14 ms·

You bring up a good point with: "Impressive, but somewhat less success on actual apps". For the longest time, I thought the path to success was: * Launch an ap

You bring up a good point with: "Impressive, but somewhat less success on actual apps". For the longest time, I thought the path to success was: * Launch an app * Quit my day job the next day * Live life on the fast lane forever more. This is simply not true of apps. From what I'm seeing in those who have shared their revenue openly (Brennan, Patrick, Amy, Nathan), it takes about 2 years (+/- 1 year) to get to the place where an app is providing a living income. Software is a long game. I've only been able to have the attention span of 3-6 months. So I lost that game. Here's to 2013 and changing my attention span! :D

crucialfelix 14y ago
note that of course their SaaS apps are directed at a small market of developers. and developers are in the pre-chasm area of early adopters. we are cheap bastards and many of us won't buy things. we get so much open source for free. we like to just play with new things and we switch easily. a hideous market, we are. and then again mass market sales apps require significant marketing campaigns to get the plane in the air.
- npsimons 14y ago
  The truth of the matter is that the "switching easily" mentality makes us a very easy market to break into. I say this as someone who always looks for open source first (not because it's cheaper), but is more than willing to pay (or get work to pay for) tools that are really worth something. It's like the cost/benefit analysis of good furniture and good hardware: it just doesn't make any sense to skimp on anything that will give a significant boost in productivity, as long as it's not outrageously expensive and you don't waste time learning it. Hence, the easy switchers.
  - crucialfelix 14y ago
    Definitely, early adopters are your friends. They experiment. They validate the idea. They feedback rather than complain. And they may keep you in business for a while. And going mass market isn't everything. The nature of the fickle early adopter crowd just needs to be known and appreciated.
- ahoyhere 14y ago
  What makes you think our apps are aimed at developers? You don't have any data on our customers to say things that we have problems making sales, or that people "play with us" and switch easily.
  - crucialfelix 14y ago
    It's my impression, and no I don't have data, and I appreciate the data that you share. I'm doing a startup in a related area, so I am trying to figure out who is there and who is responding. I'm trying not to play to a small crowd by design. It's my impression that it's freelancers, small businesses, people that are Internet savvy "creatives". Certainly that has been your initial crowd, right ? > that we have problems making sales, or that people play with us and switch easily Wot ? Yo, chill. I am describing the market segment of early adopters. It's a classic description of the pre chasm phase, a term I am sure you are well aware of. I guess you assume everybody in the thread is jumping on you ? My comment was noting that you have had success in a limited, not mass market. Good job. It's not fucking guitar hero, okay ? 6 year old girls don't scream out your product name, get a grip.
    - ahoyhere 14y ago
      >I am describing the market segment of early adopters. Right, with the assumption that A) developers are my audience and B) developers behave like early adopters. Now you fan out your description from "developers" to "creatives." Do creatives behave like early adopters? Is there evidence for that? > 6 year old girls don't scream out your product name, get a grip. I think you're misinterpreting my tone, because I'm just pointing out that your comment was full of ungrounded conjecture. It doesn't bother me personally, since I have over 400,000 reasons not to worry what somebody on the internet says about Freckle as a business. What does bug me is the unquestioning perpetuation of the myth that developers don't pay for things, which is a truthy "fact" that scares people away from serving a varied, diverse, and incredibly valuable market who needs things.
      - crucialfelix 14y ago

crucialfelix 14y ago

note that of course their SaaS apps are directed at a small market of developers. and developers are in the pre-chasm area of early adopters. we are cheap bastards and many of us won't buy things. we get so much open source for free. we like to just play with new things and we switch easily. a hideous market, we are. and then again mass market sales apps require significant marketing campaigns to get the plane in the air.

npsimons 14y ago
The truth of the matter is that the "switching easily" mentality makes us a very easy market to break into. I say this as someone who always looks for open source first (not because it's cheaper), but is more than willing to pay (or get work to pay for) tools that are really worth something. It's like the cost/benefit analysis of good furniture and good hardware: it just doesn't make any sense to skimp on anything that will give a significant boost in productivity, as long as it's not outrageously expensive and you don't waste time learning it. Hence, the easy switchers.
- crucialfelix 14y ago
  Definitely, early adopters are your friends. They experiment. They validate the idea. They feedback rather than complain. And they may keep you in business for a while. And going mass market isn't everything. The nature of the fickle early adopter crowd just needs to be known and appreciated.
ahoyhere 14y ago
What makes you think our apps are aimed at developers? You don't have any data on our customers to say things that we have problems making sales, or that people "play with us" and switch easily.
- crucialfelix 14y ago
  It's my impression, and no I don't have data, and I appreciate the data that you share. I'm doing a startup in a related area, so I am trying to figure out who is there and who is responding. I'm trying not to play to a small crowd by design. It's my impression that it's freelancers, small businesses, people that are Internet savvy "creatives". Certainly that has been your initial crowd, right ? > that we have problems making sales, or that people play with us and switch easily Wot ? Yo, chill. I am describing the market segment of early adopters. It's a classic description of the pre chasm phase, a term I am sure you are well aware of. I guess you assume everybody in the thread is jumping on you ? My comment was noting that you have had success in a limited, not mass market. Good job. It's not fucking guitar hero, okay ? 6 year old girls don't scream out your product name, get a grip.
  - ahoyhere 14y ago
    >I am describing the market segment of early adopters. Right, with the assumption that A) developers are my audience and B) developers behave like early adopters. Now you fan out your description from "developers" to "creatives." Do creatives behave like early adopters? Is there evidence for that? > 6 year old girls don't scream out your product name, get a grip. I think you're misinterpreting my tone, because I'm just pointing out that your comment was full of ungrounded conjecture. It doesn't bother me personally, since I have over 400,000 reasons not to worry what somebody on the internet says about Freckle as a business. What does bug me is the unquestioning perpetuation of the myth that developers don't pay for things, which is a truthy "fact" that scares people away from serving a varied, diverse, and incredibly valuable market who needs things.
    - crucialfelix 14y ago