4 ms·

Um - I can think of loads of "web 2" invoicing sites blinksale, zoho, freshbooks, less accounting... the web is full of them. (e.g. http://freelanceswitch.com/m

Um - I can think of loads of "web 2" invoicing sites blinksale, zoho, freshbooks, less accounting... the web is full of them. (e.g. http://freelanceswitch.com/money/7-online-invoicing-apps-for-freelancers/ http://freelanceswitch.com/money/7-online-invoicing-apps-for...). You could probably find 15-20 in about half an hour. I'm sure you've spent a lot of time on this but seriously you are dreaming if you think this is going to make any money.

middayc 16y ago
Yes, there are many invoicing apps out there. There is a thin line between being brave and being stupid :) . I am aware I am walking that line here.
lunaru 16y ago
It's no exaggeration to say that there are probably more invoicing apps than there are URL shorteners. Having run one for nearly two years, I can say that there are certain key differentiators that customers in this market are looking for. For starters, "simple" and "no bull*" do not have as strong a pull in invoicing as say in project management. When it comes to financial applications, users are going to expect some level of sophistication. I strongly advise the OP against leaning only in simplicity as a key differentiator, since TBH all 20+ competitors in the market could claim the same thing. To the OP if you're seriously committed, shoot me an email and I can give you some pointers that I've learned over the last 2 years.
- middayc 16y ago
  >> For starters, "simple" and "no bull" do not have as strong a pull in invoicing as say in project management. Thanks for the info. >> I strongly advise the OP against leaning only in simplicity as a key differentiator, since TBH all 20+ competitors in the market could claim the same thing. Thanks again. Yes, I can see that you are right. Our main* focus is "efficiency" (not claiming that it's a specially god focus, but it is our main) With this I mean speed & and focus on functionality/work-flow and less on decoration / packaging. As for all webapps, simplicity is a very important factor to, but I can agree with you that it's not a good differentiator. Invoice.ly doesn't have a goal to become a service accountant would use. But it has more in terms of what a SMB owner would use than invoicing. Invoice.ly is US adaptation of app I made for my (EU based) country. Besides "mini" that you can see there is also a "norm" which will offer a more rich set of features. I'm definitely serious, where can I find your email? My is janko DOT itm AT gmail.
  - lunaru 16y ago
    Hmmm, I have it in my profile, but I guess it's not displayed to the public. It's lwang at you-can-guess-the-rest.
ahoyhere 16y ago
You can easily make a profit in a crowded market, but you have to really stand out. That can mean a lot of things, from support to features to audience to design. To the OP: no offense, but I don't see, from your site, any reason I would use your site over any of the other, better-designed, more established ones.
- middayc 16y ago
  About your first scentence ~ I think so too. Absolutely no offense taken. This is "let's get out" iteration (public release was this weekend). I believe we will produce reasons with future iterations :)
juliend2 16y ago
I have a hard time to find a good yet cheap alternative to Freshbooks that supports canadian taxes. So i think there's still a sweet spot for the Invoicing web apps that can support these kinds of edge cases. By the way middayc, your app seems nice. I think you're right to show it early even if it's still not perfect. One thing about the login validation : http://grab.by/4yIb http://grab.by/4yIb . I got "Wrong input" error when my password was wrong. I think it would be better like "Invalid Email or Password".
- middayc 16y ago
  One of initial beta testers is from Canada and I already promissed him version that will be adapted to Canada. From my understanding you have 2 levels of taxes (compounding?) and they must both be visible on invoice.
  - juliend2 16y ago
    Yes. Although i don't know for other provinces, in Quebec we have the GST (5%) and the QST (7.5%). Here's how we calculate it: total = 100$ GST = (total0.05) QST = (total+GST)0.075 Grand Total = total+GST+QST For the other provinces i think it depends but instead of QST they have an HST tax. But for your app i think it would be the same algorithm to support all provinces (someone please let me know if i'm wrong).
    - middayc 16y ago
      Thanks a LOT. Would you be interested in being a beta tester when I make the Canadian version?
      - juliend2 16y ago
        Yes of course. You can send it to me via the contact form linked in my profile :)
      - juliend2 16y ago
        In case the formula was not clear, i replaced the stars with x instead (HN use stars for italization and i can't edit my previous post): total = 100$ GST = (total x 0.05) QST = (total+GST) x 0.075 Grand Total = total+GST+QST More infos : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_Canada

middayc 16y ago

Yes, there are many invoicing apps out there. There is a thin line between being brave and being stupid :) . I am aware I am walking that line here.

lunaru 16y ago

It's no exaggeration to say that there are probably more invoicing apps than there are URL shorteners. Having run one for nearly two years, I can say that there are certain key differentiators that customers in this market are looking for. For starters, "simple" and "no bull*" do not have as strong a pull in invoicing as say in project management. When it comes to financial applications, users are going to expect some level of sophistication. I strongly advise the OP against leaning only in simplicity as a key differentiator, since TBH all 20+ competitors in the market could claim the same thing. To the OP if you're seriously committed, shoot me an email and I can give you some pointers that I've learned over the last 2 years.

middayc 16y ago
>> For starters, "simple" and "no bull" do not have as strong a pull in invoicing as say in project management. Thanks for the info. >> I strongly advise the OP against leaning only in simplicity as a key differentiator, since TBH all 20+ competitors in the market could claim the same thing. Thanks again. Yes, I can see that you are right. Our main* focus is "efficiency" (not claiming that it's a specially god focus, but it is our main) With this I mean speed & and focus on functionality/work-flow and less on decoration / packaging. As for all webapps, simplicity is a very important factor to, but I can agree with you that it's not a good differentiator. Invoice.ly doesn't have a goal to become a service accountant would use. But it has more in terms of what a SMB owner would use than invoicing. Invoice.ly is US adaptation of app I made for my (EU based) country. Besides "mini" that you can see there is also a "norm" which will offer a more rich set of features. I'm definitely serious, where can I find your email? My is janko DOT itm AT gmail.
- lunaru 16y ago
  Hmmm, I have it in my profile, but I guess it's not displayed to the public. It's lwang at you-can-guess-the-rest.

ahoyhere 16y ago

You can easily make a profit in a crowded market, but you have to really stand out. That can mean a lot of things, from support to features to audience to design. To the OP: no offense, but I don't see, from your site, any reason I would use your site over any of the other, better-designed, more established ones.

middayc 16y ago
About your first scentence ~ I think so too. Absolutely no offense taken. This is "let's get out" iteration (public release was this weekend). I believe we will produce reasons with future iterations :)

juliend2 16y ago

I have a hard time to find a good yet cheap alternative to Freshbooks that supports canadian taxes. So i think there's still a sweet spot for the Invoicing web apps that can support these kinds of edge cases. By the way middayc, your app seems nice. I think you're right to show it early even if it's still not perfect. One thing about the login validation : http://grab.by/4yIb http://grab.by/4yIb . I got "Wrong input" error when my password was wrong. I think it would be better like "Invalid Email or Password".

middayc 16y ago
One of initial beta testers is from Canada and I already promissed him version that will be adapted to Canada. From my understanding you have 2 levels of taxes (compounding?) and they must both be visible on invoice.
- juliend2 16y ago
  Yes. Although i don't know for other provinces, in Quebec we have the GST (5%) and the QST (7.5%). Here's how we calculate it: total = 100$ GST = (total0.05) QST = (total+GST)0.075 Grand Total = total+GST+QST For the other provinces i think it depends but instead of QST they have an HST tax. But for your app i think it would be the same algorithm to support all provinces (someone please let me know if i'm wrong).
  - middayc 16y ago
    Thanks a LOT. Would you be interested in being a beta tester when I make the Canadian version?
    - juliend2 16y ago
      Yes of course. You can send it to me via the contact form linked in my profile :)
    - juliend2 16y ago
      In case the formula was not clear, i replaced the stars with x instead (HN use stars for italization and i can't edit my previous post): total = 100$ GST = (total x 0.05) QST = (total+GST) x 0.075 Grand Total = total+GST+QST More infos : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_Canada