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Fellow aspiring solo founder here! Here are a few books/resources I've found helpful: --- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick This book stresses the idea of star
by mtlynch 7y ago
Fellow aspiring solo founder here! Here are a few books/resources I've found helpful:
---
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
This book stresses the idea of starting with customer interviews before you build anything and how to ask questions of prospective customers to get meaningful information when people's bias is to just tell you, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," even though they'd never pay money for it. I spent a long time trying to apply it, and the struggle was that in my experience, customers who don't mind diving deep into their unsolved problems for an aspiring founder are a disjoint group from customers who have serious money to spend.
My notes: https://mtlynch.io/book-reports/the-mom-test/ https://mtlynch.io/book-reports/the-mom-test/
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Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling
This is a bit dated, but I think it has valuable takeaways. The most important for me was the value in marketing to small niche customers. Big competitors are less interested in catering to niche groups, and the more specialized, the easier they are to find and market to (e.g., they all read the same magazine or attend the same convention).
My notes: https://mtlynch.io/book-reports/start-small-stay-small/ https://mtlynch.io/book-reports/start-small-stay-small/
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"Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business: Jason Cohen, Founder, WP Engine" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otbnC2zE2rw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otbnC2zE2rw)
A good recording of a MicroConf talk about useful things to consider when building a new Saas business.
- odie88 7y agoSeconding The Mom Test. It's a fast read too, and the author was on a recent episode of the Indie Hackers podcast. For more of the same, I got a lot out of Lean Customer Development by Cindy Alvarez. Here's a talk from Cindy if you'd like to get to learn more before committing to a book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5hc7sseHbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5hc7sseHbE
- aloukissas 7y ago++++ on The Mom Test. The #1 book any founder (solo or otherwise) should read before starting anything.
- randomsearch 7y agoCompletely and utterly agree. Read it.
- tomcam 7y agoIf I’d had the Mom Test in 2006 I would have saved $1.5 million of my own money trying to beat Craigslist.
- Dockson 7y agoThank you! I've seen that youtube video previously and it was exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I will put "The Mom Test" at the top of my list as I've seen many recommendations of it elsewhere too.
- DenisM 7y agoStart Small, Stay Small did a lot for me.
- jurgenwerk 7y agoStart Small, Stay small is 10 years old. A lot has changed since then. The author made an unfortunate decision to write extensively about things that are not perennial. So after reading for a while about software tools and practices that are now dead or outdated, describing the limitations of an iPhone 3G, etc, I decided to stop and return the book.
- rwalling 7y agoThe author here. Yep, that makes sense. I’ll say most marketing books I listen to that are 10 years old are brutally out of date. The focus on detail that made the book a success also made it go out of date relatively quickly. It needs an update. That is on my to do list most years (between running MicroConf and TinySeed) and one of these days I will circle back and get it done. Honestly, this weighs on me. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- random_savv 7y agoSounds like you started small* and stayed small :-) * in the niche sense
- narrowboat 7y ago\\
- randomsearch 7y agoSeems we’re on the same wavelength, so I’ll as “Running Lean” and “Nail It then Scale It” as books you’ll likely find useful.
- saratv 7y agoGood one!I suppose the insights apply to not just bootstrapped businesses. Great clarity of thought.