4 ms·
Ask HN: How can you sell to people you don’t like?
Hi guys. I’m a working guy with a young family. I need to get a side project started to bring in some more income to the house as we’re only just managing at the moment.
I have an idea for a SaaS which I have the skills to build and market but I’m at a conflict. They always say you shouldn’t sell something you don’t believe in. I believe in the value of the product I’m thinking about, I believe I could offer benefit to the customers and it’s not immoral or illegal. I just feel like the kind of customers it would attract aren’t people I would like. It would only really suit customers who are paranoid and self interested. Not the kinds of people I affiliate with or look up to.
Has anyone been in a position where they had to balance their own business aspirations and ambitions with a responsibility for making people do better, more enriching things?
Sorry if it’s a bit of a rant. I’m happy to answer as many questions as possible for context or to just take feedback. I’m just wracking my brains at the minute with this thing. Help appreciated.
- itamarst 9y agoYou're making some implicit assumptions: 1. Your idea is a good. 2. You will succeed at your business. 2. You will make money quickly. There's a good chance your idea won't work, and even if it does from what I've read SaaS takes a long time to make real money. And during that time you'll need to spend a lot of time talking to customers and trying to figure out what to do improve things for them. So basically you need the dedication to spend the next 1-2 years of your life catering to people you don't like. On the face of it that seems unlikely. More likely you'll give up in six months. Instead of going "idea -> do work", try going in reverse direction. Pick group of people you actually like, then do research on them, then get idea based on what you learn about their problems. Benefits are your idea is more likley to work, when you get discouraged you'll have evidence to look back to, and you'll actually enjoy your work which again makes it more likely you don't give up. https://stackingthebricks.com/ https://stackingthebricks.com/ has a bunch of good advice.
- dilemma1839 9y agoI’m researching the idea just as you do before you begin to build a business - and I think as entrepreneurs by our nature we’re implicitally employing a level of optimism and risk. My questions a bit more about balancing the morality.
- DoreenMichele 9y agoit’s not immoral or illegal. I just feel like the kind of customers it would attract aren’t people I would like. It would only really suit customers who are paranoid and self interested. Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. It might be helpful to come up with a broad variety of reasonable use cases besides the one you are imagining and not liking. Some thoughts on scenarios that might apply: People fleeing domestic violence. LGBTQ individuals, especially so in some parts of the world. Other oppressed minorities, whether due to religion, ethnicity or any other reason. People in war torn parts of the world. People with hopeless medical situations interested in pursuing proven alternatives, like medical marijuana, that may not be legal in their location. There are lots of situations where people are only trying to meet their own needs, are not up to anything nefarious, nor even questionable to my mind, who need to take precautions because the world does not approve of them getting their needs met for reasons that often boil down to prejudice and malice.
- dilemma1839 9y agoMy sincere thanks for this Doreen. Maybe I need to brew and consider the perspective from which I perceive the concept.