Friends, Mehricans, entrepreneurs, lend me your ears!
4Since you guys are a ridiculously friendly bunch, I'd like to reach out for a little advice.
I'm one of three founders of a company that I'm trying to get off the ground here in Silicon Valley, and all three of us have been "bootstrapping" (aka burning through savings) for the past 6 months or so. We got a product out there for Android and iOS just last week and even got a bit of media coverage, but we're trying to figure out how to get funding and how to continue getting users. The overall reaction of our users (who can talk to me directly for 72 hours in the app) is very positive so far.
For those of you who have been in my shoes, I'd really appreciate some input as to what I should do next. And that would include biggest regrets, biggest successes, or any other cool story that other people on the forum could benefit from. I'm sure the founders of Meh might have a few wise words to contribute as well.
Hoping to see some fun and interesting stories!
- 10 comments, 19 replies
- Comment
Not in your shoes (yet?), but I'll be following this to see what else comes about.
Now there's a fucking phish if I ever read one. Sounds [IMHO] a hell of a lot more like you're wanting a cool story or quote - and one that you can steal or attribute to Matt or Dave while you're here phishing Meh - and much less as though you're seeking any real world advice.
Not to be unfriendly and all, as we're such a ridiculously friendly bunch.
@mehtherfucker @frostrocket
@Pavlov That sounds about right for the most part, except the thing about commercials being cheery.. have you ever seen a Cymbalta commercial?
That shit is depressing.
(Even the part where they're supposed to be happy is all slow motion and muted colors, with dubbed audio talking about how there's a realistic chance you'll probably die from taking it)
@mehtherfucker Uh. Yeah that's exactly what I'm trying to do, "steal" a quote. Not even remotely in the same business as these guys, I'm just looking for some honest to goodness advice. Hence why I did not post my product on here -- to avoid people bitching about me trying to get a handout/advantage of some kind.
@frostrocket You wrote:
@mehtherfucker's pessimism is understandable, especially given those last three sentences. I understand your not wanting to post a link to your app here, but without knowing what the product is, it will be difficult for people to blindly offer advice. Maybe the positive press was wrong, maybe your app is total shit - maybe it is the next Twitter. Who knows? All I know for certain from personal experience (many years ago in what seems to be another lifetime) is that 1) you'll find being pessimistic in Silicon valley much easier than being optimistic (which is why I tagged you on the video) 2) If your app is live and your burn rate is still draining your wallet and no one has come knocking, you probably need to write your post-mortem. See https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/startup-failure-post-mortem/ (and I'm 100% certain one or more of the mistakes you've made is on that list) and 3) If you're six months in, again, with a live app, and you or one of your partners didn't spend most all of that six months figuring out how to monetize what you've built, you're fucked - and if that did happen, and with a live app your revenue isn't flowing positive, you're fucked.
More likely than not, you're fucked (statistically).
The hard truth is that 90% of all startups fail - 98% never do more than half a million US before they shutter.
This would be a good read for you on where you may look internally (if you have enough cash to carry you for a short while to figure things out) for general guidance on what you might need to improve upon: http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilpatel/2015/01/16/90-of-startups-will-fail-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-10/
From the article:
Good luck - and do post a link to the app or your company's landing page - IMHO at this point the discussion bears at least looking at what you've done so far . . . and with the way things usually go here, you're probably going to take shit either way regardless . . . And if you really need the users, if I were you, I'd have risked it. Easier to beg forgiveness sometimes . . . Especially when you're hungry. But that leads me back to (almost defending) the pessimistic statement @mehtherfucker made - as you don't write as though you're all in (IMHO).
@Pavlov Such a good amount of info in this post. Thank you so much!
Sure, it's a risky venture and the majority do fail, but hell, how many people can say they founded their own company? Or had the dedication or passion to follow it through till the end, successful or not?
The only pessimism I'm feeling at this point is posting on this forum. I really thought I'd get a much more positive and engaging discussion going -- not be accused of trying to solicit a fucking quote or some other backhand agenda.
If I was so thin-skinned that I'd let a single troll on a forum break my will, then I suppose that statistic would be closer to 100% anyway. Good thing I'm not.
Anyway, thanks again.
@frostrocket I'm surprised you ran into this much pushback here, too. Perhaps the good will of some folks has been worn thin by other posters who were less than genuine.
@frostrocket You're welcome. As someone that has never worked for anyone other than myself my entire life (which I have written about in detail here at Meh and been interviewed about several times by different trade publications / local business journals), I hope you were able to take something positive away from my reply. Best of luck to you.
@mehtherfucker
Just one thing currently:
You should already be thinking about security, and hopefully have it baked into your product- it's not really something you can bolt-on afterwards.
Much better to invest the effort now than show up in a news story or a research paper later because of a failure.
@dashcloud Solid advice. Haxxors be everywhere. Thank you!
nsfw-language
an den?
I want to know what the app is. It's a discussion now, not a shameless plug in the first post.
Don't have much startup advice but I'm sure you'll get a lot of sincere feedback from users. Friendly or not, we are an honest bunch.
@djslack
Most likely candidate - http://www.frostrocket.com/
There are at least three or four iterations (free and paid) of the app on Google Play.
And the app genre (either coincidentally or masterfully played) is the subject of the video posted above by @thismyusername
Up to @frostrocket to confirm or deny - but based on his statement below, he apparently wants to let the matter drop.
@djslack
I don't feel comfortable posting anything else on the subject -- this is not the venue I thought it was.
@all
I coulda started like all the other cookiecutter threads (long time lurker, first time poster, yadda yadda), and I'm not some douche who signs up with a meh account the day after he launches a product just to spam and self promote. I've been on the site for over a year now. Check it.
Say what you want, but all I intended was to get some advice from people who have started their own companies. That is IT. And if I worded it such that I sounded insincere or fake, then my effing bad. I could Google for it, which I had done, but I thought I'd get a more personal touch here.
And boy did I get it. So yeah, don't let the door hit my ass on the way out.
@frostrocket Yeah, you got some snark tossed your way - but you also some some genuine questions that you didn't reply to? So why bounce before talking to the folks who are interested in what you're doing? Or why not see who rolls in on Monday morning with another perspective?
While it wasn't exactly friendly - that post calling out what they saw as a questionable motive was feedback, too. They were letting you know you came off shady to them - instead of reassuring them, you got angry - confirming at least some of their suspicion. Missed an opportunity there. Especially with the users who were leery - they're some of the people who would have given the best advice. They value their time and experience, they expect you to do the same - so they prefer to make you earn it.
I'm sorry you didn't get what you were looking for here. I'm also sorry you didn't take advantage of what you did get and hope you take that lesson with you, more than any anger.
Good luck with your business. Starting something new, with your own everything on the line is a terrifyingly gratifying experience.
@Thumperchick -
@frostrocket wow. I don't have any advice about starting a tech business, so I didn't post. And yes, initial responses seemed harsh -- I was surprised.
But why blame all of us ?
On second thought, maybe I do have some advice after all :
~thicker skin.
~join in and make connections if you want others to join you in your venture.
~ don't be so quick to judge a group by a few voices
~ be ready to say : "oh there seems to be some miscommunication" and then start over --Even if someone misread your good intent and answered harshly. If you want to be heard sometimes you have to rephrase while biting your tongue. In life and in business. ( and the fact that it was misinterpreted is pretty darned good feedback too )
~The way you conduct yourself in good and bad situations are key to how your product and company will be judged. Always keep your cool, be above any fray, assume the best of people, and be polite.
The "I'm going to take my ball and go home" attitude doesn't sound mature and would make me, as an investor, not rate management high. << I used to be an investment analyst, judging management is a big part of seeing how a company is and will be run.
And
Why not post your product if you want feedback and specific tips and for clarification ?
I think that's why it was requested
To note: Someone else started a shoe company. I think they first posted on woot and they had a Kickstarter. But was posted here or on mediocre too.
And jasontoon started Eucopia-- box of the month thing and it was posted here.
So it's not a new thing for a member to have a start up and post about it. Just the way you went about it was a little different.
Actually, speaking of Kickstarter, it seems to be a great way to launch. It is being used as much for marketing and getting buzz as it does for actual fundraising. One person I know who used it for a docu. said after product rewards, and fees, they didn't get much for actual production ( and they had a very high Kickstarter $ for their category) But that for publicity and connections it couldn't be beat.
@frostrocket, I can't help you, I pretty much, didn't even understand your question. I have a flip phone, enough said. I do however know people, and the folks who have the knowledge and could offer great advice are going to keep it to themselves. Not give it away for free. Knowledge, is valuable. Count on yourself. I wish you much success.
@mick make the jump, they have snake for smartphones!!!!
@frostrocket Some of us Entrepreneurs are working on our own personal projects on the weekends. And Halloween weekend can get busy for people as well. With that said, I'm here for a bit more of a positive spin than others. -cough- @Pavlov -cough-
You need to read Pavlov's posts with a bit of a filter. You'll find that he/she can get quite... angry about startups/promotions/innovation. I'm not saying his/her information isn't valid, just less... encouraging.
Due to the lack of information on your project/product itself, the advice/information I can provide will have to be broad as well. The main thing you need to have is a clear and defined business plan. Within this plan, you should have the who/what/where/when/why of the business as a whole. Here's a bit of a guide that could help you get started if you go this route
It may feel like you're writing an essay for English 101, but the best way to get back on track is to work out what your business goal is in the next 3-5 years. With a well written plan, you can use it as a marketing tool to help encourage investors, banks... money to invest in you.
I mention investors because your main concern is that you're beading cash. If this is the case, i'd focus on the business financials first. Ask yourself some questions like:
If you focus on the financial issues, you can take the information and work backwards to fill in the rest of the information in building a road map to success.
Good luck in your business venture!
@Bogie I didn't at all get angry in the "jammie-jam" thread, but I did feel like the entire forum was about to be Rickrolled (the whole thing was a little surreal, if you really dig into the links and Mr. Peters' background / company videos / etc. - the man deserves his own meme) . . . Anyway, good advice here for someone just starting out. Not real world advice, IMHO, for someone (three individuals, apparently) six months into an out of pocket burn. From personal experience, as I stated, if you're that far in, you've skipped / missed everything you have outlined here and you're probably not going to be able to overcome the disadvantage you have left for yourself and for your product.
One caveat - with a portion of my portfolio I occasionally participate with a local VC firm, and I have been an angel to several small start-ups. In the tech sector, especially in the area of mobile apps, the traditional "three to five year" plan usually won't be taken seriously as the sector moves / changes too rapidly. Just something I've noticed from working with several incubators here in the Midwest.
@Pavlov That's a fair assessment on the 3-5 years. I haven't dealt in apps, so I don't know the life cycle of that type of technology.
My advice on the business plan was more to drive to define goals and modify scope to help move him into the right direction. Since we don't know what's going on in the company, I'd feel the best advice is to re-evaluate where you're trying to go, and modify plans and set objectives to reach that goal. Helps to re-evaluate what you're trying to do when you get stuck.
As for my anger comment, I was referring to your comment:
@Bogie LOL - That wasn't anger, that was me replying to Carl (who himself generally tells the world daily to take long walk off a short fucking pier [in a healthy manner]).
. . . That is the complete quote, and I'm not going to be joking about starting a meme if I'm angry - and I'm generally not ever angry at @carl669 (except for the time he got that big ass flask and then proceeded to gloat with malignant pleasure [the fucker - and you know it Carl - you're a fucker for doing that]).
Plus, let's put in in context - it was after [USER] said this:
When clearly many of us had.
My saying "go fuck yourself" to [USER] was also a way of telling him to not be so damn serious - as @carl669 had said to him previously in the same thread:
Now all that will happen is Carl will come back and gloat with that big ass flask again.
Shit.
Oh, and thank you for using [USER] . . . good call.
@Pavlov It's like saying candyman 3 times in the mirror.
@Pavlov @Bogie just got back to the office after having to have a plumber come out to the house. $500 later, the leak is fixed and i'm REALLY glad to have the big ass flask which will be put to good use tonight.
Get a job.