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I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#241

Post by jokermatt999 »

ramses0 wrote: post #203
failquicker wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not the OP, but that is an amazing idea. I remember those baby emails, and can just imagine screenshots of baby kale and turnips. Op, you really should do this. It would be amazing.

...and boom goes the crowd-sourcing. Let everybody who is growing turnips send in turnip pictures, pick the best/representative few and promote those as exemplar turnips. That way you don't have to source "real" pictures of everything in every stage of the growing cycle, you just eventually get it all for free.

If done right, you could also start a nice strong community, which would certainly help. I can imagine different users competing for the "best turnip of the month" spot. Love your users, and they will love you back.

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#243

Post by mixmax »

miri wrote: post #194
lena wrote: post #179

Earlier 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.

Or even better "Enter your e-mail address here and we will notify you when our service becomes available in your country"

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#244

Post by borism »

mahmud wrote: post #161
mixmax wrote: post #153

A lot of people from the US seem to forget that they're excluding the majority of customers by asking you to enter a zipcode that will only work in the US. It's incredibly annoying if you're part of that majority. With that said - good luck :-)

I just bought a plane ticket on united.com with an Aussie credit card. Had to make up a billing address, since there was no "Other" category besides the 50 states and territories :-/

Homeland Security might not be amused :)

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#245

Post by borism »

jacquesm wrote: post #190
mixmax wrote: post #153

A lot of people from the US seem to forget that they're excluding the majority of customers by asking you to enter a zipcode that will only work in the US. It's incredibly annoying if you're part of that majority. With that said - good luck :-)

It only works in the US today, but how is that different from movies or ipads or any other product to be rolled out in the largest target market first? It's non-trivial to scale this to 'planet wide' so until the home market is established and the concept tested there is no really good reason to scale it beyond the US, there are substantial costs associated with doing that. Just the shipping alone for a biological pr…

it's different in that we un-americans will probably never visit the site again after finding out it's US only.

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#246

Post by mahmud »

borism wrote: post #244
mahmud wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just bought a plane ticket on united.com with an Aussie credit card. Had to make up a billing address, since there was no "Other" category besides the 50 states and territories :-/

Homeland Security might not be amused :)

They wont take any more of my time than they already do, and to be honest, they can go fuck themselves.

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#248

Post by TomTrottier »

- why javascript? Better to eliminate if not needed, or note/detect if necessary. I usu have it off.

- why not divide veggies into categories, eg, root veggies, flavour(herb/spice), etc.

- Very dependent on local climate, eg, sun/shade, N/S/E/W exposure, ph of ground, sand/soil, etc. - may need to ask about the planned space.

- Seems very pricey.

- You should at least send them a personalised guide about how to arrange their garden, eg Corn to the North, and a suggested map.

- Included some bonus marigolds, etc., for looks & pest control

- Having a forum section for sharing tips might build support, categorised by growing region

- Great idea to include the weather, if possible, especially spring & harvest times when it matters most. Much more dynamic, tho! Perhaps initially just report the forecast for the zipcode for the next week, then tell gardeners what to do if -snow -rain -hi temp -lo temp and let them make the adjustments.

Weekly updates, say on a Friday for weekend gardeners, would be ideal.

tOM

Re: I just launched my bootstrapped startup. Pray for me.

#249

Post by TomTrottier »

Your market is the new gardener and your competition is the local seed store where they can get advice, if they visit.

But you can hold their hand every week with customised advice. So that is what you can sell. Make sure you differentiate the vanilla free plan from the pay plans, and include more info in the pay plans.

Also, tell them what should be happening if they're with the program. Tell them what should be appearing, what it looks like, how to handle pests or other problems, how much to water, etc., etc.,

New gardeners will pay for handholding.

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