5 ms·
Tell HN: just made my first dollar on the Internet from my freemium web app
..and I am surprised at how good it feels. Its not much (just $12) but I feel it is a huge mental step forward for me, which I thought many here could relate to :-)
- lamby 16y agoCongratulations! Link? :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks. Here it is http://www.trackthisnow.com/ http://www.trackthisnow.com/
- thomasb 16y agoVery cool app
- geoffw8 16y agoSimple but effective
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks.. It was originally designed as a free software. I introduced the paid option when I realized there was a demand for it, especially from the PR industry.
- rokhayakebe 16y agoActually useful.
- pwp 16y agoVery cool, I really like it. Could you add an option to keep to the current tab when following a link, rather than opening a new one? While this isn't as annoying as it used to be when it actually opened a new browser session, it is still a little annoying when you go to hit the back button and it doesn't work. Congrats on the sale, best of luck and keep up the good work.
- lolizbak 16y agoThis must feel good indeed, congrats! You just did the MVP of customer development. And a great prototype for brand monitoring. Good luck!
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks. It does and is also very motivating. I feel that if I can sell one I can sell more. I am thinking of working on the UI and the positioning a bit more.
- democracy 16y agoWell done, congratulations!
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks
- leftnode 16y agoIf you don't get a high, a rush from selling something to someone, you're not cut out to be an entrepreneur. Congratulations on your first sale. Last month I sold my first piece of software online and I literally woke my wife up to tell her. I also sell guns and gun accessories. Last night, a customer purchased $1100 worth of products. In an industry with tough and large competition, we somehow convinced him through our website to give us $1100 of his money. Two years later and my business partner and I still send each other texts when an order comes through. It's such an amazing feeling. Again, congratulations on your first sale and I hope many more to come for you.
- combiclickwise 16y agolove this comment. I did the same thing. I forwarded my wife the Paypal receipt the moment I realized I had a sale. Its her birthday tomorrow and I have quit my job to pursue my dreams for 4 months now, so its extra special.
- bad_user 16y agoGreat present :) I imagine it's a little tough for her dealing with long work hours and the instability entrepreneurship brings.
- combiclickwise 16y agoyes it is.. especially the financial instability. The best part is, it was because of her encouragement that I initially decided to pursue this so I know I have her support
- chopsueyar 16y agoYou must know how fortunate you are?
- combiclickwise 16y agoabsolutely.. I just showed her this thread :-)
- thomasb 16y agoCongrats! It is a big deal. Now while sales < 1000000 do ;)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks. :-)
- rmc 16y agocongrats! Just repeat a few times (!) and you're rich :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoI am on it already :)
- csomar 16y agoGood move. Yesterday, I got around $5 from Squidoo for a lens that suddenly become popular and was able to get 300 views in a month. I made it, if I remember well, months ago and forgot about it. But man, it only took me 10 or 15 minutes to make it and that was all I have done. So I thought about it and decided to dig in for some keywords and create even more pages. If I only have 20 lenses like that, it would make me $100 a month. Not that much, but nice money to pay my Internet, phone and SaaS bills. I'm writing this comment to tell you that I feel your happiness. Although it's a very small and tiny amount of money, you are very happy. I know it, because I'm feeling it right now. May be it's the effect of money that comes from selling products and not working under a boss. Already felt it when selling scripts on CodeCanyon. Nice work and now improve and promote more your product!
- combiclickwise 16y agoyes. It is a big mental barrier breakdown. It brings "making money" online into the realm of possibility for me. Congratulations on your success as well.
- dspillett 16y ago> May be it's the effect of money that comes from selling products and not working under a boss. I think it is more of an affirmation thing. It was for me first time I was paid for a product all those years ago. It was originally written (quite naively and so badly in many ways, but it worked!) because I needed it so it didn't have to make money: but when it did it felt very good because someone else thought that my work was worth paying a little for.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoI remember getting my first check through the post, and the first time someone handed me cash. This was 15 years ago, and I still remember them clearly. Well done. May I make a suggestion? Start keeping a diary. Nothing big, nothing fancy, just notes about things like this. If you become an entrepreneur full-time you'll want to go back and read about days like this. Congratulations.
- leftnode 16y agoYup, a small Moleskine notebook is perfect. Fits in your pocket and you can jot down milestones like this.
- edvinasbartkus 16y agoIt will cost him $12 he just earned! But Moleskine is great, not loosing the shape for many years and it is great to have it many years after :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks. Hope that day comes :-)
- geoffw8 16y agoWe've just put up a calendar on the wall, crossing off the days we're making money. Feels VERY good!
- combiclickwise 16y agoNice take on the Seinfeld technique. I will try this.
- cot6mur3 16y agoThanks for naming the idea. For those wondering what the Seinfeld technique is but who are too lazy to Google at the moment: http://www.nevblog.com/motivations-the-seinfeld-calendar/ http://www.nevblog.com/motivations-the-seinfeld-calendar/.
- cnamshspairne 16y agoI love reading stories like this. There is no greater motivator than seeing that first sale or first deal come through the door. I've been lucky enough to have that feeling with two companies now - and it never gets old or tired. I love the comments about waking/emailing PayPal receipts to wives. I did the same thing. I still do when I good sized deals come through. As leftnode said - that's the high of being an entrepreneur. Congratulations on the sale. Hopefully it will be the first of many. It's a really good idea - I've forwarded it on to a few friends in PR and marketing agencies. Hopefully at least one or two of them will send $12 your way before long...
- combiclickwise 16y agooh thats great. Thanks a ton for the forwards
- thenomad 16y agoCongratulations. It's a huge moment when you suddenly realise you've made something that strangers on the internet are willing to give you actual cash for. I'm still slightly bemused by it myself :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks
- wiradikusuma 16y agocongrats on your first dollar! i had exactly the same experience last week! i bought a domain more than a year ago, been doing development ever since but progressing very slow (it's a solo project and i have a full time job). last month renewal notice showed up and made me think, "wow, it's been a year, and it's still in my laptop." now it has been launched. and last week i got my first paying customer. i literally cried and jumping around in excitement, and immediately gtalked my girlfriend. very stupid considering it's less than $10, but it gave proof that "my idea works" (it's just an e-commerce for Indonesia market). anyway, nice work and always positive minded :)
- combiclickwise 16y ago>>>now it has been launched. and last week i got my first paying customer. i literally cried and jumping around in excitement, and immediately gtalked my girlfriend. very stupid considering it's less than $10, but it gave proof that "my idea works" (it's just an e-commerce for Indonesia market). Thats how a felt. Please post the link
- moblivu 16y agoCongratulations mate ! :D
- combiclickwise 16y agoThank you
- ssebro 16y agoCongrats- I'll have a beer for you!
- combiclickwise 16y agolol Thanks
- Sodaware 16y agoI have my email client set up to play a cash register sound every time an order goes through. It sounds dumb, but it never gets old.
- combiclickwise 16y agodumb? I think it is brilliant
- dglassan 16y agoagreed
- jh3 16y agoIf it sounds dumb, maybe you should search for a better sounding cash register noise ;) Seriously though, it would be awesome if you all of a sudden you had a surge of sales and your computer made as much noise as a slot machine hitting a jackpot.
- chopsueyar 16y agoI actually recently set up something similar. I use opengateway with authorize.net and it will post to a url during a transaction. I have it post to a local server, that plays a specific .wav file depending on the transaction type. There are 5 transaction types and I use a slot machine, cash register, bells, and crowd cheering noises. Got the idea from this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251757/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251757/
- rabidonrails 16y agoOurs play Shoot To Thrill (AC/DC)
- robryan 16y agoLol, the affiliate application I'm making plays a beep for alerts, the main type of alert being extra commission earned. I suggested to my cofounder that we change the beep volume depending on the size of commission.
- jijoy 16y agoCongrats on first sale :) What's your app's url ? Share with us ....
- combiclickwise 16y agohere it is http://www.trackthisnow.com/ http://www.trackthisnow.com/
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- shazow 16y agoCongratulations!! I just started last month too, and my first batch of customers with recurring payments are about to recur tomorrow. I'm both incredibly excited and worried (no one unsubscribed yet).
- combiclickwise 16y agoThats awesome. :-)
- pdenya 16y agoCongrats! I just sold my first product online last month. Great feeling.
- dangravell 16y agoMany congratulations, and thank you. "Thank you" because I know from my own experience that these kinds of posts are extremely motivational. I made my first sale a year and a half ago, and recently increased the sales so that I could go full time. Maybe I should've followed my own advice and posted it on HN: http://www.elstensoftware.com/blog/2011/01/21/going-fulltime/ http://www.elstensoftware.com/blog/2011/01/21/going-fulltime...
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks and congrats on going full time
- strepx 16y agocongratulation on your first sale. few years back i as one of you :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks. feels great. You can post your story so we know the road ahead :-)
- hanswahn 16y agoI'm still waiting for my first dollar from my password generating android app "Password Specialist". It was added in Dec 2010 to the market and still 0 sales :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoI would suggest you keep at it. Iterate, iterate, iterate
- socialmediaking 16y agohate to be a stick in the mud, but aren't passwords hard enough to remember when they're not randomly generated?
- THEM 16y agoDon't give up. Make a free version that only generates 3-5 passwords. No one will buy just based on the screenshots... everyone wants to try something out first. That's what I did for my android app, and now I get a few sales a day.
- mleonhard 16y agoCongrats! I'm anticipating my first sales early next month.
- combiclickwise 16y agobest of luck
- vgurgov 16y agoCongratulations on your first sale! Ysd I had another sale on my 4-month old startup, so I know how it feels to get this paypal/gateway emails. Good luck!
- artmageddon 16y agoI have yet to break into web development(and start a company etc. to make money online) but I finally finished an app for a local business that has started making payments to me. Getting checks feels nice. Congrats!! :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoThanks wow.. its amazing how many of us share this feeling about the first sale every sale actually. congrats
- goombastic 16y agoCongratulations! It probably is the sweetest feeling ever, esp the feeling you get when you realise that something you built was of value to someone else. I demand a "first sale party" on behalf of those of us who aren't YC funded. :)
- combiclickwise 16y agoyes... I am up for it
- someonetrue 16y agoCongrats. Happy for you. It is a $12 you will remember all your life. Relish it.
- JoshKalkbrenner 16y agoCongrats!!!