start123

8 ms·

1. 31.▲
   I broke up with Digitalocean, here’s the story(blog.blanq.io)

   19 points by start123 5y ago|24 comments
2. 32.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   Thanks, I noted it down and will fix it today.
3. 33.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   I understand your concerns I personally hate short generic links. They are a big security risk especially phishing ones. The way I counter this is by not allowing people people to create generic links in the first place unless you are a pai
4. 34.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   The biggest problem with my approach was not understanding my product well. What was it trying to solve? I had no answer. Besides that, identifying distribution channels and lack of marketing were primary reasons of failure. I wish I could
5. 35.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   Vue js + Java 13 + Mysql - traditional stuff but works like a charm.
6. 36.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   I agree with you and has been my biggest learning so far.
7. 37.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   I still have my day job but work on my product in evenings and weekends.
8. 38.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   Currently I have a mix of clients - some startups, job boards, digital consultants, content agencies that want to manage and track clicks. Basically understand their campaign so that they can improve and perform better. The good thing is th
9. 39.▲
   by start123 5y ago

   Thanks, I would very much like to believe that.
10. 40.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Thank you so much for your kinds words. Your comment made my day. Regarding your story, I mean wow, that must have been a scary and stressful situation. I am glad you are in a better place now.
11. 41.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Interesting, I will check that out. Thanks a tonne.
12. 42.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Yes, 3 years is pretty much a good way to measure if you have made it or not. Anything beyond that is pretty much a waste of time. Also, surrounding yourself with people of similar interests will keep you going. Currently, I have some great
13. 43.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    I guess so. Besides tech, I did not have any other skills to market my product. Since then, I have learnt a bit of Sales, cold out reach, marketing channels, distribution and a lot more. In my 20s my primary focus was to look and do somethi
14. 44.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    I agree, I focused too much on technology side and completely sidelined marketing and sales. It took some time but I have learnt my lesson now. I spend a week marketing/sales and a week on building features. I wish I could have known t
15. 45.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    I was naive back then and had very little understanding of how things work. I jumped into things because I felt they were cool and not really worrying about solving a problem. And I wish I could share some pics of my failed ones, I did try
16. 46.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Yes, this is so true. B2B and targeted niche product is what I did after successive failures. Yesterday a business bought a premium $50pm plan after a quick discussion with the founder. There is so much money lying around with businesses th
17. 47.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    I agree with your observation that none were original ideas but I would blame more on poor execution and lack of patience.
18. 48.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    By the way, if I were you and if its making some money, I would give myself 1 more year to see where it goes.
19. 49.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Thanks, perseverance and patience were the only things going well for me. My key takeaway would definitely to give products at least 2-3 years before shutting them down. Most apps take a long time to get noticed and SEO works only after a y
20. 50.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    OP here: Due to HN limit on the length of post, I had to cut down the details to about 4000 characters. I skipped tech used, a lot more details about the applications and the timeline. Now I am 36 year old and as stated in the post, I am gi
21. 51.▲
    Failed for the past 12 years as an tech entrepreneur

    257 points by start123 5y ago|163 comments
22. 52.▲
    by start123 5y ago

    Hi, I have been a solo-dev working on Blanq[1] for more than a year now. It is a powerful link shortening platform that supports custom domains, SSL and traffic routing. I released the API to simply link management for you. The plans are co
23. 53.▲
    Show HN: Fast and reliable url shortening API that generates beautiful graphs(developers.blanq.io)

    1 points by start123 5y ago|1 comments
24. 54.▲
    My MRR was $0 and then I switched to Trial. This happened(indiehackers.com)

    2 points by start123 6y ago|0 comments
25. 55.▲
    by start123 6y ago

    As a solo-founder/developer of [1], this is what I have been doing for the past year or so. 1. I searched for basic monitoring solutions for actively monitoring the backend and finalized New-Relic. They provide a free plan that is good
26. 56.▲
    by start123 6y ago

    Here's my improved answer from previous - "Don't offer free plan" post. I recently shut down my free plan and instead introduced Trial on paid plans for my SAAS [1]. Brought in a new entry-level plan that is significant
27. 57.▲
    by start123 6y ago

    I recently shut down my free plan and instead introduced Trial on paid plans. Brought in a new entry level plan that is far cheaper https://blanq.io/pricing.html to make the transition easier. As an indiehacker, the free pl
28. 58.▲
    by start123 6y ago

    https://blanq.io - A url shortening platform. I have been working on this app for a year now. With just one paying customer, I sometimes question its worth and existence. Yet, I slog everyday fixing bugs and adding new features.
29. 59.▲
    Location broker X-Mode continues to track users despite app store bans(techcrunch.com)

    8 points by start123 6y ago|0 comments
30. 60.▲
    by start123 6y ago

    Yes. As of now have a few paying customers and it covers the expenses of my servers. I will need to double down on marketing efforts in coming days. But I do see there is a need.