Learned the hard way, do things that don't scale

[kmack7]

@shadowlife Coaching is best thing you are doing. This gives you an opportunity to connect with your users. You will reach a point where u you will see what needs software level solving.

 

[win2888bet]

@shadowlife I think coaching is something that doesn’t scale, you’re right, but it’s not what people usually mean when they say to do things that doesn’t scale in the early stages of your startup.

When I think of doing things that doesn’t scale applying to your idea, I imagine you offering a service where your customers can share their GitHub repository with you, maybe their Slack, and Jira, and you help them keep records of their progress and accomplishments on a weekly/monthly basis.

You might even help them keep track of 1:1 conversations, feedbacks, goals, etc.

When it’s time for performance review, you will work with them to write up their self reflection, taking into account all the records you’ve kept, their roles and responsibilities, and what their company values.

As you start to take on more clients, you start automating some of these tasks. The automation is where the SaaS comes in to the picture.

Regardless, I think coaching is a good idea in that it will get you to talk to your potential clients and allow you to ask them questions that will help you decide on what you need to build for your startup.

I have a very similar idea to yours, so I’m very interested in connecting to see if there’s a potential to partner up on this.

 

[tguy123]

@shadowlife Thanks for sharing your experience. It's a valuable lesson that solving problems directly without overreliance on technology or scalable solutions early on can be highly effective. I've been in a similar position of building something assuming it was the best solution, only to realize the real need was something much simpler.

When first starting out, it can be tempting to try and do everything ourselves instead of focusing on the core problem and seeing how others may be able to help. This is where my platform ufoünd could potentially help save time and validate assumptions. We've built a marketplace where founders in the problem validation stage can exchange user interviews and beta tests with each other, in order to get feedback without spending hundreds of hours seeking out ideal customers themselves. Each founder gets one interview for each one they provide to others on the platform.

While it may not be the right fit for validating something like coaching services, I've found it useful during the early brainstorming phase when I've had an idea but am not sure if others see the problem the same way before investing heavily into an MVP. Let me know if you'd like me to elaborate on how ufoünd works or if you have any other feedback from your experience on what you wish you knew earlier on in the process!

 

[johnmogro]

@shadowlife Instead of coaching and other things, why don't you run paid ads on google and bing to generate qualified traffic.

You should find people on social media channels or other platforms that are more potential to be interested in your product rather than sending bulk of emails to people who have no idea.

Think that there are some people who share their needs on the internet and you might be a great potential if they face with your website when making their search.

 

[jameslog]

@shadowlife Your tool sounds like it would do better as a b2b "employment perk" rather than a b2c.

Leverage your current consulting phase for case studies for your pitch to corporate hr departments.

 

[jimmykiff]

@shadowlife Can someone re- explain the point OP is trying to make? I seriously do not understand it at all.