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

Show HN: I built a thing

boxcarsurgery.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 104 posts

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#51

Post by antidoh »

dglassan wrote: post #12

You shouldn't be marketing this towards consumers. If you and your friend had this problem with the apartment gate then I'm sure more people at your apartment have to deal with it also. Why don't you talk to your apartment complex and see if they'd be interested to use it as a service for their tenants? You should be marketing this towards apartment complex properties, not consumers living in apartment complexes.

Management/owners have no motivation on their own to install this. They have already satisfied their insurance company by having a locked gate, any kind of locked gate. It's a plus that they can put in their consumer ads. And that's it. They have no pain.

Individuals have the pain.

Total guess, if you can get enough individuals to like it for free or cheap, then the hue and cry may motivate a manager somewhere to subscribe for $WORTHWHILE.

Or you might sell it to the lock companies.

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#52

Post by johnsocs »

calpaterson wrote: post #30
bstar77 wrote: post #25

I love the fact that you solved a specific pain point and can potentially help others, but I'm not sure this is something that would be worth $10/month for most people. This is also a pretty trivial app to build with the twilio/tropo APIs, so it's not an earth shattering product. Can you set it up to use the same number, but validate accounts with access numbers? That way you only pay for 1 number and could possibly…

Most apps are pretty trivial to build, though. The trouble comes in making something that people value, not something that is hard to make.

It may not be hard to make, but a lot of people can't make it, lacking the skills, knowledge, or experience.

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#53

Post by runako »

johnsocs wrote: post #52
calpaterson wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most apps are pretty trivial to build, though. The trouble comes in making something that people value, not something that is hard to make.

It may not be hard to make, but a lot of people can't make it, lacking the skills, knowledge, or experience.

Or, crucially, desire.

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#55

Post by mikeash »

Zak wrote: post #27
krzyk wrote: post #20

That's strange, of all the places in the world I wouldn't suspect that US have a higher price for calling non-local cells/phones (and even has such thing as a long-distance call). Here were I live the long/short distance have the same price for about 15 years now). I know that Poland is small in comparison to the US, but I don't see a point in charging more for longer distance (one could just average the price).

Most landlines, of which a significant number are VOIP do not charge per call or per minute to any number in the US. There is a flat monthly fee for unlimited calling. Mobile phones charge the same per minute regardless of the number dialed. Yes, this is oversimplified and there are billing options which do strange things, but it's unlikely that the reason for the local number policy is the cost of the call.

It seems fairly likely to me. The phone lines that charge extra for long distance are exactly those cheap, low-functionality lines that a system like this is probably hooked up to.

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#56

Post by pud »

Tell landlords they can offer the service to tenants for $10/mo. Split proceeds 50/50.

Call every landlord in town.

Landlords love upselling tenants (parking spaces, storage space, etc.)

Re: Show HN: I built a thing

#58

Post by davemel37 »

This is a no brainer product to sell to the pizza joint. The sales pitch, You should start with your pizza delivery place and tell them, you will give them delivery access to the building exclusively for X dollars... "We Are The Only Pizza Place That You Don't Have to Open The Gate For." would be a very compelling USP, much like what built the massive brand dominoes pizza, "Fresh Hot Pizza in Thirty Minutes or Less."

You would be surprised how a simple small compelling USP can nearly monopolize a small market... Than I would branch out to other delivery services to your building... Once you have 3-5 places using this marketing pitch you can go to property owners and say, "Here is a way to squeeze extra revenue out of your property, while providing a great service to your tenants... You can take it a step further and offer the first part of the app (with a PIN) to tenants for free, sponsored by the local pizza delivery joint...

The best part is that you already have a relationship with the local pizza place, so start there... prove the model and slowly scale throughout your neighborhood, etc...

Post reply on HN