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I'm glad this worked, so congrats on that. However, I don't agree that this is good, actionable advice. 1. Find a problem. 2. Get to hacking. 3. Soft launch.

I'm glad this worked, so congrats on that. However, I don't agree that this is good, actionable advice. 1. Find a problem. 2. Get to hacking. 3. Soft launch. 4. Synthesize feedback, build more. 5. Expand the funnel (user acquisition). 6. Aha/Win/Rich/Yay ...That's the formula for any startup/technology service. It's literally those steps, a little individual secret sauce, and you win or you die (figuratively speaking). I know it worked for you, but things like >"In our minds, there is no better way to build a product that people want than to be the customer you plan to sell to." ...aren't very helpful. It's a broad characterization of how to put yourself in that mindset. But in any case, good explanation of what you did for your own project :)

honzzz 13y ago
Exactly. The problem I see with these 'guides' is repeatability. You cannot just follow the steps and get there... the substantial part is missing. Find A Problem Worth Solving... well everybody knows that, right? Is anyone here intentionally trying to solve problem that is not worth solving? I have to admit that I am actually little annoyed when I see title like '5 Steps to $5,000 in Monthly Recurring Revenue' because to me it seems a bit misleading. These are not really steps to $5,000/month... if they told me _how_ to find problem worth 5k than maybe that could be useful. But this is like, ehm... do you want to be successful with the ladies? Here is one simple step... be awesome!
- tracker1 13y ago
  Is anyone here intentionally trying to solve problem that is not worth solving? You might just be surprised by that... I find this happens a lot in business, where they will do custom ground up development something that could be an extension to their existing ERP solution, or other off the shelf solutions already do better.
- dannyolinsky 13y ago
  I agree that just reading the headlines of the sections themselves is meaningless. What we tried to do with the post is identify tactical things we did to increase our MRR. Things like personally reaching out to every user, hand-holding them through the sign up process, figuring out where they abandoned the product, identifying the core feature set to build from our first batch of signups, figuring out how to deliver value within 5 minutes of signup. There's never going to be a do x,y,z and you'll make $5k since every business is different, but instead tips like ours from what we've seen work for us. Agreed on the title, a better one could have been, 'Our 5 Steps to $5k in MRR' to clarify.
- redguava 13y ago
  If there were defined steps that would always lead to success then we'd know about it and everyone would follow them. There are so many variables that this will never be the case. You can only read these types of guides and hope to pick out something that might inspire you or help you realise something that you're doing that you could do better.
- jitnut 13y ago
  you nailed it honzzz! somebody should just a content focused on the first step: how to find a meaningful problem to solve.
nish1500 13y ago
Why should a business model always revolve around solving a problem? If you can solve the problem, then I can copy your solution, and solve it too. But if your job is to take up an existing solution, and significantly improve upon it, I will find it very hard to catch up.

honzzz 13y ago

Exactly. The problem I see with these 'guides' is repeatability. You cannot just follow the steps and get there... the substantial part is missing. Find A Problem Worth Solving... well everybody knows that, right? Is anyone here intentionally trying to solve problem that is not worth solving? I have to admit that I am actually little annoyed when I see title like '5 Steps to $5,000 in Monthly Recurring Revenue' because to me it seems a bit misleading. These are not really steps to $5,000/month... if they told me _how_ to find problem worth 5k than maybe that could be useful. But this is like, ehm... do you want to be successful with the ladies? Here is one simple step... be awesome!

tracker1 13y ago
Is anyone here intentionally trying to solve problem that is not worth solving? You might just be surprised by that... I find this happens a lot in business, where they will do custom ground up development something that could be an extension to their existing ERP solution, or other off the shelf solutions already do better.
dannyolinsky 13y ago
I agree that just reading the headlines of the sections themselves is meaningless. What we tried to do with the post is identify tactical things we did to increase our MRR. Things like personally reaching out to every user, hand-holding them through the sign up process, figuring out where they abandoned the product, identifying the core feature set to build from our first batch of signups, figuring out how to deliver value within 5 minutes of signup. There's never going to be a do x,y,z and you'll make $5k since every business is different, but instead tips like ours from what we've seen work for us. Agreed on the title, a better one could have been, 'Our 5 Steps to $5k in MRR' to clarify.
redguava 13y ago
If there were defined steps that would always lead to success then we'd know about it and everyone would follow them. There are so many variables that this will never be the case. You can only read these types of guides and hope to pick out something that might inspire you or help you realise something that you're doing that you could do better.
jitnut 13y ago
you nailed it honzzz! somebody should just a content focused on the first step: how to find a meaningful problem to solve.

nish1500 13y ago

Why should a business model always revolve around solving a problem? If you can solve the problem, then I can copy your solution, and solve it too. But if your job is to take up an existing solution, and significantly improve upon it, I will find it very hard to catch up.