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> In fact, we completed just shy of 100 productions — who were happy to pay $500 to interact with an API over email — before we even rolled out the first iterat

> In fact, we completed just shy of 100 productions — who were happy to pay $500 to interact with an API over email — before we even rolled out the first iteration of our UI. > How have you attracted users and grown Endcrawl.com? Once the Perl MVP existed, we cobbled together a landing page with a WuFoo form and sent an email blast to Pliny's filmmaker contacts. That was the extent of our launch. Not trying to diminish the success of this work at all, you guys did a great job finding a niche and working through the process! I get pitches talking about these types of stories and have noticed that many feature a strong "the founders knew a ton of people who would be the first customers" element that is lost on many readers who are looking to learn from the experience. Not many SAAS concepts started by a lone hacker developer can get 100 people paying $500 ($50K!) to interact over email with an API with no UI without spending any money on advertising.

sigil 9y ago
This is absolutely true. I'm the technical co-founder of Endcrawl, and there's just no way I could have pulled this off without the deep industry connections & insight of my co-founder Pliny. First off, the idea never would have occurred to me -- who knew this underserved niche market even existed? I mean end credits...really? It goes beyond just identifying the opportunity though. The way we run Endcrawl is heavily influenced by Pliny's experience running OFFHOLLYWOOD, a post-production facility that mostly served indie filmmakers. Left to my own devices, would I have nailed pricing (flat fee, no room for bargaining) and customer support (email-only but responsive) like we have? Doubt it. Hackers take note: non-technical co-founders CAN bring a ton of value to a partnership. Or: if you're going solo, make sure you really understand your customers and your industry.
- iampliny 9y ago
  Other founder here. Coming at this from another angle: people in film approach me with ideas for products, and always ask "where can I find a coder?" The only answer I have for them is that they don't need a "coder". They need a co-founder.
- tixocloud 9y ago
  I love your humble attitude on the reality of things. I've been trying quite a few projects targeted outside of my network and relationship building is something that gets missed. And now as I'm working on an analytics tool where people do know me and my expertise in that domain, it is much easier to convince.
tixocloud 9y ago
> "the founders knew a ton of people who would be the first customers" element It's something that gets missed but after speaking with the founders directly, that's usually the case so far. The element that's missing most of the time is the "credibility" and "trust" effect.

sigil 9y ago

This is absolutely true. I'm the technical co-founder of Endcrawl, and there's just no way I could have pulled this off without the deep industry connections & insight of my co-founder Pliny. First off, the idea never would have occurred to me -- who knew this underserved niche market even existed? I mean end credits...really? It goes beyond just identifying the opportunity though. The way we run Endcrawl is heavily influenced by Pliny's experience running OFFHOLLYWOOD, a post-production facility that mostly served indie filmmakers. Left to my own devices, would I have nailed pricing (flat fee, no room for bargaining) and customer support (email-only but responsive) like we have? Doubt it. Hackers take note: non-technical co-founders CAN bring a ton of value to a partnership. Or: if you're going solo, make sure you really understand your customers and your industry.

iampliny 9y ago
Other founder here. Coming at this from another angle: people in film approach me with ideas for products, and always ask "where can I find a coder?" The only answer I have for them is that they don't need a "coder". They need a co-founder.
tixocloud 9y ago
I love your humble attitude on the reality of things. I've been trying quite a few projects targeted outside of my network and relationship building is something that gets missed. And now as I'm working on an analytics tool where people do know me and my expertise in that domain, it is much easier to convince.

tixocloud 9y ago

> "the founders knew a ton of people who would be the first customers" element It's something that gets missed but after speaking with the founders directly, that's usually the case so far. The element that's missing most of the time is the "credibility" and "trust" effect.