121–130 of 186 posts
If there's a common thread between endless startup failure stories, then it is "we talked to a bunch of people who said they'd spend money on this" and when push came to shove said people didn't actually spend money. We're not failing, but even from a (modestly) successful startup perspective, the vast gulf between "people who like to talk to you as if they will spend real money" and "people who will actually spend m…
We decided to ask ourselves one question: How to we validate an idea before wasting months on an idea that only we seem to think is cool?
So we are creating WillThisFly? to ask that very question... it's a site that allows you to try out your ideas and projects, get feedback and refine them before committing resources to it.
Shameless plug: http://willthisfly.net (Just launched last night)
Only thing on there at the moment is WTF? itself.
All I can say is, it has happened to probably everyone at one stage in their startup career... don't give up, refine your ideas, create MVP's and keep trying...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
All of these things I DO agree with. And yes, we are young. We might not use the word "shit" on our homepage next time. But Hell, I used the word "fuck" on the title of this article, and it sure turned alot of heads.
I was referring to the dig at Christians. Not the vulgarity.
If there's a common thread between endless startup failure stories, then it is "we talked to a bunch of people who said they'd spend money on this" and when push came to shove said people didn't actually spend money. We're not failing, but even from a (modestly) successful startup perspective, the vast gulf between "people who like to talk to you as if they will spend real money" and "people who will actually spend m…
I like to live by the motto: You never know if someone is willing to pay until you ask them to open their checkbook. The same theory can be applied to most investors. (pre-handshake protocol at least)
You throw up a cool pitch with some videos and vague promises, and watch the cash roll in. If the cash does indeed roll in, then it's a good idea!
Then you get to work, and hope no one remembers in 6 months that you promised to deliver them some amazing gifts. :-)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like to live by the motto: You never know if someone is willing to pay until you ask them to open their checkbook. The same theory can be applied to most investors. (pre-handshake protocol at least)
So then... is Kickstarter the only true way to validate a startup idea? You throw up a cool pitch with some videos and vague promises, and watch the cash roll in. If the cash does indeed roll in, then it's a good idea! Then you get to work, and hope no one remembers in 6 months that you promised to deliver them some amazing gifts. :-)
Avoid the confirmation bias of your peers, and target people actively looking for your idea.
Build a fake checkout that collects no data, and thank your 'paying' users for signing up to be notified when X goes on sale.
(You should also probably tell them that no financial information was actually stored.)
Reading about failures can be more illuminating and educational than reading about success. It's interesting to see how you reached a number of gateways where you could have terminated but instead continued to pursue your goals/dreams (despite going against what many would consider the logical conclusion to close). I wonder how many other business have adopted that strategy (of ignoring initial reduced interest in yo…
Remember the famous maxim: "I failed a thousand times but each one brought me a step closer to stealing what I needed from Tesla"
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So then... is Kickstarter the only true way to validate a startup idea? You throw up a cool pitch with some videos and vague promises, and watch the cash roll in. If the cash does indeed roll in, then it's a good idea! Then you get to work, and hope no one remembers in 6 months that you promised to deliver them some amazing gifts. :-)
PPC + Landing page works wonders. Avoid the confirmation bias of your peers, and target people actively looking for your idea. Build a fake checkout that collects no data, and thank your 'paying' users for signing up to be notified when X goes on sale. (You should also probably tell them that no financial information was actually stored.)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So then... is Kickstarter the only true way to validate a startup idea? You throw up a cool pitch with some videos and vague promises, and watch the cash roll in. If the cash does indeed roll in, then it's a good idea! Then you get to work, and hope no one remembers in 6 months that you promised to deliver them some amazing gifts. :-)
PPC + Landing page works wonders. Avoid the confirmation bias of your peers, and target people actively looking for your idea. Build a fake checkout that collects no data, and thank your 'paying' users for signing up to be notified when X goes on sale. (You should also probably tell them that no financial information was actually stored.)
Kickstarter seems like a better approach, since everyone KNOWS there is no product to buy.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
PPC + Landing page works wonders. Avoid the confirmation bias of your peers, and target people actively looking for your idea. Build a fake checkout that collects no data, and thank your 'paying' users for signing up to be notified when X goes on sale. (You should also probably tell them that no financial information was actually stored.)
I never been on such a website, but doesn't this make people angry? Or is the trick to do it also withe fake product and company name, so that you know it would work, but noone can hate you afterwards for lie to him? Kickstarter seems like a better approach, since everyone KNOWS there is no product to buy.