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How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

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Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#151

Post by 18pfsmt »

ahoyhere wrote: post #140
righyeah wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the niche products are doing so well, then why the need to sell consulting? I mean if you have a product that is truly revolutionizing the time management space, one would think that business would constinue to grow and require a lot of energy to maintain. It seems like this niche is a given number of programmers with poor time management skills surfing the web (what a coincidence :). Giving them a quick fix impul…

1. What consulting? I don't do consulting. 2. Are you privy to hard facts about my customer base like "it's all programmers with poor time management skills"? Or how big a global population that might be? If so, that's very valuable data for me… please share! 3. How much do you think Harvest, Toggl, Freshbooks, etc., make off selling their "sexy quick fixes"? (I believe you might be the only person ever to suggest th…

Just in case you hadn't noticed, there are 3 throwaway accounts (apparently opened just for this) running around this thread attempting to discredit any of the ideas expressed by the OP because the OP had the audacity to charge for his time and efforts. It either set off their BS-alarm, which may be improperly calibrated due to their own views of the world which they then project; or, it might be simple jealousy.

Either way, I guess my point is that we (well, I, anyway) have all wasted too much time giving them the benefit of the doubt, I appreciate reading these types of posts (and yours and patio11's), yet would never spend money on any of the products mentioned in any of them.

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#152

Post by [deleted] »

ahoyhere wrote: post #140
righyeah wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the niche products are doing so well, then why the need to sell consulting? I mean if you have a product that is truly revolutionizing the time management space, one would think that business would constinue to grow and require a lot of energy to maintain. It seems like this niche is a given number of programmers with poor time management skills surfing the web (what a coincidence :). Giving them a quick fix impul…

1. What consulting? I don't do consulting. 2. Are you privy to hard facts about my customer base like "it's all programmers with poor time management skills"? Or how big a global population that might be? If so, that's very valuable data for me… please share! 3. How much do you think Harvest, Toggl, Freshbooks, etc., make off selling their "sexy quick fixes"? (I believe you might be the only person ever to suggest th…

[deleted]

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#153

Post by andyakb »

bdunn wrote: post #36
johnrob wrote: post #34

The depressing truth about the software business is that most of the success stories take the form "and then I started spending all my time on marketing, and my business took off!". I say depressing because most software developers didn't choose their profession out of a burning desire to become a marketer.

That's sort of like saying "the depressing truth about relationships is that you need to go out and meet people to get involved in one." I take a lot of pride in promoting my products. Marketing is just storytelling, and when your story aligns with the needs of someone else, a transaction occurs. Honestly, if you want to just write code all day (and there's nothing wrong with that) don't create a product - work for s…

"if you want to just write code all day (and there's nothing wrong with that) don't create a product - work for somebody else."

this is exactly correct. it is the same reason why so many restaurants fail; somebody says "hey, im a good cook, why dont i start a restaurant?" if you are a good cook and dont know how to run a business, become a chef. if you are a good coder and dont know how to run a business, work for somebody else. business is about way more than just creating a good product. for true, lasting success a good product is almost always needed, but what good is a good product if you dont know how to get anybody to know it exists?

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#155

Post by jbigelow76 »

bravoyankee wrote: post #119
bdunn wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just confused about why you think I'm running a smoke-and-mirrors shop. I have a ton of testimonials from people thanking me for helping them raise their rates. If you email me, I'll send them to you. I take a lot of offense that you think I have "the proper degree of BS mixed together with things I've learned in a short period of time" and that I'm "taking advantage of people." I am delivering value in exchange…

You and Patrick have done an exemplary job of leveraging the herd mentality, but some of us are getting tired of the pitch. How many times are you going to try and milk this cow?

As long as people keep buying I'd assume.

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#156

Post by stevewilhelm »

ahoyhere wrote: post #90
righyeah wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've nailed it with your first paragraph. That is the scheme. It's old. It still works. The web, like TV, is absolutely perfect for this scheme. The audience that includes people who would pay for this sort of advice is the one that watches TV at odd hours, and they are now increasingly surfing the web. It is the rough equivalent of the infommercial. While it may be theoretically possible, no one is going to make f…

Just one of my products, Freckle, makes $30,000 a month… more than 6x what you claim is impossible. On, what, you say? Time tracking. A space in which we are a tiny niche player. http://letsfreckle.com But there's no point in letting facts get in the way of righteous condemnation, is there?

I am curious, is that $30K/mon revenue or profit? Per developer or total?

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#157

Post by petercooper »

mingmecca wrote: post #73
orangethirty wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A software developer can be one without being in the software business. No need to market anything, ever. Now, if you want to sell software, then you better learn how to sell. The depressing truth about the software business is that most of the success stories take the form "and then I started spending all my time on marketing, and my business took off!". What's depressing is this line of thinking. You just can't pro…

It's depressing because to a typical cynical programmer (and we're prone to be cynics spending our time looking for bugs) selling anything has a coat of slime on it. Marketing is mostly about deception and half-truths, and promoting a product effectively means maximizing the positives and minimizing/omitting the negatives: "Look at this shiny car!" (engine leaks oil) "Buy our shiny lightweight computer!" (can't chang…

Marketing is mostly about deception and half-truths, and promoting a product effectively means maximizing the positives and minimizing/omitting the negatives: "Look at this shiny car!" (engine leaks oil) "Buy our shiny lightweight computer!" (can't change battery) etc...

That's life. Being ultra logical is the slimy oddity, not the nitty gritty of life.

When you're dating, applying for a job, or trying to get elected as town mayor, you don't throw it all on the table right away and say, hey, I've got a bowel problem, I occasionally pleasure myself to pictures of vegetables, and I have a prescription drug habit.. even though all of us have various things of this nature under our hats (well, maybe not the vegetable one..)

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#158

Post by abootstrapper »

Evbn wrote: post #148
abootstrapper wrote: post #86

I don't mean to pick on OP, but I'm always a little surprised at how some authors can make money, by writing about how to make money. When in fact, the way they made money was selling books about it, not necessarily by the advice found in their books. I personally don't feel qualified to write about how to build a successful business, because I feel my business isn't satisfactorily large or successful enough. Though…

Just write the book, changing the parts about losing money to making money, and start promoting it.

Don't get me wrong. My business makes decent money. At least as much as I'd make if I had a fulltime job instead. I'm just not sure that's enough success to qualify me as an educator and model on how to do business well. Hell, most of it boils down to luck. Yet, lots of people in the same boat as me write about their "success." Maybe it's lack of confidence on my part, or maybe it's Dunning–Kruger effect.

On the other hand, there's a lot of value (to other people) of disclosing what you've learned as a mildly successful business person. Most people like to keep their cards close to their chest. It's nice to read exactly how your peers are doing business.

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#159

Post by ahoyhere »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #101
larrys wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the approach is what the parent is reacting to and I don't disagree that the approach is definitely reminiscent of items that are sold that are of the "get rich quick" variety. Others in the comments have also pointed this out as well. From skimming it (no patience to read every word) it seemed to follow a well known formula where the author probably read a book on how to create this type of thing himself whi…

I don't understand where you're coming from; all of his products are about how to be better at consulting, not how to create info products or SaaS apps. If he was selling books on how to write and sell books, that would be one thing. But he's a consultant writing and selling a book, a workshop, and an app on how to be a better consultant. To me, that's no different than a successful attorney writing a book on how to…

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Re: How I’m Making Five-Figures A Month Off Bootstrapped Products

#160

Post by zenocon »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #95
zenocon wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just raise your rate regardless of some book -- isn't that really the take away message? I've also been consulting as an independent for 7 years now. I have not raised my rate, but nor have I lowered it (ever). I have turned down plenty jobs, and some have walked away because they did not want to pay the rate, but I have been doing this 40+ hours / week for 7 years now. I do feel like it is time to raise my r…

1. I could have raised my rate at any time, but I didn't until I read the book. If you haven't raised your rates for seven years , I'm guessing that you've thrown away six figures of lost income. I say this based on an assumption founded on the observation that something like 98% of freelance developers are undercharging for no reason at all. I was. You are. Even just taking inflation into account, you should be char…

You make some valid points. I am undercharging. Most projects I go into, I end up doing the work of 5-10x of their engineers. I know this. I've known it for a long time.

It is the reason I went into consulting in the first place -- that and the fact that I don't want to deal with the politics and bullshit that goes with the standard corporate environment. I build stuff and get out.

That said, I think we're still talking about the single revelation of just "raising your rate". I'm not sure I need a book to do that, and you haven't sold me on the examples, anecdotes, worksheets, and other practical advice. I think it really, singly comes down to just raising your rate -- am I wrong?

Quite frankly, the reason I haven't raised my rate is that I live a comfortable lifestyle. I can afford the things I need and the things I desire. I have a family - I provide well, and we are far ahead of the curve on retirement. I plan to retire early, and I'm on track for that. I also live in a geographic environment that has been hit significantly hard economically. Doubling my rate would be a hard pill to swallow for local clients -- albeit most of my clients have been on the coasts.

The question I raised, and still do raise, is this: is it really an ebook that made you that extra income, or is it just having the balls to raise your rate? I'm arguing it is the latter, and questioning the value in an ebook whose main point is summarized in the title...

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