4 ms·

>He is great at marketing, but isn't a very good example of a 'solopreneur' or a bootstrapper. This is actually the lens through which I view his writings: mas

>He is great at marketing, but isn't a very good example of a 'solopreneur' or a bootstrapper. This is actually the lens through which I view his writings: master solo marketer. He's managed to build a brand around these parts that, when viewed critically, is hard to explain. That's not easy. Some of the business decisions described here are baffling.

sanderjd 10y ago
> Some of the business decisions described here are baffling. Which ones?
- forgetsusername 10y ago
  Running up $120k in credit card debt? Paying $3k per month in interest on that debt while piling money into an app where "expenses grew faster than revenue"? I know this stuff happens. I've been there, done that. But I don't have a reputation as a business guru, either.
ithinkinstereo 10y ago
Patrick's product is himself not any of his "real" businesses. In this vein, he reminds me more of a Tim Ferris than someone like Amy Hoy for example. I know this reads negatively, but it's not meant to be a knock on Patrick, just an observation/opinion.
- cityzen 10y ago
  Do you not think Amy Hoy isn't Amy Hoy's biggest product?
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - ahoyhere 10y ago
    Freckle is Amy Hoy's biggest product (cite: my finances).
- letsnotfreckle 10y ago
  Ironic that you would choose Amy Hoy as a counter-example here. From what I can tell, the majority of Amy's "success" is in teaching, not doing. Don't get me wrong, Freckle seems to be doing well, but I think it's only at like $60k - $70k in MRR after eight or nine years. And that's with multiple staff members. That's an accomplishment, yes, but I'm positive that I make 2x more with consulting than Amy nets from Freckle. I also know multiple SaaS founders much, much more successful (like 5x - 10x) than Freckle in much less time. To be clear, it's not that Freckle is a disaster or anything, she should be proud of it, but it hardly means that she's qualified to be teaching people as some kind of brilliant guru, imo. Not to mention that, unlike Patrick and Tim, she can be extremely abrasive and rude if you disagree with her about anything.
  - notabeliever 10y ago
    Did you fall for 30x500?
    - dceddia 10y ago
      Not OP, but I did. It worked out quite well for me. I've paid back the class 7x at this point, a few months after launching my first product. "Well" is all relative, of course. I'm not making enough to quit my job or anything, but I'm quite happy with where I am. I now have a system that works, and something I can continue to grow. You insinuate that 30x500 is a scam or something. I can assure you it's not. But it does actually take work :)
  - ithinkinstereo 10y ago
    Yes, you're right. Amy is not a good example. I was getting her mixed up with someone else. I wish I could edit my original comment, but can't seem to do so. Someone like DHH or Jason Fried is closer to what I had in mind. I'm pretty turned off to the Tim Ferrises of the world generally speaking. They rub me off the wrong way as MLM schemes. Not as icky but enough similarities...
  - mchmch 10y ago
    Agree on gurus.. but also.. totally doubt that you make 2x more consulting than Freckle nets. Hate much?

sanderjd 10y ago

> Some of the business decisions described here are baffling. Which ones?

forgetsusername 10y ago
Running up $120k in credit card debt? Paying $3k per month in interest on that debt while piling money into an app where "expenses grew faster than revenue"? I know this stuff happens. I've been there, done that. But I don't have a reputation as a business guru, either.

ithinkinstereo 10y ago

Patrick's product is himself not any of his "real" businesses. In this vein, he reminds me more of a Tim Ferris than someone like Amy Hoy for example. I know this reads negatively, but it's not meant to be a knock on Patrick, just an observation/opinion.

cityzen 10y ago
Do you not think Amy Hoy isn't Amy Hoy's biggest product?
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- ahoyhere 10y ago
  Freckle is Amy Hoy's biggest product (cite: my finances).
letsnotfreckle 10y ago
Ironic that you would choose Amy Hoy as a counter-example here. From what I can tell, the majority of Amy's "success" is in teaching, not doing. Don't get me wrong, Freckle seems to be doing well, but I think it's only at like $60k - $70k in MRR after eight or nine years. And that's with multiple staff members. That's an accomplishment, yes, but I'm positive that I make 2x more with consulting than Amy nets from Freckle. I also know multiple SaaS founders much, much more successful (like 5x - 10x) than Freckle in much less time. To be clear, it's not that Freckle is a disaster or anything, she should be proud of it, but it hardly means that she's qualified to be teaching people as some kind of brilliant guru, imo. Not to mention that, unlike Patrick and Tim, she can be extremely abrasive and rude if you disagree with her about anything.
- notabeliever 10y ago
  Did you fall for 30x500?
  - dceddia 10y ago
    Not OP, but I did. It worked out quite well for me. I've paid back the class 7x at this point, a few months after launching my first product. "Well" is all relative, of course. I'm not making enough to quit my job or anything, but I'm quite happy with where I am. I now have a system that works, and something I can continue to grow. You insinuate that 30x500 is a scam or something. I can assure you it's not. But it does actually take work :)
- ithinkinstereo 10y ago
  Yes, you're right. Amy is not a good example. I was getting her mixed up with someone else. I wish I could edit my original comment, but can't seem to do so. Someone like DHH or Jason Fried is closer to what I had in mind. I'm pretty turned off to the Tim Ferrises of the world generally speaking. They rub me off the wrong way as MLM schemes. Not as icky but enough similarities...
- mchmch 10y ago
  Agree on gurus.. but also.. totally doubt that you make 2x more consulting than Freckle nets. Hate much?