Balsamiq, a bootstrapped startup featured here some time ago, makes $10k in 6 weeks
balsamiq.com
balsamiq.com
badness=true
Nice work on the site and app! Congrats!
I worked at a software company which has 5 buildings it owns outright, employs thousands of people, and has 300 million+ in annual revenue. In the 70's it was started by one person. I'd have called it a "startup" at the time. It is still private.
The difference perhaps revolves around "startup appropriate for Y Combinator" vs "startup."
Actually, it would be "startup appropriate for any investor". If there is no exit planned, then it's not something an investor wants to be involved in.
It's purely semantics, which is why I specifically said, "according to pg's definition". Your definition may be different...but if you're talking about pg's rules of thumb for "startups", you have to accept his definition of "startup" for the purpose of context.
There are all sorts of investment that don't fit the Silicon Valley VC short-term mold, so appropriate for "any investor" might be over-stating things, even for startups. Investing in cash-cow businesses is not a bad strategy--I wish I could have invested in the private company I mentioned above in the 70's. Jeff Bezos thought 37 signals was interesting enough to invest in. Warren Buffett seems to like cash cow businesses as well.
Buy and hold anyone?
YC funds single founders all the time. There were several in our batch.
One person can go only so far (not that this is by any means insignificant e.g. PlentyOfFish apparently serves millions of uniques and earns US$10,000 per day with a staff of one). "Singles" will inevitably hit a glass ceiling where they will need more resources if they want to break through.
The secret to continuing your initial success is ensuring that these additional resources can leverage off your initial good work AND add value of their own in excess of the complexity added/strain they place on you and your new "organisation". Far easier said than done.
I ran a startup for 7 years, was very successful, but as a single founder, I understand fully the problems and concerns of PG et al. My biz (electronic products design/manufacturing/distribution) was very demanding, maybe / (shouldbe) a software company will be less so. In which case the rules change?
Im hoping....
May want to invest in some web design though, your site layout is pretty obviously copied from 37Signals' Basecamp...
I am working on a new design with a graphic designer friend...so there's hope. :)
Ya, the site could be designed better. Is it a Basecamp copy simply because he intelligently uses "above the fold" and then answers a few question in a two-column format below the fold? How many other sites do that? Many! Certainly those that want a modicum of success, and are aware of the home page "design patterns" that are in use today, do.
I plan on using the exact same design pattern for my projects.
I can't even say that 37Signals pioneered the pattern but they might be responsible for popularizing it. It works.
If anything Peldi deserves a little credit for utilizing a well known pattern to get his site up and saving his time for developing his app.
Congrats! I think it's looking good!
I must also note that while I am very glad you have succeded in your milestone and its obvious benefits from a marketing standpoint, I find the whole area of self promotion on such an early scale somewhat of a recipe of disaster. My own startup (Travel social networking / Commerce site) is in private until september time yet from friends, family and testers our turnover and profit in the last 4 weeks dwarfs this figure. I could easily push these figures for marketing purposes but until i have sustained traction in reaching our targets they add no real benefit to us.
Nonetheless good job, but go get some extra help with that money!!
wrigley "At present I cannot personally fund this project and in order to get to demo phase need to bring a hacker on board to work in partnership, what resources or methods would anyone suggest in trying to attract a hacker on an equity only option at present?,"
whats the truth then?
You are pointing to a new project I was looking to startup - NOT my current project, if you quote the whole item you will see that "I cannot personally fund this project" - relating to the new project I was looking to startup.
The existing company (Travel website) I currently work for and manage is doing quite fine thanks, hence the comment in this post.
wrigley: "I think when the net goes to the IPv6 there will be many more domain options"
There's nothing wrong with not knowing what IPv6 is, it's relatively domain specific knowledge. I know next to nothing about organic chemistry functional groups - but I don't go spouting bullshit in organic chemistry forums.