saved a few great startups in the process :)
abstractbill 17y ago
Your interviews are excellent Andrew, please keep up the good work!
coffee 17y ago
Thank you Andrew! The benefits of your work on this side of the table are IMMENSE. Your consistent refinement to do a better job than the time before is an amazing example of your commitment and drive. Your work has direct impact on the choices we make trying to achieve our own goals. Cheers!
jayair 17y ago
Thanks, love your work! Keep it up!
detst 17y ago
Thank you, Andrew. The interviews are inspiring but I have to say I'm inspired most seeing the work you put into Mixergy. You could slack and maybe not do an interview everyday but you do it because that's what you want Mixergy to be. That's what I find inspiring and I can't tell you how helpful it is in keeping me on track.
staunch 17y ago
I may be way off base, but the cynic in me sees your post as related to the recent changes you made with Mixergy. I really liked Mixergy. I turned lots of people onto it. When you decided (almost out of the blue) to turn it into a strictly money making venture for yourself I felt burned. I thought you were following in the footsteps of Charlie Rose's interviews, Paul Graham's essays, or one of the dozens of great Podcasts that exist. Something fairly altruistic that may generate money for you, but not as its primary goal. It turns out you were really just building an audience so eventually you could upsell us into into some kind of self-help guru educational pay site. Not that there's anything wrong with a site like that, but it's not the kind of site I would ever use, and certainly not something I would ever actively promote. I think there were a dozen ways you could have made significant money off Mixergy that wouldn't have felt like bait-n-switch. Instead you took the easiest and lamest possible option. I don't visit Mixergy any longer and I don't promote it anymore. For your sake I hope you're really successful with the path you're taking. For mine I hope someone moves in to take the role I thought you were filling: The Charlie Rose of the startup world -- not the Tony Robins.
- AndrewWarner 17y ago
  I understand the frustration. I'm listening to the feedback on this the way I heard and adjusted to past issues. I don't have the right formula yet. But I'll keep at it. For what it's worth, I paid for 2 years of Charlie Rose interviews on Audible even though I could have watched them for free on TV. It took him a few years to figure out the paid vs free model that you (and I) admire. Hopefully it'll take me less time than that. I don't want to BE Charlie Rose though. And anyone who heard me stammer through the intros to my interviews knows I can't be Tony Robbins.
  - brandon272 17y ago
    I'm happy to pay for content if it's the right model, but right now you don't have a model that I am willing to participate in. :) In related news, I can't see a way to even access premium content on your site right now. I'm guessing that has something to do with the "[private_Premium]" tags I'm seeing on the for-pay pages.
bendtheblock 17y ago
Managing a startup, it's hard to stay motivated 100% of the time. There are hacks for this, such as visualising success (both professionally and personally), or planning to meet your friends one evening to relax, or re-enforcing financial pressure by checking your bank statements. Another one is to listen to an episode of Mixergy. The interviews are the ideal compromise between high level strategic questions and the grass roots stuff, such as what were the scaling problems, how was a given process managed, what was the advantage of doing X over Y. I'll be writing in future about how to 'cook your own MBA' - Mixergy will certainly be a key ingredient. Good work Andrew.
da5e 17y ago
Thank you for your excellent interviews. I thought your very detailed explanation of your reasoning for starting to charge for some content at some time made a lot of sense.
mattm 17y ago
I liked the shouting (and I've emailed this to you). Your earlier show intros started out with so much more energy. Now, I wonder where the energy is especially with a name like Mixergy. You are doing an interview a day now so that makes a difference. I listen to you pretty much everyday now but when I first stumbled upon your interviews, it was that initial energy that got me to listen more. At first I was thinking, "who is this guy?", but the energy kept me listening a few more minutes, and then a few more and now I'm hooked.
hammmatt 17y ago
Thank you for thanking us. It is easy to love that which loves us. Which makes me question the motives of the lover... ah consciousness is exhausting, huh?
dusklight 17y ago
Andrew I was under the impression that you are already independently wealthy from your previous companies? Why are you trying to make money from Mixergy? If it is just a matter of keeping score, I challenge you to dream bigger. The idea of paying for content is such a 20th century idea .. treating ideas in a similar fashion to physical property is such a 20th century idea. We are increasingly seeing people capitalize on the very significant differences between intellectual property and physical property to do new things. If you have the luxury of not needing a cashflow from mixergy, why not challenge yourself to find a new way to make money off your work, that doesn't involve paywalls?
- rewind 17y ago
  I challenge you to offer valid alternatives instead of just challenging him to do it. And what does being wealthy have to do with anything? He has the same right to choose this business model as someone living on Kraft Dinner. "Why are you trying to make money from Mixergy?" Why not??? He's not running a charity. His business, his work, his content, his right to try to monetize it. You're calling his business model 20th century. Feel free to offer some 21st century alternatives. A lot of "I want your content and I want you to keep working on it, but I don't want to pay you for it, so find another way to make money" comments flowing in this thread without many good ideas to help him do it differently.
danspodcast 17y ago
Andrew-- a heartfelt thank you for being the most compelling conduit for entrepreneurial information on the web. I love the show and truly savor the times I can I can sneak away and watch a few episodes. I'm interested to see how your business model evolves.
gojomo 17y ago
Your transcripts are the key feature for me. Links to audio/video interviews without transcripts can be frustrating; I may want to know what the interviewee has to say, but not enough to lock up my ears for 30-60 minutes. Thanks for adding them.
pennyfiller 17y ago
I've stumbled onto Mixergy from onstartups.com and it is the most useful site for entrepreneurs I've ever seen. Thanks for putting it together! It's like the book Founders at Work except with video. Amazing.
jayphelps 17y ago
I'm new to these parts, but I'm lovin' things so far!
Keyframe 17y ago
I'm happy for you Andrew, but you could've played out monetization side differently, albeit the hard way. You could've pitched yourself for syndication to sites like channel9 and live interviews to conferences - that's where your money would be at while keeping the site free. Just an idea.

Tell HN: Thank you

178 points by AndrewWarner 17y ago

jswinghammer 17y ago

Thank you for producing your content. I've found it very inspirational. I love that there are so many great resources for aspiring entrepreneurs these days and I'd definitely put your site on the short list for great content in this area. Your ads are good too actually. They are very topical and interesting for me so well done there, too. Good luck!

mschaecher 17y ago

Thank you Andrew for all the work you do to make Mixergy a must have resource for me(and everyone else) on my journey into the startup world. And a BIG thanks to the HN community as well! I know my calling in life is to start my own company someday(soon!). Hacker News and Mixergy have been indispensable resources along the way to discovering what I love and want to do.

gizmo 17y ago

May I propose a different title? > How Mixergy uses HN to get Access to Entrepreneurs and Investors to Boost Traffic and get Sponsorships for Free!

babyboy808 17y ago
Why the downvotes?, that is pretty funny as in the titles of Mixergy's posts :) eg: "How A Site Made More Money In 30 Days By Selling Access Than It Did In 2 Years Of Selling Ads with Tim Bourquin"
- kvs 17y ago
  I give you a point. I think Andrew can improve the titles and make them sound less like informercials. What he does is good & valuable work. Note that the archive is the only one that he is charging money for. So, we still can get on the juicy stuff within the week.
tbgvi 17y ago
Seriously? I think we're the one's making out on this deal. I get a lot of value out of these interviews and I know a lot of others do too. I want him to have access to more entrepreneurs and investors so I can learn something from them, and I'm glad he's getting sponsorships because it's deserved. And while it might be free in monetary value, it's obvious that Andrew put a lot of time and effort into not only the interviews but also in being a good member of this community. The most valuable resource we have is time. I hope that's a joke, and you probably expected the downvotes, but come on...

_pius 17y ago

No, thank you. Your work is invaluable and I continue to be dazzled by the level of professionalism you bring to both the interviews and the subsequent feedback you receive here. Keep doing what you're doing!

prpon 17y ago

Keep up the good work brother. We, fellow HN users have seen you and mixergy evolve into something we look forward to. I hope you will be able to monetize your effort as well as keep most of us around.

clistctrl 17y ago

I will admit, the quality of show has improved significantly from your earlier interviews (for instance the early intro made me cringe every time) Some of your interviews have really made an impression on me.. and for that I thank you back!

faramarz 17y ago

Keep up the great work. Andrew, I'd be interested if one of these days you sat on the other side and let yourself be interviewed by a colleague.. in the same fashion. (it might also reveal why you're staying in Buenos Aires :P)

andreshb 17y ago

The work that you are doing is very useful for all of us, and like faramarz says; perhaps you'll reveal what you are doing in Buenos Aires and meet up with the HN/Startup community here. Thank you!

AndrewWarner 17y ago
One of the first things I did when I got here is help organize an HN meetup. 2 - 3 dozen guys showed up. I'd do it again if you want to help me set it up. I'm here because I wanted to go in a cave and quietly work on my work without distractions. I don't speak the language here so I don't get caught up in aimless conversations. Most days I don't even put my contact lenses on. I just spend most of the day improving my interviews. In the evenings I go out for a beer and/or steak with good friends. Or I stay at home with Olivia.
- rubyrescue 17y ago
  let's do it next week - thursday?
- andreshb 17y ago
  Ofcourse, let us know when you'll be available for a meetup. By the way, I highly highly recommend you go to Palermo Valley http://www.palermovalley.com/primer-pvn-de-2010-capital-para-emprender/ http://www.palermovalley.com/primer-pvn-de-2010-capital-para... next tuesday, and as a special guest I can arrange for a translator as well, though most attendees, speakers, and organizers speak english too. Perhaps this goes against you not wanting distractions. But if you feel like getting out a bit and meeting the startup community here, let me know.

alanthonyc 17y ago

Thanks for the interviews!

axod 17y ago

The interviews are really really valuable. Keep up the good work :) For me, this stuff is complete gold. Each interview contains little nuggets that you can act on and implement. Not wishy washy motivational 'life coach' stuff, but clear actionable advice that might work for you.

patio11 17y ago
Axod stole my comment regarding actionable advice. Mixergy interviews are some of the best gold-to-chaff ratios of any of my routine sources of information.
- detst 17y ago
  Since this is a love-fest, I thought I would thank you for your comments. When I've finished browsing HN posts and want more, I check your profile to see if I've missed any of your comments.

markbao 17y ago

Andrew, I think I speak for a large portion of HN when I say this—I can't thank you enough for being not only a source of inspiration but also ideas. You've really helped us become better, smarter entrepreneurs and probably have saved a few great startups in the process :)

abstractbill 17y ago

Your interviews are excellent Andrew, please keep up the good work!

coffee 17y ago

Thank you Andrew! The benefits of your work on this side of the table are IMMENSE. Your consistent refinement to do a better job than the time before is an amazing example of your commitment and drive. Your work has direct impact on the choices we make trying to achieve our own goals. Cheers!

jayair 17y ago

Thanks, love your work! Keep it up!

detst 17y ago

Thank you, Andrew. The interviews are inspiring but I have to say I'm inspired most seeing the work you put into Mixergy. You could slack and maybe not do an interview everyday but you do it because that's what you want Mixergy to be. That's what I find inspiring and I can't tell you how helpful it is in keeping me on track.

staunch 17y ago

I may be way off base, but the cynic in me sees your post as related to the recent changes you made with Mixergy. I really liked Mixergy. I turned lots of people onto it. When you decided (almost out of the blue) to turn it into a strictly money making venture for yourself I felt burned. I thought you were following in the footsteps of Charlie Rose's interviews, Paul Graham's essays, or one of the dozens of great Podcasts that exist. Something fairly altruistic that may generate money for you, but not as its primary goal. It turns out you were really just building an audience so eventually you could upsell us into into some kind of self-help guru educational pay site. Not that there's anything wrong with a site like that, but it's not the kind of site I would ever use, and certainly not something I would ever actively promote. I think there were a dozen ways you could have made significant money off Mixergy that wouldn't have felt like bait-n-switch. Instead you took the easiest and lamest possible option. I don't visit Mixergy any longer and I don't promote it anymore. For your sake I hope you're really successful with the path you're taking. For mine I hope someone moves in to take the role I thought you were filling: The Charlie Rose of the startup world -- not the Tony Robins.

AndrewWarner 17y ago
I understand the frustration. I'm listening to the feedback on this the way I heard and adjusted to past issues. I don't have the right formula yet. But I'll keep at it. For what it's worth, I paid for 2 years of Charlie Rose interviews on Audible even though I could have watched them for free on TV. It took him a few years to figure out the paid vs free model that you (and I) admire. Hopefully it'll take me less time than that. I don't want to BE Charlie Rose though. And anyone who heard me stammer through the intros to my interviews knows I can't be Tony Robbins.
- brandon272 17y ago
  I'm happy to pay for content if it's the right model, but right now you don't have a model that I am willing to participate in. :) In related news, I can't see a way to even access premium content on your site right now. I'm guessing that has something to do with the "[private_Premium]" tags I'm seeing on the for-pay pages.

bendtheblock 17y ago

Managing a startup, it's hard to stay motivated 100% of the time. There are hacks for this, such as visualising success (both professionally and personally), or planning to meet your friends one evening to relax, or re-enforcing financial pressure by checking your bank statements. Another one is to listen to an episode of Mixergy. The interviews are the ideal compromise between high level strategic questions and the grass roots stuff, such as what were the scaling problems, how was a given process managed, what was the advantage of doing X over Y. I'll be writing in future about how to 'cook your own MBA' - Mixergy will certainly be a key ingredient. Good work Andrew.

da5e 17y ago

Thank you for your excellent interviews. I thought your very detailed explanation of your reasoning for starting to charge for some content at some time made a lot of sense.

mattm 17y ago

I liked the shouting (and I've emailed this to you). Your earlier show intros started out with so much more energy. Now, I wonder where the energy is especially with a name like Mixergy. You are doing an interview a day now so that makes a difference. I listen to you pretty much everyday now but when I first stumbled upon your interviews, it was that initial energy that got me to listen more. At first I was thinking, "who is this guy?", but the energy kept me listening a few more minutes, and then a few more and now I'm hooked.

hammmatt 17y ago

Thank you for thanking us. It is easy to love that which loves us. Which makes me question the motives of the lover... ah consciousness is exhausting, huh?

dusklight 17y ago

Andrew I was under the impression that you are already independently wealthy from your previous companies? Why are you trying to make money from Mixergy? If it is just a matter of keeping score, I challenge you to dream bigger. The idea of paying for content is such a 20th century idea .. treating ideas in a similar fashion to physical property is such a 20th century idea. We are increasingly seeing people capitalize on the very significant differences between intellectual property and physical property to do new things. If you have the luxury of not needing a cashflow from mixergy, why not challenge yourself to find a new way to make money off your work, that doesn't involve paywalls?

rewind 17y ago
I challenge you to offer valid alternatives instead of just challenging him to do it. And what does being wealthy have to do with anything? He has the same right to choose this business model as someone living on Kraft Dinner. "Why are you trying to make money from Mixergy?" Why not??? He's not running a charity. His business, his work, his content, his right to try to monetize it. You're calling his business model 20th century. Feel free to offer some 21st century alternatives. A lot of "I want your content and I want you to keep working on it, but I don't want to pay you for it, so find another way to make money" comments flowing in this thread without many good ideas to help him do it differently.

danspodcast 17y ago

Andrew-- a heartfelt thank you for being the most compelling conduit for entrepreneurial information on the web. I love the show and truly savor the times I can I can sneak away and watch a few episodes. I'm interested to see how your business model evolves.

gojomo 17y ago

Your transcripts are the key feature for me. Links to audio/video interviews without transcripts can be frustrating; I may want to know what the interviewee has to say, but not enough to lock up my ears for 30-60 minutes. Thanks for adding them.

pennyfiller 17y ago

I've stumbled onto Mixergy from onstartups.com and it is the most useful site for entrepreneurs I've ever seen. Thanks for putting it together! It's like the book Founders at Work except with video. Amazing.

jayphelps 17y ago

I'm new to these parts, but I'm lovin' things so far!

Keyframe 17y ago

I'm happy for you Andrew, but you could've played out monetization side differently, albeit the hard way. You could've pitched yourself for syndication to sites like channel9 and live interviews to conferences - that's where your money would be at while keeping the site free. Just an idea.