God's will be done. I ain't praying for anyone. I love God. Let Him do what He wants.
I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
191–200 of 251 posts
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#192Lovely design. Extend this to Canada and you have my usage.
Was the first thing I did, and was disappointed with the result.
1. You have no pricing information available. I have to give you information before I get any pricing information.
2. Screenshots. Basically, I just see you sending seeds and an email saying "Plant this now!"
3. Do you provide information on how best to plant the seeds. I know certain plants are best planted in a certain manner, or things to consider.
4. Options. I tell you want I want to grow? Cool. I want to grow herbs. What herbs are you going to send me? Do I have to be specific? Do you have specific packages? "Basic Herbs - Great for beginners!"
5. People who know how to plant and garden probably don't need your service. People who do won't have a clue, and might be in a situation where a big garden isn't feasible. Any thoughts to 'apartment gardens' or growing herb gardens out on the balcony?
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#193Very cool concept - a few comments: a) The "buy" page screams out for some pics - people eat (and buy!) with their eyes :). b) "We choose seeds that are perfect for your climate and the time of year" then the next page asks me to select my own choices? A little confusing - maybe you're building a list of options dynamically? c) Consider for future "upsells" on the buy page or a more expensive $99.95 starter pack that…
I'd just like to echo others comments about C being a really good idea. I live in London, and have recently moved into an apartment with large windows that are just screaming out for planter boxers. My partner and I are trying to figure out what to plant, etc, but all we really want to do is have someone deliver two planter boxes, the right amount of dirt and fertilizer, and some flowers and herbs that we can plant n…
Are you trying to grow plants in your apartment, or outside (on the balcony)? There are many herbs that grow easily in pots: basil, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley. Bay Laurel is good for a big pot.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
Being from outside US, I sympathize with that but: 1) It's a new service. It's reasonable to restrict your audience at first. Making it more international requires more work (shipping, billing, etc) which might end up being useless. It makes sense to test with domestic users first. 2) You should take a lot of care before shipping seeds internationally. Some countries (well, all countries I have flown to) have strict…
Totally agree with you that it makes a lot of sense for this kind of startup to focus on one country/region first. I do wish that startups would at least mention somewhere that they are aware of this. Something like "Sorry, US only for now" in the HN message, or a "I'm not in the US!" link on the frontpage with a message for international users, even if that message is simply that the company will focus on US custome…
If that "I'm not in the US" button can lead to a page with general planting recommendations for people abroad, it'd be a very nice touch! Maybe a list of tools that are useful, or a link to services that may help, if you're feeling extra kind.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#195Nice! I just got to the homepage and thought "hmmm, that's original and pretty cool!"--especially because I have become a closet gardening geek (although all my neighbors know it and love it).
Page 2 after your zip code is also well done, but it is obviously not going to easily convert first-time users, but let's see how this free sign-up goes and then maybe conversion will be a bit more likely afterwards with convenience being the big seller, obviously.
OOPS! Got a bug screen that something went wrong when I was signing up and choosing which veggies I want to grow :/ That's ok, you just launched.
IDEA: It would be even more awesome if you went beyond veggies. I am not into planting veggies yet, but love annuals and perennial flowers.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#196Earlier quoted context omitted.
As for option c just raise the price until you're willing to do it. :-) Or find a place nearby that stocks everything you need and pay a neighborhood kid to run down and buy whatever you need whenever an order like that comes in. The buyer is purchasing your expertise to pick the right stuff.
I pick one millllion dolllars. Seriously though, the bottleneck right now is my attention, not funding. Although I'll think about it some more when I'm doing my next planning session. :)
IMO, pick something like 999$ for something like that. If nobody does it you are out a few hours, but plenty of people have far more money than time and you would be shocked what people will pay a little help.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#197What a cool idea! Congrats on launching. Yeah, way to go!
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#198very nice site! this is something i never knew i would even be interested in until i saw it - kudos.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#199I like it! my parents are avid gardeners and I've always wanted to get an idea of what/when to plant things.
Suggestion: add a select all / select none on the veggies page. Also, I think there has to be a better way to convince people to pay.
I found myself selecting the email only mode, then wondering if I could "upgrade" my account to a pay version, but I seem that there's no way to do that unless I create another account.
Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
Totally agree with you that it makes a lot of sense for this kind of startup to focus on one country/region first. I do wish that startups would at least mention somewhere that they are aware of this. Something like "Sorry, US only for now" in the HN message, or a "I'm not in the US!" link on the frontpage with a message for international users, even if that message is simply that the company will focus on US custome…
If that "I'm not in the US" button can lead to a page with general planting recommendations for people abroad, it'd be a very nice touch! Maybe a list of tools that are useful, or a link to services that may help, if you're feeling extra kind.
The question you need to ask yourself as a startup is how much time I should spend to not make money. I am sorry, if I already can't ship to you, why do I want to add all these resources for you when I will never receive money from you. Yes if you move to the US the owner might eventually make money, but that amount of time spent on such a low conversion rate is hard for a startup to justify. I think a message of US only would be sufficient for any startup.