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Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

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Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#1

Post by throw_your_boat »

Using throwaway for obvious reasons...

I'm feeling pretty bad. Until now (I'm 45, SE for 20 years) I've been able to be successful by working hard and never quitting but I think that personality trait has been my demise this time.

I've worked full-time on a bootstrapped SaaS (niche academic domain) for over 3 years now. Went live on January 1 with 50 or so beta testers (free account and support for a year) which gave me plenty of encouragement, feedback, features, etc. Officially launched in July and everything has gone silent. I don't think I can convert any of the original testers as they've all gone to ground.

I've produced some excellent content and tried my best to get it out there but it seems no one is interested (plenty of reads but no sharing, no likes, no backlinks, no conversions, no comments, nothing). I'm 100% sure we offer a way better solution than our other competitors (there are two serious competitors) and the small number of people that have stuck around absolutely love it (however, let's see what happens when their free accounts come to an end on December 31st).

I'm not sure I even have a question to ask, other than "How do I know when it's time to quit?".

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#2

Post by quaquaqua1 »

You know its time to quit when you:

1) Need the money that comes from a day job.

2) No longer like the work you are doing, and can afford to stop doing it.

3) Can think of something better to do.

For me I was working very hard on something I enjoyed but nobody else cared about. I needed money, so I went and got a day job. If I didn't need money, I would have kept doing my project.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#3

Post by quickthrower2 »

It would depend somewhat on if you can conclude there is absolutely no one (or not enough people) who are willing and able to pay money for what you have made. And also if you need to earn money again soon to live off.

Is there any avenues to find out from the market why they are not buying. I'd suggest calling everyone who was on the trial and interviewing them. Come up with a set of questions that is to discover why they didn't buy. Maybe they loved it but couldn't get approval? Maybe they were just trying out because they liked you or are friends but the product doesn't really solve a problem for them?

I'd give it a deadline (3 months). Spent that time trying to proving beyond any doubt the product is a failure so you can finally scrap it. If it isn't a dud then use the information to form a plan to sell your solution to people. Also keep an eye out for a pivot.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#4

Post by throw_your_boat »

quaquaqua1 wrote: post #2

You know its time to quit when you: 1) Need the money that comes from a day job. 2) No longer like the work you are doing, and can afford to stop doing it. 3) Can think of something better to do. For me I was working very hard on something I enjoyed but nobody else cared about. I needed money, so I went and got a day job. If I didn't need money, I would have kept doing my project.

Thanks.

I'm now buried so deep in this domain it feels like it's supposed to be a long term career. I enjoy my work and it's the best and most valuable (IMO) work I've ever produced.

We don't _need_ the money as we live a very simple life, but not being able to earn a living is having an effect on my self-esteem.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#5

Post by throw_your_boat »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #3

It would depend somewhat on if you can conclude there is absolutely no one (or not enough people) who are willing and able to pay money for what you have made. And also if you need to earn money again soon to live off. Is there any avenues to find out from the market why they are not buying. I'd suggest calling everyone who was on the trial and interviewing them. Come up with a set of questions that is to discover wh…

Thanks. I'll be doing some interviews. Good advice, thanks.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#6

Post by ebcode »

It almost sounds like you're experiencing a kind of post-partum depression.

I would recommend that you not "quit", but rather "step back." If you've launched the project, and it's being used, then how much more do you really need to do?

You must have monitoring that you can check occasionally, so maybe you can just let the thing simmer[0] for a while. Take your mind off it, do some other stuff that you enjoy, then take a look at your logs in December. The watched pot and all that.

[0] https://chefmimiblog.com/a-basic-omelet/

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#7

Post by throw_your_boat »

ebcode wrote: post #6

It almost sounds like you're experiencing a kind of post-partum depression. I would recommend that you not "quit", but rather "step back." If you've launched the project, and it's being used, then how much more do you really need to do? You must have monitoring that you can check occasionally, so maybe you can just let the thing simmer[0] for a while. Take your mind off it, do some other stuff that you enjoy, then ta…

Thankyou.

Perhaps I am a bit burnt out. It's practically dominated my waking life for the past 3.5 years. Maybe I should have a break.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#8

Post by issa »

"Build something that people want." It really is the best advice ever.

Maybe more specifically helpful, I would figure out a pivot. I bet there's an idea that can build on the work you have so you're not throwing away all that work. But, even if you are, better to do so sooner than later, if no one is using it.

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#9

Post by throw_your_boat »

issa wrote: post #8

"Build something that people want." It really is the best advice ever. Maybe more specifically helpful, I would figure out a pivot. I bet there's an idea that can build on the work you have so you're not throwing away all that work. But, even if you are, better to do so sooner than later, if no one is using it.

That's what I thought I was doing. Seriously. I talked to so many people that had the same problem. Over and over again, throughout the entire process. I've talked prices, solutions, everything with both people I know and people I don't from students to RA's to professors.

The SV cliche of "get cash from them before building" wouldn't wash in this niche and I wouldn't have been comfortable taking money for such an extended period of time whilst creating the product.

Having said that, there are competitors (who I think I have a competitive advantage over) and many OS/free/self-hosted alternatives (still missing the competitive advantage).

I don't know if I just need to get well known (most people in the niche probably don't know we exist) before I can even make a sale or what. Perhaps I need my content to mature?

I just don't know any more.

Thanks for the advice!

Re: Ask HN: Is it finally time to quit?

#10

Post by issa »

throw_your_boat wrote: post #9
issa wrote: post #8

"Build something that people want." It really is the best advice ever. Maybe more specifically helpful, I would figure out a pivot. I bet there's an idea that can build on the work you have so you're not throwing away all that work. But, even if you are, better to do so sooner than later, if no one is using it.

That's what I thought I was doing. Seriously. I talked to so many people that had the same problem. Over and over again, throughout the entire process. I've talked prices, solutions, everything with both people I know and people I don't from students to RA's to professors. The SV cliche of "get cash from them before building" wouldn't wash in this niche and I wouldn't have been comfortable taking money for such an ex…

Based on my friends who are in academia, money might be a serious problem for people. Even something better than other tools.
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