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I did yes. But by my own admission I didn’t really give much context or information so posted again to give more substance. My first post on HN and I didn’t do

I did yes. But by my own admission I didn’t really give much context or information so posted again to give more substance. My first post on HN and I didn’t do the best job.

satvikpendem 2y ago
Thinking about this some more, I would have to agree with the other commenter, as a solo freelancer, I didn't have too many clients at once that necessitated having multiple invoices in flight at a time, I had an invoice template that I simply changed for each new invoice I needed to issue. They paid via direct bank transfer so I never needed to mess around with payment fees. I originally was going to use Stripe but paying 1% per invoice? Yeah, not gonna happen, just to send them an email or PDF. Perhaps this makes more sense for designers who might work on many projects at once. I believe the founder of designjoy is one such type of person, he makes 1 million a year by himself due to the number of clients he has. Something else you might look at is someone who does website design for companies with a subscription maintenance fee. If they have 10+ sites, it might be hard to get everyone to pay on time, but then again, they might already know how to set up Stripe themselves. However, for those who don't or want one unified platform, your application might fit that need. In short, look for people who have many multiple clients at a time rather than software freelancers who might usually only have a handful at a time. A good distinction might be billable hours based freelancers vs project based ones. Also, definitely make this a paid app from the start with perhaps a free tier or trial, don't start off fully free as it will be a major headache to convince free users to switch to paid. I know that struggle.
- wdunkley 2y ago
  You make a really good point about solo freelancers often managing just a few clients and not needing a complex invoicing system. It’s something I’ve heard echoed by others as well. Targeting designers or freelancers with a high volume of clients makes sense and is something I've had in the back of my mind. Having these discussions in a more designer-oriented forum would be very beneficial. And yes, the founder of Designjoy is an absolute legend! It’s incredible how he’s scaled his business as a one-person powerhouse. (I've even considered a development approach to this as well). As for the subscription model, I completely agree with you; it’s a tricky decision for many startups. I’ve decided to steer clear of a completely free plan as well. Instead, I’m focusing on offering a short free trial to help users see the benefits before committing. I genuinely believe the platform adds real value and holds up against some of the more established companies, so a free plan isn’t on my radar. Out of curiosity, are there other pain points that you've had in the past with invoicing, even with a lower number of clients?
  - satvikpendem 2y ago
    [dead]

I did yes. But by my own admission I didn’t really give much context or information so posted again to give more substance. My first post on HN and I didn’t do the best job.

satvikpendem 2y ago

Thinking about this some more, I would have to agree with the other commenter, as a solo freelancer, I didn't have too many clients at once that necessitated having multiple invoices in flight at a time, I had an invoice template that I simply changed for each new invoice I needed to issue. They paid via direct bank transfer so I never needed to mess around with payment fees. I originally was going to use Stripe but paying 1% per invoice? Yeah, not gonna happen, just to send them an email or PDF. Perhaps this makes more sense for designers who might work on many projects at once. I believe the founder of designjoy is one such type of person, he makes 1 million a year by himself due to the number of clients he has. Something else you might look at is someone who does website design for companies with a subscription maintenance fee. If they have 10+ sites, it might be hard to get everyone to pay on time, but then again, they might already know how to set up Stripe themselves. However, for those who don't or want one unified platform, your application might fit that need. In short, look for people who have many multiple clients at a time rather than software freelancers who might usually only have a handful at a time. A good distinction might be billable hours based freelancers vs project based ones. Also, definitely make this a paid app from the start with perhaps a free tier or trial, don't start off fully free as it will be a major headache to convince free users to switch to paid. I know that struggle.

wdunkley 2y ago
You make a really good point about solo freelancers often managing just a few clients and not needing a complex invoicing system. It’s something I’ve heard echoed by others as well. Targeting designers or freelancers with a high volume of clients makes sense and is something I've had in the back of my mind. Having these discussions in a more designer-oriented forum would be very beneficial. And yes, the founder of Designjoy is an absolute legend! It’s incredible how he’s scaled his business as a one-person powerhouse. (I've even considered a development approach to this as well). As for the subscription model, I completely agree with you; it’s a tricky decision for many startups. I’ve decided to steer clear of a completely free plan as well. Instead, I’m focusing on offering a short free trial to help users see the benefits before committing. I genuinely believe the platform adds real value and holds up against some of the more established companies, so a free plan isn’t on my radar. Out of curiosity, are there other pain points that you've had in the past with invoicing, even with a lower number of clients?
- satvikpendem 2y ago
  [dead]