Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 55 posts

Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#1

Post by pavelshtanko »

Hello HN people!

I do have questions (tons of them btw) and I do think that it is the good place to ask.

Got:

1. The idea

2. Two developers

3. The MVP (actually working prototype, to say mo I'm already using it for my own purposes together with my family)

4. A very small feedback (14 guys interested and waiting for the start of the project) after a few posts on the internet boards.

5. All the tech-related things like certificates, scaling, tests, ci\cd, etc (don't really think that it worths mentioning here, but why not...)

6. Vision (don't like this word) of how to scale and apply the idea to different markets and integrate with my current main project (or similar) where I'm working as a developer

Want:

1. Run the prototype and test it in the live-mode.

Problems:

1. This is the side project running in the parallel with the main job. So the time is the problem.

2. I do not have the experience of running the c-corp or something to legally start the stripe integration for payments. And I can't actually run the project without it.

3. The project already has the expenses related to the Google cloud and some of the others 3rd-party providers.

Questions (I know nothing about the investments and startup stages so please forgive me the stupid questions):

1. Does the project on the right stage for searching for investments?

2. Do the investors willing to help me with the legal issues?

3. Do I need to look into startup accelerators?

4. What is the best\fast\safe option to run the project?

5. What are the good articles to read about the process of building and funding the startup\sideproject?

p.s. I don't think that you guys like the advertisement so I didn't put the link to my weird landing page here. (ping me if we need it for the discussion)

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#2

Post by BartBoch »

1. Do you need an investment? Is your strategy completely dependant on getting funded? You should always build a company with Bootstrapping in mind. If you can survive without external funding, then it will be much easier for you in the long run. Funding will help you to grow, rather than survive.

2. You can always join startup accelerator or hub, they will help you out, often for free.

3. Yes, sounds like this is the best option in your situation.

4. Can your MVP run on a free basis? If yes, then release a free version and build it from there. This will be the best way to test your concept.

Edit your post and add a link, without that it is hard to suggest anything.

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#4

Post by strife25 »

> 1. Does the project on the right stage for searching for investments?

Don't worry about investment - focus on getting your first paying customer. Build a business first, then get investment when you need it to grow. You'll also have more leverage in the terms if you have a viable business when talking with investors.

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#5

Post by thisisit »

One, it's your thread. So, it's fine if you post the link. Getting feedback is important.

Second, get some Linkedin/Facebook/Google ads running. Get some more people to your site. IMO, one of the biggest problems is having a small audience for feedback. If your conversion rate is say 1% then you barely have 1 user. So, go big or go home.

Third, I believe there will be tools out there to help with other stuff like c-corp etc.

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#6

Post by contingencies »

First of all, congratulations to you and your team on coming this far.

1. No. Investors will want to see product market fit, size of opportunity, growth potential. Without true and paying customers (people you don't know), this is too hard to claim, so even most angel investors will consider the current state too early.

2. An angel investor would be able to assist you with company registration, however you can also do it yourself through an agency. I would recommend pricing this out (both establishment and annual ongoing fees and charges) so you have an idea of what you're getting in to financially before taking the plunge. This will be part of your first financial forecast, which is going to be maintained going forward.

3. Accelerators are fronts for investment. They also want high growth potential businesses. Unless you can justify this, it may be hard to get accepted. Also, they usually demand full time commitment for the whole team in a certain physical location (ie. whole team has to move cities) and some traction with an MVP at a minimum. Unless you and your team are all willing to quit your jobs, they may not be right for you. However, they may provide the dangling carrot that maintains team motivation and gets you all to commit full time. Only you will know if it's right for your team. Frankly, it's a large risk. You would probably do well to maintain your income and operate the business part time initially.

4. Decide on ownership and investment structure. Commit to paying the C-Corp and related accounting/filing fees. Get it done through an agency. Try to sell the tool and get some real market validation.

5. You don't need articles. You need sales.

In short: Register a company, listen to your real or potential customers, get some sales.

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#7

Post by pavelshtanko »

BartBoch wrote: post #2

1. Do you need an investment? Is your strategy completely dependant on getting funded? You should always build a company with Bootstrapping in mind. If you can survive without external funding, then it will be much easier for you in the long run. Funding will help you to grow, rather than survive. 2. You can always join startup accelerator or hub, they will help you out, often for free. 3. Yes, sounds like this is th…

1. I do need the support to implement the legalization part (I don't know how to run c-corp or something)

2. For free? What is the profit for them?

4. Suddenly not, I rely on 3rd party providers and they cost me some money.

The problem is that I can't edit post right now. So here is the link: https://goandcall.me (I've got very bad communication and copywriting skills but I promise I will improve them).

The main idea that you can get a link or widget for your website, email signature or get it per prospect via API. This link will help your customers call you without any plugin or additional software. Free for customers, paid for you. You can manage links and numbers (activate, deactivate, assign schedule).

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#9

Post by adamqureshi »

The single necessary and sufficient condition for a business, says MIT’s Bill Aulet, is a paying customer.

https://stripe.com/atlas

or use a paypal button.

Adapt this mentality. No investor will ever give you money.

Make sales. Learn. Adjust. Repeat.

Good Lucky! ;-)

Re: Ask HN: Ok. I have the MVP. I have a small feedback. What is next?

#10

Post by pavelshtanko »

hartator wrote: post #3

Sure, it's okay to post your landing page here. Please do. MVP stands for "Minimum Viable Product". It implies some paying customers. Nothing wrong to use the word prototype here.

I'm to shy about it (not the best quality), but anyway: https://goandcall.me Idea: the link or widget that will help your customers reach you to your own phone number without any additional plugins or tools. Manage the links\numbers, activate them or deactivate. Attach scheduler to them. Hide your own number behind the links.
Post reply on HN